- Functions for managing the ORCA session
- Functions for managing PowerBuilder libraries
- Functions for importing and compiling PowerBuilder objects
- Functions for querying PowerBuilder objects
- Functions for creating executables and dynamic libraries
- Functions for deploying components to EAServer (Obsolete)
- Functions for managing source control operations
All ORCA functions are external C functions that use the WINAPI macro to specify the calling convention of the function. On the Windows platform, WINAPI is defined as __stdcall.
About the code examples in this book
All ORCA functions may be called from either an ANSI client program or a Unicode client program. The code examples in this book use macros that are defined in the tchar.h file that is installed with PowerBuilder in the Shared/Appeon/PowerBuilder/cgen/h directory. If the /D _UNICODE compiler directive is set, these macros accept Unicode string arguments. If _UNICODE is not defined, these macros accept ANSI string arguments. This coding technique allows you to create ORCA programs that run successfully as either ANSI or Unicode clients.
ORCA functions can be divided into seven groups with the following functions:
-
Managing the ORCA session
-
Managing PowerBuilder libraries
-
Compiling PowerBuilder objects
-
Querying PowerBuilder objects
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Creating executables and dynamic libraries
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Managing source control operations involving PowerBuilder objects
Just as you begin a session in the PowerBuilder development environment by running PowerBuilder and end the session by exiting PowerBuilder, you need to open a session when using ORCA and close the session when finished.
Library list and current application
In the PowerBuilder development environment, you must first have a current application. You also set the library list search path if you plan to view or modify objects or create executables. ORCA has the same requirements, but in reverse order. In ORCA, you set the library list and then set the current application.
ORCA functions that do not involve compiling objects or building applications do not require a library list and current application. These are the library management functions. For source control functions, PBORCA_SccSetTarget implicitly sets the library list and current application.
Session management
Listed here are the session management functions (which all have the prefix PBORCA_), the purpose of each, and their equivalents in the PowerBuilder development environment:
|
Function (prefix PBORCA_) |
Purpose |
Equivalent in PowerBuilder |
|---|---|---|
|
ConfigureSession |
Sets session properties that affect the behavior of subsequent ORCA commands |
Options |
|
SessionOpen |
Opens an ORCA session and returns the session handle |
Starting PowerBuilder |
|
SessionClose |
Closes an ORCA session |
Exiting PowerBuilder |
|
SessionSetLibraryList |
Specifies the libraries for the session |
File>Library List |
|
SessionSetCurrentAppl |
Specifies the Application object for the session |
File>Select Application |
|
SessionGetError |
Provides information about an error |
No correspondence |
The library management functions are similar to commands in the Library painter. These functions allow you to create and delete libraries, modify library comments, and see the list of objects located within a library. They also allow you to examine objects within libraries; export their syntax; and copy, move, and delete entries.
These functions can be called outside the context of a library list and current application.
Listed here are the library management functions (which all have the prefix PBORCA_), the purpose of each, and their equivalents in the PowerBuilder Library painter:
|
Function (prefix PBORCA_) |
Purpose |
Equivalent in PowerBuilder |
|---|---|---|
|
LibraryCommentModify |
Modify the comments for a library |
Library>Properties |
|
LibraryCreate |
Create a new library file |
Library>Create |
|
LibraryDelete |
Delete a library file |
Library>Delete |
|
LibraryDirectory |
Get the library comments and a list of its objects |
List view |
|
LibraryEntryCopy |
Copy an object from one library to another |
Entry>Copy |
|
LibraryEntryDelete |
Delete an object from a library |
Entry>Delete |
|
LibraryEntryExport |
Get the source code for an object |
Entry>Export |
|
LibraryEntryExportEx |
Get the source code for an object |
Entry>Export |
|
LibraryEntryInformation |
Get details about an object |
List view |
|
LibraryEntryMove |
Move an object from one library to another |
Entry>Move |
These functions allow you to import new objects into a library from a text listing of their source code and to compile entries that already exist in a library.
Entries in a library have both a source code representation and a compiled version. When you import a new object, PowerBuilder compiles it. If there are errors, it is not imported.
You must set the library list and current application before calling these functions.
Listed here are the compilation functions (which all have the prefix PBORCA_), the purpose of each, and their equivalents in the PowerBuilder Library painter:
|
Function (prefix PBORCA_) |
Purpose |
Equivalent in Library painter |
|---|---|---|
|
CompileEntryImport |
Imports an object and compiles it |
Entry>Import |
|
CompileEntryImportList |
Imports a list of objects and compiles them |
No correspondence |
|
CompileEntryRegenerate |
Compiles an object |
Entry>Regenerate |
|
ApplicationRebuild |
Compiles all the objects in all the libraries associated with an application |
Design>Incremental Rebuild or Design>Full Rebuild |
Compilation functions are not the functions that create an executable from a library. See Functions for creating executables and dynamic libraries.
The object query functions get information about an object's ancestors and the objects it references.
You must set the library list and current application before calling these functions.
Listed here are the object query functions (which all have the prefix PBORCA_). There are no direct correspondences to PowerBuilder commands:
|
Function (prefix PBORCA_) |
Purpose |
|---|---|
|
ObjectQueryHierarchy |
Gets a list of an object's ancestors |
|
ObjectQueryReference |
Gets a list of the objects an object refers to |
These functions allow you to create executables and PowerBuilder Dynamic Libraries (PBDs and DLLs). You can specify the same options for Pcode and machine code and tracing that you can specify in the Project painter.
Using ORCA, PBDs or DLLs must be created in a separate step before creating the executable.
You must set the library list and current application before calling these functions.
Listed here are the functions for creating executables and libraries (which all have the prefix PBORCA_), the purpose of each, and their equivalents in the PowerBuilder development environment:
|
Function (prefix PBORCA_) |
Purpose |
Equivalent in painter |
|---|---|---|
|
ExecutableCreate |
Creates an executable application using ORCA's library list and current Application object |
Project painter |
|
DynamicLibraryCreate |
Creates a PowerBuilder dynamic library from a PBL |
Project painter or Library painter: Library>Build Runtime Library |
|
SetExeInfo |
Sets additional file properties associated with the EXE and DLLs that are created |
Project painter |
These functions are obsolete because EAServer is no longer supported since PowerBuilder 2017. An obsolete feature is no longer eligible for technical support and will no longer be enhanced, although it is still available.
These functions deploy an EAServer component using, or overwriting, specifications of the project object:
|
Function (prefix PBORCA_) |
Purpose |
|---|---|
|
BuildProject |
Deploys component according to the project object specifications |
|
BuildProjectEx |
Overrides server name and port number when deploying component |
These functions allow you to perform source control operations involving PowerBuilder targets and objects:
|
Function (prefix PBORCA_) |
Purpose |
|---|---|
|
SccClose |
Closes the active SCC Project |
|
SccConnect |
Initializes source control and opens a project |
|
SccConnectOffline |
Simulates a connection to source control |
|
SccExcludeLibraryList |
Names the libraries in the target library list that you do not want to be synchronized in the next PBORCA_SccRefreshTarget operation |
|
SccGetConnectProperties |
Returns the SCC connection properties associated with a PowerBuilder workspace |
|
SccGetLatestVersion |
Copies the latest version of objects from the SCC repository to the local project path |
|
SccRefreshTarget |
Refreshes the source for each of the objects in target libraries |
|
SccSetPassword |
Sets the password property prior to SccConnect |
|
SccSetTarget |
Retrieves the target file from source control, passes the application object name to ORCA, and sets the ORCA session library list |
