Sapphire/Web from Bluestone

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• Supported platforms and databases
• Sapphire/Web Frequently Asked Questions
• Application Development for the WWW and Internal Web Deployment with Sapphire/Web

Sapphire/Web is a development tool for creating production level applications based on an HTML User Interface.

Sapphire/Web is a powerful Visual Application Builder designed specifically for creating applications running on the World Wide Web and for internal Web deployment. Sapphire/Web creates applications that use HTML (HyperText Markup Language) as the cross platform user interface language, running with Oracle, Sybase and Informix databases as well as legacy application code. Sapphire/Web has a powerful visual programming paradigm that drastically reduces the coding effort normally associated with developing applications.

Web Technology

Sapphire/Web uses the technology made popular by the World Wide Web by automatically generating CGI (Common Gateway Interface) programs that work with any http server, and any HTML browser. This means that applications are available immediately across the entire World Wide Web - or across your internal network.

How It Works

Sapphire/Web is designed to work in a manner similar to other application builders for Windows and Motif. Here are the simple steps:

1. Create your HTML Forms (for data input and request) and HTML Templates (that will hold data returned to the end-user from your application). These can be created in your favorite HTML Authoring tool like HotMetal, SGI's WebMagic Author, or any of the emerging set of tools for creating these documents. Any tool may be fully integrated into Sapphire/Web.

 

2. Browse your application objects from Sapphire/Web. These can be:

• Stored Procedures in your database
  
• Dynamic SQL
  
• Functions
  
• Executables
  
• File (for read and write)
  
• Objects Available from Object Bridge (OLE, DSOM, Orbix, etc.)

3. Select the appropriate object, and Sapphire/Web will bring up a "Bind Editor" with appropriate Arguments, Results and special editors.

 

4. Drag and Drop from your HTML documents onto the Bind Editor. This "binds" HTML elements such as a text input field or an option menu to arguments; and results returning from your object to other HTML elements such as an ordered list. Sapphire/Web automatically populates the returned data into your HTML Templates.

 

5. Add conditional processing code, or modify the default methods of populating data.

 

6. Generate Code in pure C or C++. This generates a CGI program for immediate use. It is that simple - without writing a single line of code. Sapphire/Web also provides for testing and loading of the CGI program in the specified http server CGI directory.

Sapphire/Web is Standards Based and Open

Sapphire/Web not only works with your favorite authoring tool, but also works with any of the leading http servers using the CGI 1.0 protocol, including the secure Netscape and Spry servers.

Sapphire/Web is not another 4GL that will lock you into proprietary code, but is based on the same open technology as db-UIM/X from Bluestone. This means that developers have full access to the power of Oracle, Sybase and Informix since Sapphire/Web does not put a layer in between the developer and the native database libraries. Code generated is pure C or C++ - giving developers full portability, as well as the power of a compiled, high performance language.

Sapphire/Web has also been designed to work with the most common object types used today - including any Function call, any Executable, or any File. This means, for example, that developers have full access to any previously written function. Or can bind their HTML user interface to an operating system level command like a directory listing. Or can direct the output of a file to an HTML screen by simply dragging and dropping. And with the conditional processing allowed by Sapphire/Web, you can set these up to be variables depending on your application state - creating real parametric user interfaces.

Not just WWW Applications

With Sapphire/Web, organizations can develop mission-critical internal applications for deployment. This provides many benefits over other 4GL's and Application Development tools:

• Cross Platform
• Simplified User Interface & Application Development
• Full use of legacy Code
• Low End-User Learning curve
• Full access to Databases - Oracle, Sybase, Informix

Your PowerBuilder developers may never want to go back!

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Last updated 02-Nov-1995