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ORDA: Thoroughly compare two entity selections

Since ORDA allows you to work with several entity selections simultaneously, we’re sure you take advantage of this by passing entity selections as a parameter to project methods or to functions of ORDA Data model classes.

To work efficiently with object-oriented programming using as few lines of code as possible, you need robust and optimized functions. That’s why with 4D v19 R3, we are shipping a new function available on the entitySelection object: the selected() function.

Thanks to it, you’ll be able to inspect and compare two entity selections. Let’s see the details!

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Roland Lannuzel

Need a magic wand? Here are computed class properties!

The apparition of classes in the 4D development environment has made programming more modern and easier to scale. Classes allow the definition of properties, functions and also support inheritance.
In your application, you probably have a class to manage scientific or financial data. Let’s take the example of financial data. Say you have created functions to calculate taxes. If you also manage several countries, you may have used inheritance to manage the different rules. Then, you display these results in a list box, but if the user changes one of the attributes used in the formula, you have to manage this event to update the result.
With 4D v19 R3, 4D allows you to simplify this process thanks to computed properties: You can define a get and set function for your computed property, and when you add your property to a list box, everything is handled automatically by 4D. No more business logic in your UI.

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Product
Roland Lannuzel

A magic show awaits you with ORDA’s computed attributes!

It is often helpful or even essential that databases be adapted in a flexible and evolving way to users and their businesses in the computer world. The control of accessible data is also a recurrent and sensitive subject. From this point of view, developers use methods and formulas that are sometimes complex to give or restrict access to information, depending on the context or the access rights of the users.

Let’s take a simple example. In your application, you sometimes need to display a list of people. One of the columns displays their full names, but in your database, you have a first name field and a last name field. Currently, you write a formula in the list box column, and you have to manage the sorting on the column yourself. Wouldn’t it be great to have a computed field where you can define its calculation formula and sorting method, and have all the business logic inside the class and not in each interface?

Well, starting with 4D v19 R3, 4D provides a solution to this, with computed attributes.

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Product
Fabrice Mainguené

Create a BLOB attribute in an object

With the introduction of classes in the 4D environment, the need to store your data in objects, and especially blobs, has increased. That’s why 4D v19 R2 lets you encapsulate blobs in objects.

Beyond the storage aspect, since the blob object is a reference type, your performance in terms of memory occupation and speed will be greatly improved.

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4D v19 R2 Beta starts today

Beta testing for 4D v19 R2 is starting today! Here is what this feature release has in store for you:

 

  • 4D for Android (our development platform for Android devices) is now final with 4D v19 R2. 
  • Speaking of mobile, new features for iOS and Android platforms are now available, allowing you to customize your app’s color, adapt it to dark or light mode, sort its local data, and more! 
  • 4D View Pro: Analyze data with pivot tables. Import and export CSV files. Manage your sheets by programming. Easily handle page breaks (for printing purposes) from the user interface.
  • 4D Write Pro: More display options for inline and anchored pictures. We’ve also made it easier to format the images used as background of documents, sections, paragraphs, etc.
  • Features that incorporate best practices such as defining a default .gitignore file and managing Byte Order Mark (BOM) and End of Line (EOL).
  • Features to enhance either your experience as a developer, such as getting access to the details of a class function from the code editor, or your end-users’ experience, such as automatic component signing on Mac.
  • And more (see below)! 

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Tips
Vanessa Talbot

CSS Media query for a dark or light UI

Dark mode has been gaining a lot of ground recently. That’s why we’ve added support for it in 4D v19, and mentioned a few ways you can adjust it to your needs in the related announcement.

In this blog post, we’ll focus on CSS and explain in detail how to set CSS styles for light and dark modes using CSS media queries.

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Product
Vanessa Talbot

Dark Mode support on macOS has arrived.

Dark Mode is awesome and creates an exciting user experience. That’s why, starting with 4D v19, 4D now supports Dark Mode, which activates automatically if Dark Mode is turned on at the macOS level.

This is just the beginning, and there is more to come in future versions such as Dark Mode support for all components (e.g. the 4D Write Pro widget) and Design Mode.

Want to see how Dark Mode transforms the look of 4D elements? Keep reading!

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