Change the properties of several methods at once by code
We know that sometimes you want to change the properties of multiple methods without having to open the property dialog for each method.
For example, you want to set all methods to “Can be run in preemptive mode” status, then compile your database. So with compilation errors, you get an overview of the methods to modify to be preemptive.
Using the METHOD GET NAMES command to retrieve the list of methods from your database, and then using the METHOD SET ATTRIBUTES command to modify the attributes, lets you modify them all at the same time!
Create a 4D View Pro document offscreen
Do you need to create a 4D View Pro document using code, without any user interface? It’s possible! Because 4D View Pro documents are objects, it’s very easy to create off-screen documents. You can create a new document in a variable of object type and manipulate it through its properties. When your document is ready, you can register it in your database, in a file, or display it directly in a 4D View Pro area.
Write generic code with ORDA
ORDA was one of the major announcements of 4D Summit 2018, opening a world of new possibilities in 4D. To learn more about ORDA and its benefits, check out this post to see how ORDA will change the way you work.
4D Methods editor with dark theme
Humans have different taste preferences. For instance, some people prefer white over all other colors, while others find black to be more majestic … hence any new color trend tagged as ‘the new black’!
In order to accommodate different preferences, 4D enables you to personalize the method editor theme!
In the 4D preferences dialog, you can set several parameters for the editor such as the color of the background or each type of code element (i.e., commands and comments).
Thanks to these different options, you can completely customize the method editor to your taste. Whether you’re a fan of light or dark themes, 4D’s got you covered!
Here’s what a dark theme looks like:
Keep track of your formulas with this new command
Imagine you have a list of formulas containing table names and some fields … then days later you decide to rename your tables. Now your formulas are no longer valid, which is totally understandable!
Well, good news: the new Parse formula command allows your formulas to remain valid when renaming 4D language or structure elements.
Breathe life into your 4D Write Pro documents with pictures
Unless you’re Stephen King and planning to write the next best seller, you may want to avoid long block of texts. And you can do this by using illustrations and images in your documents! Luckily, working with pictures in 4D Write Pro is evolving with every release, and these graphic-related features allow you to breathe life into your drab black and white text documents. In this blog post, we’ll explain the different types of pictures in 4D Write Pro, their use, and how to take advantage of them to create visually compelling documents!
How to display a multilevel collection in different list boxes!
Starting with 4D v17, the content of a multilevel collection can easily be displayed in different list boxes. Meaning that you can bind several list boxes to display nested details … without a single line of code! This can be achieved by simply using an object or a collection as the data source for another list box!
With the new list box collection type, the “Current item” and “Selected items” properties have been added. Keep in mind that the “Current item” property allows you to get an object, while the “Selected item” property returns a collection.
How to create a generic form with dynamic forms
Imagine that your database contains several tables of types or categories. These tables are very simple, often with only an identifier and a text field. For demonstration purposes, let’s say it’s a shoe management database. To qualify the products, we need to define their type, color, pattern, material, season and so on.
It’s cumbersome to manage each of these tables in a list form and an input form and associated methods. In this case, the use of a generic form is essential to avoid duplication and simplify maintenance.
And that’s where dynamic forms and JSON pointers are come in handy!
4D helps you comply with GDPR!
In this dedicated GDPR guide of best practices, 4D helps you to build your GDPR compliance and get you started with your General Data Protection Regulation journey.
In this blog post, we’ll focus on a specific key step of this journey: discovery and how 4D can help you create an overview of existing personal data, via a built-in functionality. We’ll even provide you a code example!
How to create a dynamic form from a table in 3 steps!
4D v17 includes dynamic forms, initially introduced in 4D v16 R6, a powerful and flexible way to dynamically build forms fully adapted to your end users’ needs. The possibilities of dynamic forms are tremendous. In this post, we’ll see a concrete example of what you can do with these new forms.
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