June 27, 2018, 12:00 noon, CDT (UTC−5:00)

Special Topic:
List box going in a new dimension with ORDA, Thomas Maul

ORDA (Object Relational Data Access) was the top highlight of 4D Summit 2018, is the main feature in 4D v17 and will have a huge impact on how you will write code in the future. But, it is not only about coding.  The “A” in ORDA is about accessing data, and this includes using data in forms, especially in a list box.

The demo shows how to use list boxes in a new way of creating user interfaces as a grid. You will be surprised how little code is needed and even more surprised when you realize that we are running a multiple window application all in a single process without using interprocess or even global variables at all. (Not that this is needed, but instead the demo shows it is possible. We will discuss benefits and disadvantages…)

We will cover 3 example uses in this presentation:

• List box as a grid (based on a simple movie application… movies <-> cast <-> actors)
• Generic code with ORDA, based on a rewritten “user mode component“, showing how to recognize and follow relations in a generic way
• Using JSON data as a database (4D application without any table, all data is coming from another server via JSON).

These 3 examples will cover all aspects of ORDA; Objects, Relations, Data, and Access. You will see how deeply integrated each aspect of ORDA is throughout 4D v17.

** Ask questions and post comments before and during the presentation via the dedicated discussion thread on Reddit.  We will monitor the thread during the meeting to include comments in the discussion.

To be able to ask questions directly via video chat in the hangout, connect with this link:
!!! Check back to this page around meeting time for an updated link.

To follow along with the meeting slideshow, access it here when it is available…
Slides for June 27th, 2018 meeting
Thomas Maul presentation slides
Movies demo code
Generic ORDA code
JSON data source code

Or stream directly on YouTube: