Multiple instances of merged server applications on the same machine
Hosting several 4D Server applications on the same machine is not unusual, especially for production and pre-production environments. But if your machine hosts merged server applications built with different 4D versions, which is the case if you use your pre-production server with the latest 4D version, you may encounter problems due to the shared 4D structure folder.
Let’s see how to resolve this issue.
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.
Project databases: Managing Users and Groups
Project databases, available in beta in the latest 4D v 17 R-Releases, are now available for production in 4D v18! Among the many changes in 4D v18 is the way user and groups are managed … it’s become much easier, especially deployment. This post will briefly highlight everything you need to know about these changes.
Deployment made easy with 4D v18
4D v18 introduces a new architecture for files and folders to keep your deployed macOS package and Windows application folders intact. In a nutshell, the logs folder and all user-based settings, including 4D backup settings, are now stored next to the data file. In fact, the settings exist twice; one next to the structure to use as default settings for new data files, and one beside the data file, storing user changes.
As a result, the folder containing the structure can be read-only, since nothing is modified inside (*). Deployment becomes easier because the structure folder can simply be replaced, nothing within it needs to be copied beforehand.
(*) only in project databases. In binary databases the user & password tables are stored in the structure, so the folder must not be read-only.
Concurrent merged clients from the same computer
You asked for a way to run multiple clients on the same computer AND simultaneously connect them to the same 4D Server. We not only heard you, we’re giving you even more with 4D v17 R5! Each connection now includes a separated cache folder containing the connection’s IP address, port, and a hash code. Thanks to this, you can now also connect several clients from the same machine to multiple servers on different machines. There’s no configuration necessary, just launch and watch it work!
New architecture for application deployments
Today, merged applications save many information in the application package and also in the compiled file (.4DC). Besides preventing to create read-only applications, saving information in the application package has another annoying consequence: the information gets lost when you update the application.
Avoid the “Select data file” dialog to show up for a new deployed app
When you deploy an application to your customer, either a merged 4D Server or Single User application, 4D usually opens the “Select data file” dialog. This happens because for an updated solution 4D cannot find the position of the last used data file, as you just replaced the old structure. And for a first time usage, 4D does not know where you would like to create the data file – so it asks for the location.
This dialog, as the very first interaction with your application, might be confusing for the customer. And the verification for the data file happens before the On Startup is executed, before your code has a chance to select another file. To avoid this, 4D v15 introduces a new feature, named Default Data.
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