EZGUI Utility Dialog Designer and PB9

[james klutho]

Just wanted to drop a note to say how much I enjoy Chris Boss's DDT designer. I happen to like DDT for 90% of what I do (which mostly is just messing around). It is a comfortable little tool and the price is a give away - I have even seen 1/2 price sales down to $15. The more I use it the more I like the way it is organized and generates code. The guts of the code is an include file which is open and editable. I love looking at well written code - I learn so much from it. The main controls that are missing from this tools are included in PB9 DDT (which are tab , treeview, listview, statusbar, toolbar etc.). The dialogs in the PB9 DDT tab control would have to be hand coded. Bob Zale did a slick job on the DDT Tab control but it will be a challenge for designer makers to make use of it. Since the include is out in the open, it is not hard to add code in Chris's prewritten AddControl routine and then write an .ezc control file so you can draw the control as a custom control. Chris lets you generate verbose code handlers (which I do not like) or compact roll your own type (everything in the Dialog callback like PBForms). The Smart Parser, so for, has been very reliable and is what really sets this tool apart from PBForms. This is what PBForms 2.0 needs (and hoping the PB staff adds). In my view PBForms is an initial one shot generator where Chris tools can be used seamlessly ongoing. I like the feel of the PBForms designer better but Chris has trumped PBForms in many ways. If you are a DDT programmer, do yourself a favorite an check out EZGUI Utility Dialog Designer - especially if you have upgraded to PB9.

[Joe Byrne]

James,

I have to second that, especially the part about the code design.

When I look at how EZGUI lays out the code compared to all the others I see, its clear that the EZGUI method is far superior (at least in my opinion). Compact, yet very clear and organized.

[Edwin Knoppert]

James,

I have to second that, especially the part about the code design.

When I look at how EZGUI lays out the code compared to all the others I see, its clear that the EZGUI method is far superior (at least in my opinion). Compact, yet very clear and organized.

>All others..
Which are?

[Chris Boss]

Edwin,

It should be noted that Joe is also an EZGUI 4.0 pro user as well, and my Utility Dialog Designer emulates the code structure of EZGUI 4.0 Pro (similiar events), so he may be a little biased since it is so much like EZGUI 4.0 pros code.

EZGUI 4.0 Pro users tend to like my Utility designer for this reason.

Your PwrDev designer is an amazing tool and it has many features in it which makes it worth far more than what you charge for it. I would encourage all to take a closer look at PwrDev.

[Edwin Knoppert]

Thank you chris.
Often people think they work with the code generated for inclusion into there current apps.
Which is totally not the idea.
PwrDev does not focus on neat formatted code, instead it generates unformatted code to discourage this 'need for code' effect.
There is a difference between bad code and unformatted code.
Iow's not comparable in this case.

PwrDev behavious like a VB(6) and actual code to compile should remain hidden except the programmer's code of course.

[Michael Mattias]

I've seen that "we generate code not intended to be maintained by the user" thing before on some other "4GL" products before; you will also encounter this with the IBM CICS and several ESQL precompilers.

One feature I always kind of liked in the 4GL products is the "VB-like" thing... the product provides explicit "code insertion points" where the user can insert his own code to be executed... where the user can use whatever style of code he wants.

Very much like the "VB" thing of allowing code to be inserted for things like "Form1_Click"

MCM

[Joe Byrne]

>All others..
Which are?

Well, lets see. I own a license for PBForms, Firefly, PwrDev (an early version though), and EZGUI. I have probably purchased some other ones in there too, but they must not have impressed me all that much.

I think you'd be very hard pressed to find a 3rd party developer that I haven't bought something from. Even on a few rare occasions, I've purchased license solely for the reason to support the 3rd party development business for PB. I think its safe to say I 'put my money where my mouth is'.