Product 4D Database: Search in array attribute

Search by linking array attribute query arguments

Object fields, introduced with 4D v15, allows to store and index unstructured data. This could be a common set of data, like first name, last name, birthday. It could be different data in each record, such as a shop that will need different attributes for shoes (size, color), computers (CPU, memory), printers (color, ink), a list of values or all in any combination.

Here is a real User Story from a 4D customer :

My badge application manages the access rights for each person to a building and for a time slot. This information is stored in a database as an array of objects ( e.g.: {access right, building, time slot} ). I want to be able to look for people who have access to a building during a time slot.”

4D provides several ways to query for data, using index and so extremely fast.

News 4D v15.4

4D v15.4 – macOS 10.12 Sierra and Windows Server 2016 certified

We are pleased to announce that 4D v15.4 has successfully passed the macOS Sierra (10.12) certification process.

If your solutions are deployed on Windows server, you can now upgrade to Windows Server 2016 with confidence, 4D v15.4 being also certified for this new OS.

Upgrade to 4D v15.4 and benefit from the new software corrections and OS certifications. Thanks to this new release, you can run your applications on both mac OS 10.12 and Windows Server 2016 without any undocumented behaviour/change.

To download 4D v15.4, visit your 4D website today.

Product 4D View Pro: cross table

Easily create cross-tables reports with the Quick Report editor

A new step has been reached in 4D v16 R2 with the 64-bit Quick Report editor: the cross-table reports are now available!

As you probably already noticed, the new Quick report for 64-bit versions had been fully redesigned since v15 R3 to provide you and your end-user with a better user experience. After list reports which were available as the very first step, we are now moving forward and delivering cross-table reports.

Product

Listbox : more programming possibilities!

Want to do generic programming using listboxes? So this feature is for you!

With 4D v16 R2, 20+ new listbox properties can be dynamically manipulated by code so 4D Developers now have the full control over the listbox form object! Among a long list: multi-style, wordwrap, single-click edit, truncation mode, column min & max width and much more. The properties apply to the entire list box, its columns, or both.

No more property available only in Design Mode through the Property List: every single property can now be set and get using 2 commands: LISTBOX SET PROPERTY and LISTBOX Get property.

Product

64-bit product line FINAL on Windows

64-bit is the way where everybody needs to go. 64-bit allows you to take advantage of the power of the 64-bit machines and of the latest native system features for your business application.

With 4D v16 R2, 4D has reached a major milestone as 4D Developer Edition and the 4D Volume Desktop Windows 64-bit are now released as “Final” and are thus ready for production.

Start early, use it now and share your feedback through in the beta version forum from 4D Forums!

Product 4D Database: Sort records by object attribute

Sort records by object attribute

At each 4D release, object fields become more and more powerful.

A new 4D command for sorting your record selections according to one or more attributes is now available with 4D v16 R2. The new command ORDER BY ATTRIBUTE works the same as the command ORDER BY; you just have to pass an attribute path by which you want to order your selection – easy!

Product refactoring web area

New rendering engine for Web Area

4D is updating its internal component for embedded Web Area objects for the most up-to-date and well-maintained existing rendering engine. As we want to durably support the state of the art in HTML and JavaScript technology, we are changing to Blink (also used in Google Chrome) for the Web Area for all 4D 64-bit versions.

Tips

Detailed analysis of your database structure

Did you know that you can retrieve very detailed information on a table, field, indexes, relation or even on the complete database structure? This kind of information is always very useful for analysis or introspection purposes. Of course, you could use the 4D Pack deprecated commands: _AP Get field infos and _AP Get table info. Another option is to use the SQL system tables.

None of them allows you to retrieve all information. So why use a plug-in or SQL when you could use a 4D command? The EXPORT STRUCTURE command returns the complete database structure definition in an XML tree. This command exists since 4D v14 R4.