Welcome to the .NET DataStore API Reference 2.0.0!

Readme First

This readme page will prepare you for getting a better usage of this API Reference document. It contains the recommendation for acquiring a basic understanding of the C# language, and also brief instructions for understanding the document structure.

Non-generic .NET DataStore vs. Generic .NET DataStore

The non-generic .NET DataStore (the DataStore class) provides almost the same set of APIs, data buffers, and approach to transaction management as PowerBuilder, therefore, PowerBuilder developers can easily start from this class.

The generic .NET DataStore (the DataStore<TModel> class) is designed in native .NET coding style, therefore, it requires developers to know the .NET technology and understand what "generic" means.

Prerequisite Knowledge

If you have done development before, but are new to C#, we recommend you thoroughly read through the following Microsoft .NET documents first to get a basic understanding of the C# language and .NET development.

A Tour of the C# Language: It provides an overview of the language. It covers the elements that make up C# programs and the capabilities of the language. It shows small samples of all the syntax elements of C# and discussions of the major C# language topics. After reading this, you will have answers to the following questions:

  • What is an attribute? What is the difference between an attribute and a property?
  • What is the difference between List, Array, and Dictionary?
  • What is Data Context?
  • What are the differences between a class and a structure?
  • What is a namespace? What is an assembly?
  • What is a delegate? How to use delegate with events?
  • What is the difference between “int” and “system.Int32”
  • ......

Introduction to C# Tutorials: It provides interactive tutorials for brand-new developers to explore and learn the C# language in the browser using a Read-Eval-Print Loop (REPL) interface. The tutorials provide a step-by-step process to create C# programs. They show the language concepts and how to build C# programs on your own. After you finish the interactive lessons, you can improve your coding skills by practicing the same lessons on your machine.

Introduction to ASP.NET Core & Tutorial: Get started with ASP.NET Core: These sections talk about the concepts of ASP.NET Core and create your first ASP.NET Core web app.

How the API Reference is organized

The APIs are listed in the following order: first the package by alphabetical order, then the category for the frequently-used objects of the same type or functionalities (such as DataStore), and finally the public APIs (if any) by alphabetical order.

So if you want to view all APIs related with DataStore, you expand the DataStore tree item to view the list; and you will find not only IDataStore and DataStore under the tree item, but also a bunch of subsidiary APIs for implementing DataStore.

Some base classes/interfaces are for internal use only, so the only available documentation for it is its derived classes/interfaces.

IDataStore (interface) vs. DataStore (class)

When you explore the APIs, you often find two categories with similar name, for example, IModelStore vs. ModelStore, IDataStore vs. DataStore. The APIs starting with the letter “I” is an interface (“I” short for “interface”); and the ones without the “I” are classes. The class (e.g. DataStore) implements the interface (e.g. IDataStore ). So normally the class only contains documentation for constructors, while the interface contains documentation for methods and properties.

.NET-style page layout

The API Reference presents a page layout which is consistent with the Microsoft .NET API documents, for example, each API page has the same sections as the Microsoft .NET API page; if a method has no return value, the Return section does not appear in the document either.

Filter or Search

There are two ways to search in the API Reference:

  • Filter: You input the API name in the Filter text box on top of the left navigation pane, to let the navigation list filter out the APIs matching with your input. The filter function works better when you know the API name (or part of the API name).
  • Search: If you want to search for any keyword (not just API names), then you would need to use the Search box on the top right corner. The search function will search all Appeon C# documents (not just API Reference).