Improved productivity with Object check syntax
Auto-completion for classes is available since 4D v18 R4. This feature simplifies code writing and limits errors in function names, for example. But it doesn’t avoid them entirely; it’s easy to reverse two letters or to forget a capital letter, and then have to spend time looking for why your code doesn’t work.
So what better way than to ask 4D to check if the classes or functions already exist?
Starting with 4D v19 R4, a warning is displayed in the code editor if you call a function that does not exist.
Launch an external process asynchronously
Sometimes you have to run processes in the background, and as soon as one finishes, perform some actions according to its exit code. 4D now allows you to start a process in the background with the new 4D.SystemWorker class and execute callback methods automatically when the process returns information. This way, your application UI stays responsive during the execution of the external process, and when finished, you can display the result to the user right away!
4D language: The improvements you requested are here
Do you dream of using short-circuit evaluation, ternary operators, breaking free from a loop, or exiting from a method with a simple keyword?
Well, dream no more! We listened and kept an eye on your feature requests from the 4D Forum, so here comes a set of 4D language improvements that will help you simplify your code.
4D View Pro: Speed up your development process with templates
Creating reports or spreadsheets from existing templates speeds up development. Starting with 4D v19 R4, copy and paste actions can now be performed using code that copies a range of cells from another location (including other areas).
4D Write Pro – More control on page layout
4D Write Pro makes it easy to create complex documents. Display and layout attributes can be applied to different parts of the documents, whether they are text, images, or tables. Speaking of tables, they benefit from a new property to better define the layout! Let’s see what 4D v19 R4 has in store for you.
NULL value to blank value? No more default mapping
When you create a new field in your database, 4D allows you to choose to map NULL value to blank values or not. Starting from 4D v19 R4, in new projects, 4D will no longer by default map the NULL value to an empty value.
ORDA – Say Hello to Aliases
4D v19 R4 is shipped with a new ORDA concept: Aliases. They are the logical and complementary continuation of computed attributes.
This blog post explains what aliases are and highlights their advantages, especially when to use one or the other… or both.
Quickly jump to different functions of a class
Classes were introduced with 4D v18 R3. They allow you to organize your business logic and separate it from the UI part more quickly.
Classes are composed of several functions of varying lengths, so it’s not always easy to find the function you want to modify, or to move from one function to another. You can use the explorer, which displays classes and functions, but when you’re coding in the editor window, you don’t want to waste time changing windows.
With 4D v19 R4, the list of functions in your class is displayed in the code editor toolbar, allowing you to easily jump to a specific function.
Use duplicated merged client applications
As a publisher, you sometimes want to duplicate a merged client application to connect each of them to their dedicated 4D Server. Let’s see how to do this.
High DPI on Windows: Support for high resolution screens
At 4D, we take customer requests very seriously!
In previous meetings, customers showed great interest in supporting high-resolution displays, such as 4K displays, in Windows. Your wish has been fulfilled as we have added support for High DPI in 4D.
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