User Application Properties

A User Application item gives you access to a C/S application interface to the model and rules you will have created in USoft Definer.

Such a C/S application interface is usually helpful at design-time for testing and debugging. In addition, you may want to deploy such interfaces to production environments.

You can create tables for the User Application by right-clicking on the item and choosing Create Tables from the context menu. The Create Tables dialog will appear. Alternatively, in USoft Definer, you can create application tables from the Tools menu, or (for an individual table) by pressing the Create button in the Database Tables info window.

A User Application item has the following properties:

Name

This is the name of the User Application item as it will be displayed in the main window of the USoft Binder file. You can use binder variables in this name.

From

This property must be set to either Repository or Flat Files.

Repository

If From = Repository, the User Application is run directly from the repository tables that you are manipulating in USoft Definer. If you change data in repository tables (in USoft Definer), you will not see the result in the User Application unless you restart it from USoft Binder. To make changes to constraints accessible to a User Application started with From = Repository, you can alternatively choose Tools, Refresh Constraints from the User Application main menu.

Flat Files

If From = Flat Files, the User Application is run from flat files created in USoft Definer and (if C/S GUI elements were designed) in USoft Windows Designer. These files must be located in the \APP subdirectory of the USoft installation directory:

USoft-install-dir is the USoft installation directory. Application is the value of the App Name property (next section).

App Name

This is where you specify the name of the USoft application that you want to design windows or dialogs for.

If From is set to Flat Files, the application name determines the names of the files from which the application is run.

In many cases, the application name is the same for all the resources developed in the database account, but it is possible to distinguish different applications associated with different GUI look-and-feel or with different authorization rules (or both).

Run USoft BenchMark

Check this box if you want to start the item with the USoft BenchMark toolbox enabled. Alternatively, you can start USoft Benchmark in an open User Application by issuing the following command from a SQL Command window:

action top-test()

Show Logo

Check this box if you wish to have the USoft (or your own) logo displayed when the item is started.

Special

This is where you can list any additional startup options you wish to be associated with the USoft Developer (USD.EXE) executable for this item.