Convert an existing database into a Project
As of 4D v17 R5, you can create a database project. One of the greatest benefits of projects is how easy it makes collaborative work for distributed teams … by storing the source in a source control system in plain text files. Whether you’re a single developer or part of a team, this opens a new world of possibilities.
But what about an existing databases? Can they be converted to projects? Yes! This blog post is all about showing you how to do this and making you aware of a few things to know before proceeding.
4D Project: Embrace a new era of collaboration
4D has been a longtime supporter of team development, ever since 4D Server 1.0. The greatest benefit of working together on the same source code, is allowing both team development and team testing. However this can create some disadvantages for distributed teams since they may not be able to work on the same source.
Following a complete rewrite, 4D now supports two ways to work with sources: binary and project. Binary is the 4D we all know and love, with the source in a binary file to allow team development with 4D Server. Project makes it easier for distributed teams to work collaboratively by storing the source in a source control system in plain text files.
Get started with encryption in 4D
In a previous blog post, we announced new data encryption tools for your 4D databases. Now it’s time to get our hands dirty and learn more about these tools which were designed to be as automatic as possible.
Read 4D object fields with SQL Engine
A 4D object field is a persistent database field type, stored as binary content. Previously, reading this type of field by an ODBC driver wasn’t possible. Until today.
Before, an error was returned when trying to read an object field. This prevented the completion of simple Select * from myTable requests, which could be frustrating for users who only wanted to browse the content of a table.
Good news! The SQL engine has been updated to allow 4D object fields to be read.
Introduction to data encryption in 4D
DATA is everywhere. As our lives increasingly move online, the importance of data security also increases. Customer data must be vigilantly guarded against potential threats and breaches. In many cases, using a disk encryption tool (such as Microsoft’s Bitlocker or Apple’s FileFault) provides a sufficient level of protection, but what if your customer or your CSO (Chief Security Officer) requires encryption at the database level – on a per table basis?
During 4D Summit 2018, you asked for a solution to encrypt your data and we’ve delivered. We’re excited to present new data encryption tools for your 4D databases.
4D v17 R5 Beta starts today
We’re pleased to announce the launch of beta testing for 4D v17 R5.
4D v17 R5 is one of the most feature-rich R-releases ever delivered, and we couldn’t be happier to share all the advances we’ve added to the ever-growing list of 4D features:
- New built-in data encryption for your 4D databases is available, adding another level of security that is completely transparent, safe, and fast.
- Actions, incremental data synchronization, and N to one relations are now available for 4D for iOS.
- The SQL engine has been updated to allow reading 4D objects.
- More email features: Logging SMTP conversations, custom mail headers, and legacy charset support are ready and waiting for you.
- Additional advances in the 4D language and ORDA for better readability, efficient code maintenance, and optimized performance.
- In addition to commands being extended or renamed, you can also invoke a method from your 4D application, thanks to the power of 4D Write Pro.
- A powerful new ribbon-style toolbar to enhance the 4D View Pro user interface is at your disposal.
- And much more (see below).
4D v17 R4 is here!
We’re pleased to announce that 4D v17 R4 is now available!
Here’s an overview of what this R-release has in store for you:
- Take full advantage of your multi-core computers with: preemptive processes on the client, and Begin SQL/ End SQL command that is now preemptive-compliant.
- Exporting your documents in .docx format and graphically managing vertical margins thanks to a vertical ruler are just a part of the new 4D Write Pro features.
- Make use of restricted queries, multi-criteria search, and the ability to create custom data formatters in your 4D for iOS application.
- Discover the new way of sending emails in 4D. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the simplicity and power.
- Explore the additional commands we’re shipping to programmatically handle your 4D View Pro documents.
All of this and more awaits you!
New formula: More power behind simplicity
The New formula command is available since 4D v17 R3. So far you might have thought of assigning a formula as a method to an object or building smart objects that can calculate values or do anything you need. That’s really great, and there’s more than meets the eye!
I had a great demonstration from Vincent de Lachaux – Developer and expert 4D – on how he uses this command. For this blog post, I compiled different scenarios from that demo to give you insight on a different dimension of this command.
Go the distance with the best of 4D
Things have been really exciting for us here at 4D, but also in our community. Especially with 4Dv17 and its R-releases containing many groundbreaking features such as ORDA, 4D for iOS, 4D Write Pro, 4D View Pro, dynamic forms, and much more. Now there’s even more good news … we’re hitting the road to share all of these great advances with you in person! We’re hosting events where you can meet the 4D team face to face and gain in-depth knowledge about 4D technologies: 50+ countries and 44 cities around to introduce you to the latest 4D innovations!
4D Write Pro now supports virtual structures!
Understanding end user needs and creating user-friendly interfaces are high priorities for every application developers.
And as you may know, the 4D language lets you alias table and field names in order to make them more readable for end users. This allows easier translating and readability in standard dialogs (query, sort, and formula editors), but also filtering out any table or fields that should be kept away from end users sight.
During 4D Summit 2018, we had requests to extend this feature to 4D Write Pro. Well, we listened and it’s now available with 4D v17 R4!
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