Goodbye 4D Internet Commands – Hello Modern Internet Integration
With the release of 4D 21, we’re officially saying goodbye to the 4D Internet Commands plugin, a long-standing companion for many developers since the early days of the internet. But this isn’t just the end of an era. It’s the beginning of a more secure, more powerful, and more enjoyable way to handle internet communications in 4D.
You can still continue using 4D Internet Commands in version 20 with 4D 21. So, why make the switch? Because the new built-in classes are not just replacements, they’re a complete rethinking of how internet protocols should be handled in a modern development environment. They’re native, thread-safe, and designed to meet today’s standards in security, performance, and flexibility.
New class to handle incoming TCP connections
In 4D 20 R8, we introduced the TCPConnection class, allowing you to initiate TCP connections to remote servers. With 4D v20 R9, we’re excited to bring you the TCPListener class—your key to handling incoming TCP connections and building a TCP server directly in 4D.
With these two classes—TCPConnection and TCPListener—you now have full control over TCP communication, both client- and server-side.
Let’s walk through how to use them together.
New class to perform TCP connections
With the release of 4D 20 R8, a game-changing feature has arrived:: the TCPConnection class. This modern class leverages object-oriented syntax and supports asynchronous network connection handling, providing a fresh and powerful alternative to the 4D Internet Commands. Using TCPConnection, you can connect to virtually anything—whether it’s servers, printers, cash registers, or industrial devices—making it a versatile tool for handling unique networking requirements.
In this release, the TCP client functionality is available, allowing you to connect to external servers and seamlessly exchange data.