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DataWindow Programmer's Guide

Chapter 2: Using DataWindow Objects

About using DataWindow objects

About using DataWindow objects

Building DataWindow objects

Before you can use a DataWindow object in an application, you need to build it. PowerBuilder has separate painters for database management, DataWindow definition, and library management.

You define and edit a DataWindow object in the DataWindow painter. You specify its data source and presentation style, then enhance the object by specifying display formats, edit styles, and more.

The DataWindow painter is also where you make Powersoft report (PSR) files, which you may want to use in applications too. A PSR file contains a report definition--essentially a nonupdatable DataWindow object--as well as the data contained in that report when the PSR file was created.

Report objects only in InfoMaker

Older versions of PowerBuilder had a Report painter as well as a DataWindow painter. A report object could retrieve but not update data; it was essentially a nonupdatable DataWindow object. The Report painter is now available only in InfoMaker.

Managing DataWindow objects

Several painters let you manage and package your DataWindow objects for use in applications.

In particular, you can maintain DataWindow objects in one or more libraries (PBL files). When you are ready to use your DataWindow objects in applications, you can package them in more compact runtime libraries (PBD files).

For further details on how to build and organize DataWindow objects, see the PowerBuilder User's Guide.

Using DataWindow objects

After you build a DataWindow object (or PSR file) in the DataWindow painter, you can use it to display and process information from the appropriate data source. The sections that follow explore the details of how to do this.