DataView is an integrated object-oriented data base application generator for interactively creating applications featuring a desktop-oriented user interface. This makes DataView part of the category of CASE products (CASE = Computer Aided Software Engineering). It offers a fully data-base-integrated development and application environment providing the same look-and-feel for both the application developer and the user.
Neutral output interfaces make DataView independent of hardware platforms, user interfaces, and the data base.
The philosophy of DataView is based on the experience that the bigger part of the required functionality of an information system is basically similar and independent of the kind of data to be managed. This allows standardized operation tools to be used. This is especially true for editing data, for data queries and for managing access privileges.
That's why DataView provides a number of tools for creating the data model, for creating objects of the user interface, and for defining the dialog flow of the application in the form of definition modules and standard functions.
For realizing special application-specific functionality DataView allows the experienced application developer to get access to the internal program libraries of the DataView programming interface via so-called userexits. The structure of the programming environment is consistently object-oriented and thus allows a quick and clear creation of complex applications.
Using the functions of the DataView programming interface you create application-specific userexits. You extend the standard userexits offered in DataView by your own user-defined userexit library and thus realize step 5 of application development.
The DataView programming environment allows you to integrate your own applications, which you wrote the C programming language.
The C programming language offers the advantage of easy portability and allows you to generate efficient source code. However, improper usage may affect the system's stability.
You have to observe the following rules when you program userexits in DataView :
strcpy
or strcmp
, even if your operating system tolerates that.