Author: Vanessa Talbot

Vanessa Talbot
• Product Owner •Vanessa Talbot joined 4D Program team in June, 2014. As a Product Owner, she is in charge of writing the user stories then translating it to functional specifications. Her role is also to make sure that the feature implementation delivered is meeting the customer need.Since her arrival, she has worked to define key features in 4D. She has worked on most of preemptive multi-threading new features and also on a very complex subject: the new architecture for engined application. Vanessa has a degree from Telecom Saint-Etienne. She began her career at the Criminal Research Institute as a developer for the audiovisual department. She has also worked in media and medical fields as expert in technical support, production as well as documenting new features.
Product
Vanessa Talbot
blank

Project Databases: Method documentation is back

When developing an application, it can be very useful to have quick access to the details of a method (e.g., an explanation of what it does, its syntax, and a definition of the parameters passed to it). This becomes even more important when using a compiled component. You can’t look at the content of the method, so you can only rely on its documentation to understand how to use it.

The Explorer’s dialog has been enhanced and documentation is now available in 4D v18 R3 for project databases.

Read more

Product
Vanessa Talbot
blank

Define the font size for automatic font

In a previous R-release, we added two new automatic themes to define font and the font size, so there are three automatic themes at your disposal which respect the guidelines of each platform. To design your interface, the automatic theme is the recommended way to go with each form object using the font and size recommended by the OS.

In some cases, you may need more control and have valid reasons to ignore the guidelines. With 4D v18 R3, you can override the size of the automatic themes and have more control over how your text is displayed.

Read more

Product
Vanessa Talbot
blank

An intro to object-oriented programming in 4D: Classes

Many of you have have been asking to be able to define an object type ever since the Object type became available. Thanks to object notation, many of you dream of having object functions.  Dream no more and say hello to classes in 4D v18 R3 project database! In this blog post, we’re introducing one of the most interesting concepts of object-oriented programming … along with a database example and a bonus video!

Read more

News
Vanessa Talbot
blank

News flash: 4D components available on GitHub!

In 2017, 4D initiated a new program to share the source code of 4D internal components to 4D Partners.

Sharing the source code of 4D components lets you customize them and make them your own! With project databases and the ability to share an application’s source code via a source control system, we’ve converted our 4D internal components into project databases and pushed the source code to the 4D GitHub account. It’s open to everyone, all you need to take advantage of it is an account on Github. Why did we do this? To make your life easier by keeping track of changes and modifications to both code and forms.

Read more

Product
Vanessa Talbot
blank

A new tool to easily build Entity Selection list boxes

To display a list of records, an entity selection list box is the most suitable when using ORDA technology. 4D v18 R2 simplifies your life with a new tool to easily build entity selection list boxes: List box builder. What is it? It’s a simple dialog where you can set up your list box in a few quick steps (select the table and fields to display, enter column titles, and define the column order). 

Read more

Product
Vanessa Talbot
blank

Project databases: Improved views in the form editor

The Form Editor allows you to create, modify, and customize your forms. Several tools are available to make your work easier, one of which is the Views palette. This tool makes it easy to build complex forms by distributing objects into different views. The views enable objects to be hidden or displayed as needed.

What if you’re working on a form developed by someone else? How can you quickly determine if the form uses views? Are there limitations on the number of views permitted? 4D v18 R2 and project databases eliminate these existential questions while greatly enhancing the user experience! 

Read more

Tips
Vanessa Talbot
blank

Binary database vs. Project database

As you know, 4D now supports two ways to work with sources: binary and project databases. Binary databases are the 4D we all know and love, with source code in a binary file to allow team development with 4D Server, and all of the design elements (methods, forms, structure, etc.) gathered in a single, compact binary file, the “.4db” file. Project databases make it easier for distributed teams to work collaboratively by storing the source code in a source control system in separate, plain text files. Projects will not replace the 4DB, we have no plans to make the 4DB disappear. It’s about two different ways of working and developing. It’s up to you to choose what best suits your needs. Here’s a blog post to help you decide:

Read more