Database Xcessory
Advanced Database GUI Builder
Database Xcessory(DX) is an advanced visual development environment featuring a powerful SQL widget toolkit. With Database Xcessory, developers can build Motif interfaces that interact directly with relational databases without writing a single line of X, Motif, or SQL code.
Visual Development Increases Productivity
Database Xcessory speeds client/server application development with its WYSIWYG user interface development environment. Developers work faster because they can build complex C and C++ database applications using drag and drop.
Database Xcessory applications get their database functionality from a set of Motif-based SQL widgets. The widgets work closely together to generate SQL queries at runtime, pass the queries to a database server, and automatically format the results on the user interface.
Database Xcessory is based on Builder Xcessory 6.0 and includes BX PRO 6.0, the premier cross-platform visual reuse environment for Motif and Java. BX PRO 6.0 consists of:
- Builder Xcessory 6.0: the industry's most advanced GUI Builder
- EnhancementPak 3.0: a set of reusable components including business graphs and sophisticated user interface controls
- ViewKit 1.3: a flexible and mature C++ reuse framework
Key Features
- Build client/server applications optimised for UNIX
- SQL widget toolkit
- Visual 3GL development environment
- Supports Oracle and Sybase
- Generates C and C++
- Integrated Schema Browser-view database structure and content
- Creates dynamic SQL
- Allows use of stored procedures
- Table widget-tabular data display
- Graph widgets
- Field validation via picture editing and look up
- Full control over database transactions
Prior to Database Xcessory developers were forced to choose between the productivity of 4GL solutions and the performance and scalability of 3GLs like C, C++, and SQL.
User Interface Development Environment
Database Xcessory integrates the SQL widget toolkit into an advanced Motif visual development environment. It also implements a rich set of object-oriented design features which provide simple ways to create, store, reuse and share interface parts.
Building Environment
Database Xcessory features an integrated Schema Browser which offers the developer a visual representation of the structure and contents of the database. It also serves as the main mechanism to link interface objects to the database. To create a fully-functional database application, the developer simply selects fields from the Schema Browser and drags them into the interface. Database Xcessory automatically creates SQL widgets and sets the resources necessary to allow them to display the results of database queries.
Another way to place new widgets on the interface is to select them from the Palette. The Palette gives the developer access to the full set of Motif widgets as well as the SQL widget toolkit and graph widgets.
Testing Environment
To test the application, the developer simply enters "Play Mode". In Play Mode the application fills SQL widgets with real data from the database, and lets the developer use the controls just as if it were a compiled application. Any data changes in Play Mode are rolled-back when the developer reenters "Build Mode"
Object Oriented Design
Database Xcessory classes implement the object oriented design methodology proposed by Motif expert Doug Young of Silicon Graphics Inc. Classes are collections of widgets which can be saved onto the Palette and reused throughout the application and in future projects. When a class definition changes, all of the instances based on that class are updated, throughout the entire application.
Database Xcessory also supports styles, which are named groups of Motif resources that can be applied to any of the widgets in the application. With styles developers can create and enforce a corporate style guide. Like classes, if a style is edited, all of the widgets governed by the style will be updated to reflect the change.
Large Project Support
Database Xcessory was designed to help developers to organize the details of large client/server projects with dozens of developers and hundreds of forms. DX has a complete suite of data managers to track styles, constants, procedures, identifiers, data types, and files.
In addition, Database Xcessory is closely integrated with the leading CASE tools for UNIX, including: SunSoft Forte®, Mercury Interactive Corporation's Xrunner®, and Rational's Clearcase® and Purify®.
Database Xcessory Architecture
The key to Database Xcessory lies in its use of DatabasePak, a powerful SQL widget toolkit highly optimized for UNIX development. These widgets follow the standard Motif API, offering a lower learning curve for Motif programmers doing client/server development.
The toolkit contains three different types of widgets:
- Data Presentation widgets
- Data Management widgets
- Database Access widgets
These widgets work closely together to generate SQL queries at runtime, pass the queries to a database server, and automatically format the results for the end user.
The SQL widgets also offer:
Full transaction control
- Developers can control exactly when changes to data are committed to the database.
- Applications built with Database Xcessory automatically trigger cascading queries based on the specified relationships between master and detail displays.
Dynamic SQL or Stored Procedures
DatabasePak allow developers to use dynamically generated SQL or stored procedures to access data in Oracle or Sybase.
Screen Shots
The Palette
Holds the widgets, classes and user-defined collections you use to build your application. The DX Palette includes:
- Motif - standard UNIX GUI toolkit
- DBPak - Database aware widget toolkit used by DX
- EPak - the ICS Enhancement Pak, a set of additional widgets to help make your interfaces look and work better
- ViewKit - an application framework to make Motif development in C++ more efficient and easier than ever before
Together, the most comprehensive X/Windows widget collection available anywhere!
With DX, you build applications simply by dragging and dropping widgets, then modifying their resource settings. You can also create your own widgets, classes, and collections, and add them to the DX Palette.
The Browser
Is your main work area.
As you drag and drop widgets to
create screens, the Browser displays the hierarchical structure of your interface. As you add and
modify widgets, the Browser shows you the instance hierarchy of your interface.
Use the Browser to:
- Select a widget by clicking on it.
- Modify the hierarchical structure of your interface.
- Define new classes.
- Generate C, C++ code, and makefiles.
- See online Help.
- Switch between Build Mode (for building) and Play Mode (for testing).
- Access DX Managers -- helpful tools that keep track of constants, identifiers, procedures and types used in building your application.
The Resource Editor
Allows you to easily edit widget resources. When you double click on a class or widget instance in the Browser, its resources are displayed in the Resource Editor.
Use the Resource Editor to:
- Set resources.
- Add callbacks.
- Apply application-wide styles.
- Search for widgets.
The Schema Browser
Lets you view the schema of a specific database. By dragging and dropping columns of data, you can quickly build a fully-functional, data-aware application.
Use the Schema Browser to:
- Select the databases and tables you want to work with.
- View sample data.
- Drag and drop data-aware widgets onto your application.
