Blog from June, 2013

Embeds / ClarionTest series updated
David Harms posted on Jun 28, 2013

I've been working on an extensive update to a series of articles originally published in Clarion Magazine and titled "The Problem With Embeds". That series introduced the utility that became ClarionTest and demonstrated how to use automated testing in conjunction with classes to convert single-use, hard-to-test (and buggy) embed code to reusable, reliable, easily testable code. The rewrite is under way, but Parts 1 through 5 are now available. 

ClarionLive show notes for June 28 2013
David Harms posted on Jun 28, 2013

This week on ClarionLive Bruce Johnson gave an extensive tour of NetTalk's web app capabilities. Also in the show: Mike Hanson's Code Smell of the Week and a CIDC update.

Quick Starts for classes
David Harms posted on Jun 27, 2013

The Clarion IDE has quick starts for source files. But what about for classes? It's not that hard to create a class from scratch, with the header in an INC file and the methods in a CLW file, if that's something you do on a regular basis. But what about if only write classes once in a while, or are just getting started? Here are a couple of Quick Start files you can add to your Clarion install to get your on your way. 

ClarionLive show notes for June 21 2013
David Harms posted on Jun 21, 2013

Today's ClarionLive covered the upcoming CIDC, code smells, the word of the day (Order), and featured the ongoing Invoice.app refactoring. In this instalment Mike Hanson completed the fixes needed to compile the app following major dictionary changes. 

Poll: What tools do you use for web development?
David Harms posted on Jun 19, 2013

This subject has been coming up regularly in the newsgroups. Log in and vote, and if you don't see your tool of choice listed, add it and vote for it!

Using classes to handle events
David Harms posted on Jun 19, 2013

The Clarion runtime is chock full of interesting functions, including RegisterEvent which lets you install event handlers for windows and controls. Even better, you can use RegisterEvent not just with procedures but with class methods, which makes it easier to build reusable, testable classes not just for business logic but also for UI logic. 

ClarionLive show notes for June 14 2013
David Harms posted on Jun 14, 2013

This week's ClarionLive webinar featured Mike Hanson refactoring Invoice.dct and laying some groundwork for CIDC 2013.

Poll: Does auto-hiding panels make the IDE more likely to crash?
David Harms posted on Jun 13, 2013

In a sv.clarion.clarion8 newsgroup posting Craig Jorgensen said his IDE crashed more regularly when he used auto-hide on panels. I replied that I seldom see crashes, but then again I almost always have my IDE panels pinned, and have done so ever since Clarion 7 first came out. 

Does auto-hiding panels create IDE instability? Log in and take our poll!

Mystery solved!
David Harms posted on Jun 07, 2013

Well, sorta. I have to initialize the pool object manually in DCL_System_IO_AsciiFile only in EXEs because in that scenario a module level pool declaration doesn't get instantiated until after the ASCII file object. Strange that it would work fine in a DLL, but there you have it. See the comment at the end of the article. 

ClarionLive show notes for June 7 2013
David Harms posted on Jun 07, 2013

Lots of interesting SQL-related stuff in today's ClarionLive show, along with a guest appearance by SV's Bob Z and Diego B.

Automatically building the EXP file for the DevRoadmapsClarionLibrary
David Harms posted on Jun 06, 2013

While we're on the subject of clunkiness, there's too much work involved in adding a new export to the DCL. This modification reduces the effort to adding a single line to a text file. 

Making the ASCII file class easier to use (again)
David Harms posted on Jun 06, 2013

The DCL_System_IO_AsciiFile is an updated version of a class Konrad Byers wrote for Clarion Magazine. The original class was easy to use; my later modification to allow for multiple instances, less so. This refactoring restores the original ease of use and allows for up to five different instances using an internal pool of available file layouts.