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1992-12-02
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PRODUCT : Paradox NUMBER : 1149
VERSION : 4.0
OS : DOS
DATE : December 2, 1992 PAGE : 1/6
TITLE : Upgrading to Paradox 4.0
Intended Audience:
All Paradox users upgrading to Paradox 4.0. Aimed especially at
users of Paradox 3.5.
Prerequisites:
Should be familiar with a version of Paradox prior to 4.0.
Purpose:
This Technical Information sheet provides a checklist of tips on
upgrading Paradox 3.5 to 4.0. It also includes some tips on
upgrading applications to take advantage of the new features.
Most of the information applies to 3.0, and users of 2.0 should
still find this useful.
There are many other Technical Information sheets containing
information about specific aspects of using Paradox 4.0, and the
number is growing. It would be a good idea to download our
catalog on a regular basis. Here are some that are current:
#1063 An Explanation of 4.0 Table Locks
#1107 Manipulating Window Frames
#1109 Record Locks in 4.0
#1110 Converting PPROG Applications to 4.0
#1111 Summary of features and benefits of Paradox 4.0
#1112 Using IIF() in Reports
#1123 Introduction to DYNARRAY Branching
USER INTERFACE & GENERAL ISSUES
o Paradox 4.0 defaults to the new interface. This user
interface looks and behaves differently from that found in
Paradox 3.5. It may initially be more comfortable to work
with the Compatible User Interface. To switch to
Compatible Mode, start Paradox with the command-line
switch -COMPMODE, or press <ALT-Space> | Interface | Yes
within Paradox to switch between modes. You can also make
this a permanent default by doing <ALT-Space> | Utilities
| Custom | Standard Settings | Interface | Compatible.
o Compatible Mode contains most of the feature improvements
in Paradox 4.0, including memo fields, improved secondary
indexes, and the new locking mechanism.
PRODUCT : Paradox NUMBER : 1149
VERSION : 4.0
OS : DOS
DATE : December 2, 1992 PAGE : 2/6
TITLE : Upgrading to Paradox 4.0
o All newly created tables default to the new 4.0 table
format. To force a default of 3.5 (and earlier) format,
use the command-line switch -COMPFILE or the Custom
Configuration Program. (Paradox 4.0 works equally well
with new and old tables).
o Paradox 4.0 runs fastest on machines with at least 4 Mb of
available RAM. If you have less than that, use the
command-line switch -CODEPOOL with a value of 500 to 800.
This allows you adjust the amount of internal Paradox code
that resides in RAM. A higher codepool may increase
performance. Refer to Chapter 23 of the User's Guide for
more information on memory allocation options.
o Remove Paradox 3.5 from the PATH in your AUTOEXEC.BAT.
The 3.5 files can sometimes cause problems for 4.0.
o Paradox 4.0 uses a new memory management system called
DPMI. This may require changes to your system
configuration. Refer to Chapter 23 of the User's Guide
for more information.
o Paradox 4.0 now includes a network aware application
development program called the Application Workshop. It
replaces the Personal Programmer. For additional
information on the Application Workshop, refer to the
Application Workshop Guide.
CHANGES IN SYSTEM DEFAULT SETTINGS
o The Paradox 4.0 Report Generator default setting for
ejecting a page has changed from LineFeed (in Paradox 3.5)
to FormFeed. If you want to change this option, run the
Custom Configuration Program, then select Reports | Report
Settings and change the Eject Page With option to
Linefeeds. If you are using a dot matrix printer, you may
need to change this setting to Linefeed.
o The Paradox 4.0 Report Generator default setting for
pagelength has changed from 66 lines per page (in Paradox
3.5) to 60 lines per page. 60 lines per page is the
correct pagelength setting for most laser printers using
PRODUCT : Paradox NUMBER : 1149
VERSION : 4.0
OS : DOS
DATE : December 2, 1992 PAGE : 3/6
TITLE : Upgrading to Paradox 4.0
8 1/2" x 11" paper. If you are using a printer capable of
printing more than 60 lines per page or are using a size
of paper larger than 8 1/2" x 11", run the Custom
Configuration Program, then select Reports | Report
Settings, and change the Length option accordingly.
o The default numeric format is now set to United States,
regardless of the sort order Paradox is installed with.
If you require an International numeric format, run the
Custom Configuration Program, then select Format Data, and
change the Number Format to International.
o The default setting for Maintain Indexes has changed from
No (in Paradox 3.5) to Yes. It is recommended that you
keep the Maintain Indexes option set to Yes. To change
the Maintain Indexes setting, run the Custom Configuration
Program, then select Standard Settings and change the
Maintain Indexes option from Yes to No. For additional
information about Indexing tables, refer to Chapter 23 of
the User's Guide and Chapter 21 of the PAL Programmer's
Guide.
o The default setting for Blanks = Zero has changed from No
(in Paradox 3.5) to Yes. It is recommended that you keep
the Blanks = Zero option set to Yes. If you want to
change this option, run the Custom Configuration Program,
then select Standard Settings, and change the Blanks =
Zero option from Yes to No.
o For additional information about the Custom Configuration
Program, refer to Chapter 15 of the Getting Started Guide.
NETWORKS & DATA SHARING
o Paradox 4.0 will not share data directories concurrently
with any previous version of Paradox. All users sharing
data should upgrade at the same time. Refer to the
Network Installation Guide and Chapter 21 of the User's
Guide for information on using Paradox 4.0 on a network.
PRODUCT : Paradox NUMBER : 1149
VERSION : 4.0
OS : DOS
DATE : December 2, 1992 PAGE : 4/6
TITLE : Upgrading to Paradox 4.0
o When using older versions of Paradox, tables with the new
4.0 format appear to be password protected. To make these
tables readable by earlier versions use Modify |
Restructure | FileFormat | Compatible . For information
on restructuring tables, refer to Chapter 11 of the User's
Guide.
PAL
o Recorded (instant) scripts from earlier versions may not
run properly in the Standard UI and need to run in
Compatible Mode. This is due to the fact that the built
in Paradox dialog boxes require an extra ENTER to accept
the selected item.
o Libraries created with versions prior to 4.0 are
incompatible. Use the PAL command CONVERTLIB, or
regenerate the libraries by playing the source scripts
that generate the libraries.
o All scripts should be run in Compatibility Mode until
upgraded. Adding SETUIMODE COMPATIBLE as the first
command will automatically switch to Compatible Mode
before executing any subsequent commands. SETUIMODE
STANDARD at the end of the application will switch back to
Standard Mode.
o If the tables have not been Restructured to 4.0 format,
and if any of the scripts does a Modify | Restructure,
then Paradox will prompt to confirm the conversion to
Standard table structure. This may cause script errors.
Until all application tables are converted Paradox should
be started with the -COMPFILE switch.
o Compatible Mode does not support the mouse and as a side-
effect does not support most of the event-oriented
programming enhancements found in Standard Mode.
o Read the PAL Programmer's Guide Chapters 11-16 for
information on the new event-driven programming.
PRODUCT : Paradox NUMBER : 1149
VERSION : 4.0
OS : DOS
DATE : December 2, 1992 PAGE : 5/6
TITLE : Upgrading to Paradox 4.0
PROGRAMMING IN STANDARD MODE
o Screen I/O is slower in Standard Mode than it was in
Paradox 3.5. This is due to the greater complexity of the
windowed user interface. There are a few things that you
can do to speed things up:
Using ECHO NORMAL before WAIT will improve performance.
If applications use extensive routines that do a lot of
background processing through the UI, temporarily switch
to Compatible Mode to speed things up. Switch back to
Standard Mode when the background processes are completed.
(Note: switching between modes will clear the workspace so
be sure to be in Main Mode first).
o To remove the Paradox system menu, use SHOWPULLDOWN
ENDMENU or a floating canvas.
o Use WINDOW SETATTRIBUTES to remove window frames.
GENERAL COMMENTS ON APPLICATION CONVERSION
The Paradox 4.0 Standard user interface not only looks different
from other versions, but implies an entirely new method of
developing applications under Paradox. The ability to use Memos,
the Mouse, Pulldown Menus, and trap for Events relieves many
limitations found in the earlier versions.
Examples:
o In Paradox 3.5 multilevel menus required nested levels of
ring menus, each contained within its own WHILE loop. 4.0
allows you to load a single Popup or Pulldown menu with
built in nested levels.
o Emulating memos in versions earlier than 4.0 was code-
intensive and required the use of multiple tables.
Paradox 4.0 has built-in memo fields. This opens the door
to a vast array of text oriented applications.
PRODUCT : Paradox NUMBER : 1149
VERSION : 4.0
OS : DOS
DATE : December 2, 1992 PAGE : 6/6
TITLE : Upgrading to Paradox 4.0
o Trapping for events (i.e. departing/arriving from/to a
row/field/table), is a PAL intensive task in 3.5,
requiring keystroke-by-keystroke evaluation or the use of
the Data Entry Toolkit. 4.0 allows direct trapping for
events through the new commands GETEVENT, SHOWDIALOG, and
the new version of WAIT.
DISCLAIMER: You have the right to use this technical information
subject to the terms of the No-Nonsense License Statement that
you received with the Borland product to which this information
pertains.