PowerGen

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Session No. IA364 Improving Software
Configuration Management Practices for
PowerBuilder Applications
Phil Wallingford E. Crane Computing,
Inc. philw_at_ecrane.com
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Improving Software Configuration Management
Practices for PowerBuilder Applications

• Abstract
• This session discusses some of unique problems
  of release management and configuration
  management for PowerBuilder applications. It
  describes tools and techniques that address these
  problems.

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Phil WallingfordE. Crane Computing, Inc.

• Developer of PowerGen, the award-winning product
  for automating the build process for PowerBuilder
  applications
• Previously founder of SQA, Inc., a pioneer in
  developing software test automation products,
  such as SQA Robot
• Involved in the software industry for 20 years,
  serving primarily the needs of Fortune 1000
  companies

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Topics of Discussion

• Topic 1 - Source Traceable Builds
• Topic 2 - Source Control for PowerBuilder
  Development
• Topic 3 - Build Automation
• Demonstration

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FirstSome Background

• Whats Different about Software Configuration
  Management (SCM) for PB?
• In a nutshell the PowerBuilder Library (PBL)

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The PBL

• A Proprietary, Binary Formatted File
• Includes many kinds of information
• Object source
• P-Code
• Source Control Attributes for Objects
• Housekeeping information
• Free sector map
• Directory

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The Troubles with PBLs

• They are fragile
• Information gets out-of-sync.
• Objects must be regenerate-able when they are
  saved (or imported)
• Cant save work-in-progress
• Cant easily reconstruct PBLs from objects
• Dont accommodate standard SCM interfaces
• Source control attributes conflict with external
  source management system

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Creating release versions from controlled
PowerBuilder source
Source Traceable Builds
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What is Source?

• Plain text
• Individual files
• Should represent modular elements of design
• Use to build deliverables

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PowerBuilderSource?

• PBLs
• Plain text - No
• Individual files - Yes
• Should represent modular elements of design -
  No
• Use to build deliverables - Yes

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PowerBuilderBuild Process
PBLs
Deliverables
EXE
PBD
PBD
PBD
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PowerBuilderSource?

• Exported Objects
• Plain text - Yes
• Individual files - Yes
• Should represent modular elements of design -
  Yes
• Use to build deliverables - No

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PowerBuilder SourceBuild Process
PowerBuilder Objects
PBLs
Deliverables
EXE
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PBD
PBD
PBD
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The Problem

• PB Objects must be able to be Regenerated
  (without errors) to be Imported

• Order (of import) dependencies
• Circular reference problem

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Circular Reference Problem
Circular Reference Problem
Circular Reference Problem
PB
Object 1
Object 2
function a ... b ( ) ... end
function b ... a ( ) ... end
Import Object 1 - Error cant find function b,
import fails Import Object 2 - Error cant find
function a, import fails
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A SolutionPowerGen Feature

• Bootstrap Import
• Reconstitutes application from exported object
  source
• Creates PBLs and imports all objects, using a
  unique, multi-pass import process
• Enables source-traceable builds

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PowerBuilder SourceBuild Process
PowerBuilder Objects
PBLs
Deliverables
EXE
PBD
PBD
Bootstrap Import
PBD
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Bootstrap Import
Folder 1
PBL1
Objects.sr
Folder 2
PBL2
Objects.sr
...\Folder 1\.sr, ...\PBL1.PBL ...\Folder
2\.sr, ...\PBL2.PBL
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Managing Object Check-in/Check-out in PowerBuilder
Source Control for PB Development
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Source Control Problems
PB Native function for source control lacks
many required features Interface to third-party
tools (SCC-API) is architecturally flawed
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PB SCC Interface Architecture
Check-In
Registered PBLs
Source Archive PB Objects
Check-Out
Working Library List

• Keeping objects in Registered PBLs in sync.
  with archive
• Registered objects in sync. with Working copy
• File locking

Working PBLs
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Improved Architecture
Source Archive PB Objects
Check-In
Check-Out
Import/Export
Working Library List
Working PBLs
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Producing PowerBuilder deliverables (EXEs and
PBDs) with an automated repeatable process
Build Automation
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The Problem

• PowerBuilder (PB) applications are difficult to
  build
• Can build only one application at a time
• Many manual steps
• Little control over the build process
• Not robust
• Cannot be integrated with other build operations

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The Solution

• PowerGen
• Define project to build many applications
• Can specify in detail how to build the
  applications
• Command line interface
• Logs detailed information about build
• Proven with the largest PB applications

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Features

• Application builds
• Regeneration
• PBD/DLL creation
• EXE creation
• PBL optimization
• Duplicate object detection
• Automatic PBR scanning for missing resources
• All PB code generation options

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More Features

• Build process control
• Specify which libraries are regenerated
• Specify when and if dynamic libraries will be
  created
• Use PBDs or write-protected PBLs in a library
  list
• Specify directory to save created dynamic
  libraries

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Build Process Control
Application B
Application A
Application C
Third-Party Common PBLs
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Tool Demonstration
PowerGen
PBExplorer
PBRescue
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PowerGen Specs.

• Supports PowerBuilder Versions 4, 5, 6, and 7
• Enterprise and Professional
• All Windows platforms
• Uses PowerBuilders ORCA interface
• Began shipping more than 4 years ago

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Customer Acceptance

• 600 customers
• 2000 installations
• Many site licenses
• Recommended by TeamPS and Powersoft Tech. Support

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Session Summary

• PowerBuilder is a great development environment
• Holes in performing and managing releases
• PowerGen and CCC/Harvest have filled the holes

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Questions Answers
?