For either developing a new Web or native mobile application, or migrating an existing PowerBuilder application onto the Web or to the mobile, you need to perform three key tasks in PowerServer Toolkit: Analyze, Modify and Deploy Automatically.
If you use Appeon PowerServer for developing a new Web or native mobile application, the first step is to write a new PowerBuilder application (refer to Web RAD with PowerBuilder and PowerServer in Migration Guidelines for PowerServer Web). It is recommended that the new PowerBuilder application conforms to PowerServer coding styles, as laid out in Supported PB Features for PowerServer Mobile, or in Supported PB Features for PowerServer Web then you will expend less effort in the first two tasks: Analyze and Modify.
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Task 1: Analyze
You need to analyze the application PBLs for unsupported PowerBuilder objects and features, using the PowerBuilder IDE extended with PowerServer Toolkit. General rules of thumb regarding how the application should be structured are outlined in Basic Requirements and Recommendations in Supported PB Features for PowerServer Mobile or in Supported PB Features for PowerServer Web. The application must meet these requirements before the analysis can begin.
The first step results in an analysis report highlighting unsupported PowerBuilder objects and code within the application.
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Task 2: Modify
Next, work around or remove the unsupported PowerBuilder objects and code that prevent the Web or mobile application from running, using standard PowerBuilder programming. Supported PB Features for PowerServer Mobile, or Supported PB Features for PowerServer Web and Appeon Code Examples (an Appeon demo PowerBuilder application) will guide you through this process by providing information regarding supported PowerBuilder features as well as example code for implementing these features.
Then, perform a full build of the application in PowerBuilder, ensure that there are no bugs in the PowerBuilder code and that the application functions correctly.
The second task results in a PowerBuilder application that is ready for automatic conversion to the Web or to the Mobile.
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Task 3: Deploy automatically
At the push of a button, you can now automatically generate a precise replica of the PowerBuilder application, that deploys to the n-Tier architecture and can be accessed by Web browsers (PowerServer Web applications) or in Appeon Workspace on various mobile devices (PowerServer mobile applications).
Then, automatically deploy the generated Web or mobile application files to PowerServer. The third task results in a bona fide Web application or a native mobile application with the look and feel of the source PowerBuilder application.
For detailed information about the Web conversion, please refer to the Migration Guidelines for PowerServer Web.
