Yakov Werde

Yesterday I taught an intro to PowerBuilder .NET 12.5 session.  Part of the presentation had me comparing the.NET IL code inside an assemblies generated from code written in C# and PowerBuilder. The C# code, after performing a simple arithmetic calculation echoed results to the console using these two lines of code namespace CalculatorExample { class Program { static void Main( )   { Calc c = new Calc( );  //create the object int ans = c.Add( 10, 84); //call the method System.Console.WriteLine("10 + 84 is {0}." , ans); System.Console.ReadLine( ) ;    } } class Calc {   //define a wrapper class for the method public int Add( int x, int y) {return x + y ; }  } } In PowerScript, ordinarily, I echo results using a Messagebox call, but yesterday, I thought I'd "step out on the limb" and echo output to the console using the same NET Framework class methods C# programmers use. The... (more)

What Will They Think of Next?

Today I was doing housekeeping chores on a PowerBuilder .NET application. I was moving libraries from one folder to another. Much to my chagrin, I discovered that what used to be a simple chore is now a more time-consuming operation. In good ol' Classic, after moving the PBLs, with the IDE closed (or the target now in the current workspace), I'd edit the Library list in the PBT file to reflect the PBL's new folder path, reopen the target and voilà, change done! Perhaps in a worst case scenario, I'd copy the PBL and then edit the Library List in the IDE by simply changing the PBL... (more)

RESTful Web Services: A Quick-Start How-to Guide - Part 2

Part 2 of "RESTful Web Services: A Quick-Start How-To Guide" explores foundational issues in coding RESTful operations, including Basic Authentication and Exception handling. Along the way I'll share with you multiple real-world coding tips and workarounds. Introduction As a teenager, one of my favorite TV shows was "The Wild Wild West." The show's description goes like this, "... a 60 minute western action series on CBS that was like no other. Special Agents James West and Artemus Gordon were spies for President Ulysses S. Grant shortly after the civil war. In every other way, ... (more)

RESTful Web Services: A Quick-Start How-to Guide - Part 1

Among PowerBuilder 12.5 .NET's new features comes the ability to use WCF to call RESTful web services. This article, the first in a two-part series, provides a PowerBuilder 12.5 .NET developer with the foundational knowledge and skills to rapidly get up and running building PowerBuilder RESTful Web Service clients. Along the way I'll share with you a few tips and workarounds. Introduction PowerBuilder 12.0 .NET provided the ability to call SOAP-based web services using Microsoft's .NET 3.5 WCF API. I encourage those of you not familiar with WCF and SOAP to view my PowerBuilder W... (more)

Getting to the Top of the Pecking Order

"Chicken flocks have a well-defined hierarchy called a pecking order. A chicken at the top of the pecking order gets to do the things she wants by 'pushing the others around' a little, giving them a short, sharp peck if they don't submit to her, allowing her to go where she wants to go or access food and drink first. Chickens naturally have a pecking order to ensure they live in harmony. When food is available there are no fights. Everyone lives in peace. The bird at the top of the pecking order will have first access to water, food, the best roosting place and so on. The bird a... (more)