Contents Introduction to Jargon Writer What is Jargon Writer? Starting and Ending Jargon Writer Working with XML Client Applications Windows Used in Jargon Writer Using the Design Window Overview of the Design Window Menubar Toolbars Component Tree Panel Design Layout Panel Properties Panel Borders Editor Script Test Panel Status Panel Preferences Window Logs Window Using the Script Editor Window Overview of the Script Editor Window Script Toolbar App Combobox Target Tree Method List Text Editor Panel Edit Tools Panel Status Panel Functions, Methods and Events Overview of Functions, Methods and Events Object-Oriented Concepts and Terms Component Classes Methods Events and Functions Writing Scripts What is a Scripting Language? ECMAScript Overview Functions Variables Comments Control Statements Operators Standard Methods Using ODBC with Local SQL Databases Jargon Software Methods Completing Your Application Completing Your Application Generating Source Code For Host Procedures Host Communications Parameters Writing Stored Procedures in Oracle PL/SQL Writing Java Servlet Host Procedures Writing Active Server Pages in VBScript Writing Host Procedures in the Progress 4GL Testing and Deploying Your Application Introduction to Jargon Writer   What is Jargon Writer? Jargon Writer® is a visual development tool that is used to design and create rich-client mobile business applications that can operate both independently and by interacting with host procedures over local or wide-area networks such as a wireless warehouse network or the public Internet. Secure communications are possible by using SSL or VPN network protocols. Jargon Writer is the only development system that uses a patent-pending "N-Tier" XML-based client architecture to separate high-level "rules and definition" logic from the 3GL-like presentation layer of the client deployment engine, which may be written in C, C++ or other low-level languages (depending on the client platform). Jargon Writer employs an easy-to-use point-and-click visual design environment in which GUI (Graphical User Interface) components can be arranged and configured with a high level of detail control while UI (User Interface) events are visually defined and associated with local or host-based actions. Integrated technology allows the developer to create and maintain the host procedures that drive host processing requirements. Client-side procedures are designed in the comprehensive Script Editor. Jargon Software’s powerful XML-based architecture: Manages visual components such as windows, buttons, checkboxes, labels, text fields, and dropdown lists. Executes user interface events by dispatching client or host actions with compact, powerful script functions. Provides efficient, two-way exchange of data and instruction objects with host systems using standard TCP/IP, HTTP and SSL protocols. Starting and Ending Jargon Writer To start Jargon Writer on a Windows PC, simply double-click on the Jargon Writer desktop shortcut icon, or double-click the Writer.exe file in your Jargon Writer installation folder (JargonWriter33). If the startup shortcut icon was not set up on your PC when Jargon Writer was installed, please refer to the Jargon Writer Installation Instructions. When you start Jargon Writer, you will see a Startup Window with the Jargon Software logo and two buttons: "Begin" and "Reset". Clicking "Reset" clears the "cache" folder and should be used if a new copy of Jargon Writer has just been installed, or if you experience problems and would like to refresh the cache with a clean copy. Clicking "Begin" opens the primary Jargon Writer Design Window. To end Jargon Writer, first save any work you have been doing. To return to the Startup Window from the Design Window, select File-->Exit or click the last (up arrow) button in the toolbar. From the Startup Window, you can do a "Reset" or end completely by selecting "File-->Exit" or clicking the Windows close button. To exit directly from the Design Window without returning to the Startup Window, simply click the standard Windows "X" close button in the upper righthand corner. Depending on your "writer.ini" settings, this may display a message box to confirm that you wish to close the program. Technical Note: The program being started is a specialized copy of Jargon Reader for Windows named "writer.exe". This program reads a small XML file named "ApplicationMenu.xml" that contains the Startup Window and reset logic. It runs the main Writer application from an encoded "writer.xml.gz" file. So, Jargon Writer is really just a specialized Jargon Reader application, which demonstrates its power and flexibility! Working with XML Client Applications Client application programs ("apps") created with Jargon Writer are saved as disk files with a suffix of ".xml". These XML files contain all of the instructions that are needed by Jargon Reader to run a client app. An XML "app" file contains both layout instructions for visual elements such as panels, buttons and text fields, and processing instructions for running script functions when specified events occur. To begin developing a new app, select File-->New from the menubar, or click the leftmost (New) button in the toolbar. To load an existing app that was previously created and saved, select File-->Open from the menubar, or click the second (Open) button in the toolbar. To save a new or existing app, select File-->Save from the menubar, or click the third (Save) button in the toolbar. To save an app under a new name, select File-->Save As from the menubar (there is no toolbar button for this). IMPORTANT: When "Save As" is used, both the external filename and the internal "name" value of the "app" element are changed to the new name. This is important if other client apps or host programs refer to this app, since they must also be changed to refer to this app's new name if you are permanently renaming it. If you are only using "Save As" to create backup copies, be sure that you first Save as the original name, then Save As the new name and close the newly named app, then finally re-open the app under its original name before doing any more development on it. To close and then reopen an app, select File-->Reopen App from the menubar or click the fourth (Reopen) button in the toolbar. To close an app, select File-->Close from the menubar or click the fifth (Close) button in the toolbar. To close all open apps, select File-->Close All from the menubar (there is no toolbar button for this). To generate a host procedure (such as a Progress 4GL top-level source program) that will be run on the server as a result of http requests from this client app, select Run-->Generate Host Procedure from the menubar, or click the sixth (.P) button in the toolbar. To execute (run) an app in a specified client engine, select Run-->Run in ReaderPDA or Run-->Run in ReaderWIN from the menubar, or click the seventh (EXE) button in the toolbar to use the default Reader engine (as defined in your writer.ini configuration file).   User Tip: Like most Windows programs, menu choices can be selected by using the mouse, or by holding down the "ALT" key and pressing the key for the first letter in the menu choice (ex: ALT-F for the File menu). When you do this, a pulldown menu is displayed for that menu choice, and you can then drag the mouse cursor down to that choice and release it, or press the key for the first letter of the choice. If there is more than one choice starting with the same letter, it will toggle between them and you select one by pressing Enter. User Tip: All buttons in the toolbar have "tool tips" (sometimes also called "flyover help"), which are small windows containing short one-line help messages. They are normally used for "what is this?" help. These tool tips are displayed when the cursor is moved onto an object and then left stationary for a second or two, and are displayed for a few seconds before being hidden again. While a tool tip is displayed, if the cursor is moved over nearby objects, their tool tips will display immediately. If a tool tip hides before you finish reading it, simply move the cursor a tiny bit and then leave it motionless again, and the tool tip will redisplay. With a little practice, you can quickly get the knack for displaying these useful help tips. All visual objects created with Jargon Writer can also have such tool tip help associated with them in the apps that you develop for your end users. Technical Note: The XML app files are normal text files which can be edited with a text editor if necessary. They contain a set of elements and attributes as defined by the "system/jsiconfig.xml" file. These elements are used by the component factories and other high-level classes in Jargon Reader to control the visual presentation and user interface logic on the client.   Windows Used in Jargon Writer The primary window used in Jargon Writer is the Design Window. It is the first window displayed after the Startup Window, and is normally always visible on the screen. It contains a menubar, a toolbar, components toolbars, and a set of design panels, plus a status panel at the bottom. The Design Window is where all visual elements (such as panels and buttons) are created, arranged and modified, and where script functions are linked to events (such as mouse clicks) associated with these visual elements. A second important window is the Script Editor Window, which is displayed by selecting View-->Script Editor from the menubar or clicking the "Edit" button in the lower right-hand corner of the Design Window (below Available Functions). The Script Editor Window is where all local client functions and host request/response processing are defined. A third window is the Preferences Window, where you can view and change the contents of the "writer.ini" configuration file that controls various Writer options. If you make changes in this window and click Save, the writer.ini file on disk is updated. Or, if you have changed writer.ini using an external text editor, you can reload the new version here to make use of the new values. Another window used in Jargon Writer is the Logs Window. The Logs window contains a Trace Log with a checkbox to turn on tracing of internal Writer processing steps, and an Error Log that shows the time-stamped text of all error messages in this session.

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