PWB517 PBNI::Introduction by Example

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PWB517 PBNIIntroduction by Example
Roy KieslerTeam Sybaseroy.kiesler_at_teamsybase.com

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PBNIIntroduction by Example
Introductions

• Roy Kiesler
• Architect, Percussion Software, Professional
  Services.
• Specialize in XML and Java content management
  systems.
• Background C, PowerBuilder
• Member of Team Sybase since 1999
• Winner of the 2001, 2003 Team Sybase MVP ward
• Audience
• PowerBuilder developers
• C developers
• .NET developers
• Sybase Tools Seminar 2003 attendees (Minneapolis,
  MN)

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What is PBNI?
Whats in a Name?

• PowerBuilder Native Interface
• PowerScript
• PBNI is a standard programming interface that
  allows developers to extend PowerScript with C
  classes
• This feature is targeted at Client/Server
  applications, as well as rich distributed clients
• PBVM Anywhere
• PBNI also enables one to embed the PowerBuilder
  VM in C applications and either run complete
  PowerBuilder applications or invoke selective
  PowerScript functions
• This feature provides the ability to deploy
  PowerBuilder custom class user objects to
  third-party application servers

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What is PBNI?
Seeing is Believing

• Code Examples
• Power Pack
• Fast array sorting
• Base64 encoding/decoding
• Bitwise operations
• CPU information
• ASA DBTools API
• Network operations
• Visual Controls
• Custom-drawn List and Tree View controls
• Owner-drawn command buttons
• More
• Callbacks
• XPath

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What is PBNI?
Seeing is Believing

• Did you know?
• Sybase is eating its own dog food with
  PowerBuilder 9.0
• Web Services SOAP Client
• EJB Client
• PBDOM
• All are PBNI implementations!

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PBNIIntroduction by Example
PBNI Core Interfaces

• PBNI exposes 4 core C interfaces
• 
  PBVM
• 
  Anywhere
• PowerScript

• IPB_Session
• IPB_Value
• IPB_Arguments

• IPB_VM

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PBNI-gtPowerScript
Core Interfaces

• IPB_Session
• An abstract interface that provides a low-level
  interface to PowerScript
• Defines functions for
• Accessing PowerScript data
• Calling PowerScript functions
• Catching and throwing PowerScript exceptions
• Setting a marshaler to convert PowerBuilder data
  formats to the users communication protocol.
• IPB_Value
• An abstract interface that provides a high-level
  interface to PowerScript
• Allows for better data integrity
• Provides some protection from coding many
  operations that could cause crashes (e.g.,
  assigning a long value to a string variable)

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PBNI-gtPowerScript
Core Interfaces

• IPB_VM
• An abstract interface that enables 3rd party
  client and server applications to load the
  PowerBuilder VM and run a PowerBuilder
  application/component
• IPB_Arguments
• An interface that encapsulates the functionality
  of passing values between the PowerBuilder VM and
  a PBX.
• Arguments are passed as pointer to an instance of
  the IPB_Value interface.

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PBNI Core Interfaces
The Big Picture
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PBNI-gtPowerScript
Class Hierarchy

• PBNI classes can inherit from
• NonVisualObjet and its descendants, e.g.
• Connection
• Error
• Exception
• Transaction
• UserObject and its descendants
• PBNI extensions (PBXs) can expose
• Object-level functions and events
• Global functions

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PBNIIntroduction by Example
PBNI-gtPowerScript

• Advantages
• Performance
• True machine-code execution
• Convenience
• Ability to return strings and arrays instead of
  passing by REF
• No need to pre-allocate memory using Space(n)
• No need to declare complex structures
• Auto-generated PBD just add to your library
  list and code

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PBNIIntroduction by Example
PBNI-gtPowerScript

• Limitations
• Complexity
• Solid C knowledge required, as PBNI uses
  advanced C concepts like templates and traits
• Functionality
• Properties can only be exposed via Get/Set
  methods, which, while common in C/Java, are
  less prevalent in PowerScript (uses instance
  variables)
• Debugging
• C debugger required

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PBNIIntroduction by Example
PBNI-gtPowerScript

• Required exported functions
• PBX_GetDescription
• Returns a string with PowerScript-like export
  syntax of all PBXs methods and events and any
  global functions. Used by the PBX2PBD90 tool.
• PBX_CreateNonVisualObject
• Invoked in response to a PowerScript CREATE
  statement
• PBX_CreateVisualObject
• Invoked when a new visual PBX is instantiated
• PBX_InvokeGlobalFunction
• Invoked when a global PBX function is called

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PBNIIntroduction by Example
PBNI-gtDevelopment

• Setting up a development environment
• C IDEs/Compilers
• Visual C 6.0
• Visual C .NET 2003
• Borland C Builder
• GNU gcc
• Include Directory (INCLUDE)
• C\Sybase\PowerBuilder 9.0\SDK\PBNI\include
• Library Directory (LIB)
• C\Sybase\PowerBuilder 9.0\SDK\PBNI\lib

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PBNIIntroduction by Example
PBNI-gtDevelopment

• Header Files
• pbext.h contains structures and interfaces used
  to implement PBXs
• pbni.h contains structures and interface
  definitions for core PBNI
• pbnimd.h contains machine-dependent (Win32) type
  definitions
• pbarray.h contains template classes for creating
  and accessing arrays
• pbfield.h contains template classes for creating
  and accessing class variables
• pbtraits.h contains template structures used in
  pbarray.h and pbfield.h
• Library Files
• pbni.lib
• Every PBNI class should include ltpbext.hgt
• You should not include any other PBNI header
  file in your class

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PBNIIntroduction by Example
PBNI-gtDevelopment Quick Start

• Visual C 6.0 AppWizard
• C\Sybase\PowerBuilder 9.0\SDK\PBNI\wizards\pbext.
  awx

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PBNIIntroduction by Example
PBNI-gtDevelopment Quick Start

• Visual C .NET AppWizard
• http//codexchange.sybase.com

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PBNIIntroduction by Example
PBNI-gtToday

• PBNI implementations available today
• XML/XSLT API
• PBDOM, XPath evaluator
• Java interoperability
• PB2Java, EJB client, PDF encryption
• .NET interoperability
• PDF encryption
• Web Services
• SOAP client
• Complex API wrappers
• Callback functions (DBTools, Win32 enumerations)

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PBNIIntroduction by Example
PBNI-gtToday

• PBNI implementations available today
• PB-friendly COM wrappers
• Event support
• Visual objects
• Sub-classing
• Custom/owner-drawn controls
• Utility classes
• Bitwise operations
• SMTP
• Base64
• STL collection classes (map, list, queue, stack)
• CPU Information

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PBNIIntroduction by Example
PBNI-gtCode Examples

• Code Walkthrough
• PBNI Power Pack
• .NET (Managed C)
• Callbacks
• Visual Controls
• XPath Evaluator
• More (time permitting)

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PBNIIntroduction by Example
PBNI-gtTomorrow

• PBNI implementations to look for
• PBSAX XML Parser
• NT Services
• Windows Hooks

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PBNIIntroduction by Example
PBNI-gtQuestions
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TeamSybase Shameless Plug
Dont Judge a Book by Its Cover

• Advanced Client/Server Internet Distributed
  Development

24
SDN Presents CodeXchange
A New Benefit for Sybase Developers

• Forum for exchanging samples, tools, scripts,
  etc.
• New features enable community collaboration
• Download samples created by Sybase or external
  users
• Leverage contributions of others to extend Sybase
  products
• Contribute code or start your own collaborative /
  open source project with input from other product
  experts
• Any SDN member can participate
• Log in using your MySybase account via SDN
• http//codexchange.sybase.com
• Or via SDN at www.sybase.com/developer
• SDN CodeXchange at TechWave
• Visit SDN in the Technology Boardwalk
• Learn about CodeXchange in the Sybase Booth
  Theater