Understanding the Development environment

This help topic helps you understand the Development environment for USoft Web Designer that you have created in the previous help topic.

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As a developer of a USoft web application:

You create a data model and rules.

•You use USoft Definer to create a data model and rules.

•You do this by defining such as objects as Tables, Columns and Relationships, Constraints and Batch Jobs.

•The result is a Rules Engine: a database that implements data integrity rules in reaction to a user's data manipulation operations.

•In Development, a Rules Engine runs from repository, so you don't need to generate a new flat file each time you make a change in the data model or rules.

•If you make changes that impact on the RDBMS, you must remember to re-run USoft's Create Table feature so that these changes are propagated to the RDBMS in Development. This applies only to certain changes in Tables, Columns and Domains, such as a table rename or the action of setting a column to NOT NULL (Mandatory = Yes).

You design web pages.

•You use USoft Web Designer to design, and then publish, web pages that allow user interaction with the Rules Engine.

•Each time you open Web Designer, an entire set of default pages based on the USoft Definer data model is ready for you to edit.

•If you make changes to the data model and rules, you must remember to re-open the Web Designer for your next design session, in order to get these changes to propagate to Web Designer's system of default pages.

You configure and run a Rules Service.

•The Rules Service is a Windows Service that connects the web server with the Rules Engine.

•You use USoft Rules Service Configurator to install, configure and start a Rules Service.

•If you make changes to the underlying data model, rules or web pages, you must restart the Rules Service. This is a single-click action: press the Restart button in the Rules Service configuration wizard.

You define, install, configure and run a USoft web server.

•You use USoft Service Definer to define, install and start a web server implemented as a Windows Service.

•The job of this service is to direct browsers from a set of surface web pages to underlying functionality: in this case, to a USoft Rules Service, that you have identified when defining the USoft web server.

•From the point of view of regular Web Designer development, creating the USoft web server is a one-time action. You do not need to restart this web server each time there are underlying changes. The web service notices timestamp differences and reads the new version of a web page that has modifications.

You use a browser to test your development work.

•If you have JavaScript changes, you may need to refresh the browser cache.