Project database: Deploying your application

So your application has been developed and you’re ready for the next step. 4D lets you:

• generate a compiled database that no longer contains any interpreted code,
• generate a standalone application that can be double-clicked, (i.e., merged with 4D Volume Desktop, 4D’s database engine),
• generate client/server applications with automatic updates of client and server parts.

With a project database, you can also build your final applications for both platforms. A project database uses the same configuration file as a binary database.

Step 1: Compile your code

You can compile your project database in the same way as a binary database (.4db). There’s very little difference between the two types of databases. The interface is the same and the product machine code is the same.

The only difference is that the compiled result is saved in the binary file (.4db) for binary databases, and in the “Project/DerivedData/CompiledCode” folder for project databases.

Step 2: Create your application

In the same way as compiling your code, you don’t have to make any changes to create your applications:

• Compiled database
• Component
• Stand-alone application
• Client/Server application

You can use the same configuration file of your binary database with your converted project database.

As always with project databases, the difference is in the generated files. If you look at the content of the created applications, you’ll see a file with the “.4dz” extension instead of a “4dc” file.

A Concrete example

In the following video, we generate a database compiled from a binary database. Then, we do the same thing from a project database. The project database is the result of the conversion of the binary database.

At the end of the video, you can compare the size of the files obtained. SURPRISE. The .4dz is 5 times smaller than the .4dc.