Getting Started Building a Client/Server Application

The workspace is where you build, edit, debug, and run PowerBuilder targets. You can build several targets within a single workspace.

Now you start PowerBuilder and create a new workspace.

First read the Release Bulletin for this release

Any last-minute items are documented in the Release Bulletin. To make sure you have all the files necessary to complete the tutorial, see Setting up for the tutorial.

Double-click the PowerBuilder icon (representing PB190.EXE) in %AppeonInstallPath%\PowerBuilder [version]\

or

Select All Programs>Appeon>PowerBuilder 2019 R3>PowerBuilder 2019 R3 from the Windows Start menu.

The Welcome to PowerBuilder dialog box displays.

The Welcome to PowerBuilder dialog box allows you create a new workspace and add a new target or an existing target to the workspace.

If you do not want PowerBuilder to display the dialog box again

You can leave the "Show this dialog box at startup with no workspace" check box unchecked to keep PowerBuilder from displaying the welcome dialog box every time you start PowerBuilder. Select the "Reload last workspace at startup" check box to load the most recently used workspace each time you start a PowerBuilder session. Then click "Close this dialog box".

The PowerBuilder development environment displays.

If this is the first time you are opening PowerBuilder on your machine, you see only a top-level entry in the System Tree to indicate that no workspace is currently open. Otherwise, the System Tree might show a workspace with targets and objects in it.
Select New from the File menu

or

Click the New button in the PowerBar.

The Workspace page of the New dialog box displays.

PowerBuilder displays the page of the New dialog box that was used before the dialog box was last closed. In this exercise, make sure that the Workspace page of the New dialog box displays.
Select Workspace from the Workspace page of the New dialog box.

Click OK.

The New Workspace dialog box displays.
Choose the tutorial folder.

If you have created a workspace before, the dialog opens to the location of the most recently-used workspace. For this new workspace, change the location to the path described in the next paragraph.

If this is your first workspace, the New Workspace dialog box opens to %SystemDrive%\Users\[username]\Documents. Navigate from this point to Appeon\PowerBuilder [version]\Tutorial. The solutions for the tutorial are in the Solutions subfolder, but you will create your own solutions as you work your way through the tutorial.
Type MyWorkspace in the File name text box.
Click Save.

The New Workspace dialog box closes and the workspace you created appears as the first item in the System Tree.

Create a target

Where you are

> Create a target

Now you create a new target using the Template Application wizard. Based on the choices you make, the Template Application wizard creates precoded events, menus, windows, and user objects in addition to the application object.

Select New from the File menu and click the Target tab

or

Right-click MyWorkspace in the System Tree, select New from the pop-up menu, and click the Target tab.

The Target page of the New dialog box displays.
Select the Template Application icon and click OK.

The Template Application wizard displays. The first page of most wizards explains what the wizard is used for. As you step through the wizard, you can press F1 to get Help on most fields.
Click Next until the Specify New Application and Library page displays.
Type pbtutor in the Application Name text box.

The wizard automatically assigns file names to a library and target that use this application name. It assigns the library a PBL extension and the target a PBT extension.
Click Next.

The Specify Template Type page displays. The MDI Application with Microhelp radio button is selected. You will create an MDI template application, so you do not need to change this selection.

About MDI

MDI stands for multiple document interface. In an MDI application, the main window for the application is called the MDI frame. Using the MDI frame menu bar, you can open additional windows known as sheet windows that display inside the frame window.
Click Next 4 times until the Name Individual Sheets page displays.

In this tutorial you accept the default application type, library search path, frame and frame menu names, sheet menu and manager service, and MDI base sheet.

If you have clicked Next too many times

You can use the wizard's Back button to navigate back to the correct wizard page.
On the Name Individual Sheets page, type w_customers for Sheet 1, w_products for Sheet 2, and clear the Sheet 3 text box.

PowerBuilder will generate two windows based on the default basesheet (w_pbtutor_basesheet), one for customers and one for products. You will add a third sheet window later in the lesson on exception handling.
Click Next.

Type Maintain Customers as the display name for Sheet 1.

Type Maintain Products as the display name for Sheet 2.

The names you type will display in the title bars of these sheet windows.
Click Next twice.

You do not need to change the names of the About and Toolbar windows.
On the Specify Connectivity page, select None.

You will add a Connection object later.
Click Next twice to display the Ready To Create Application page.

You will create a project later.

This is the last wizard page. It lists your current selections so that you can review them and use the Back button to go back and change them if necessary.
Make sure the Generate To-Do List check box is selected.
Click Finish.

The Template Application wizard creates the pbtutor.pbt target and the pbtutor.pbl library, and sets the new pbtutor application as the default application.

You can expand the System Tree to view all the objects that have been created by the Template Application wizard. The System Tree does not display the file extension of the pbtutor target, but it does display the directory where the target file is saved.

The pbtutor.pbl library displays under the pbtutor target in the System Tree. It contains the target Application object, which has the same name as the target object but displays under the library file. Other objects generated by the wizard also display under the library file.

Specify an icon for the application

Where you are

> Specify an icon for the application

Now you specify an icon for the application. The icon appears in the workspace when you minimize the application during execution. PowerBuilder includes the icon automatically when you create an executable file. You specify an icon from the Properties view in the Application painter.

Double-click the pbtutor Application object in the System Tree

or

Right-click the pbtutor Application object in the System Tree and select Edit from the pop-up menu.

The pbtutor Application object is located under the pbtutor library, which is under the pbtutor target object that you created with the Template Application wizard. Different views of the Application object display in the Application painter.
Make sure the Properties view displays in the Application painter.

If the Properties view is not open, you can open it by selecting View>Properties from the menu bar. The menu item is grayed out if the Properties view is already open.
Click the Additional Properties button in the Properties view.

A tabbed Application property sheet displays.
Select the Icon tab.
Click Browse.

Navigate to the Tutorial directory.
Select the tutorial.ico file.

Click Open.

If you do not see the ICO file extension

You do not see ICO file extensions if the Hide File Extensions for Known File Types check box is selected in the Options dialog box of your Windows Explorer.

The tutorial icon displays on the Icon page of the Application property sheet.
Click OK.

Click the Save button in PainterBar1 or select File>Save.

Click the Close button in PainterBar1 or select File>Close.

Change the size of the main window

Where you are

> Change the size of the main window

Now you change the size of the application's main window. When you run the application, the main window displays in the position and size that you specify.

Double-click w_pbtutor_frame in the System Tree.

The Window painter opens the application's frame window.
Check the Center check box on the General page in the Properties view.

Now when you run the application, the frame window will be centered.
Scroll down and select normal! in the WindowState drop-down list box.

If your Properties view looks different

You can change the position of Properties view labels by right-clicking the Properties view and selecting a preference from the pop-up menu. You can position the labels either to the left of all fields, or on top of the text fields and to the right of the check boxes.
Click the Other tab in the Properties view.
Type 3000 in the Width text box and 2400 in the Height text box.

The size of the window rectangle in the Layout view changes. The values you type are in PowerBuilder Units (PBUs).
Press the Tab key.
Select File>Close from the PowerBuilder menu.

Click Yes when you are prompted to save your changes.

The Window painter closes.

Next you run the application. When you run the application, the frame window will be centered and sized as you specified.

Run the application

Where you are