Fujitsu PowerCOBOL
PowerCOBOL contains tools and utilities covering the full spectrum of GUI programming needs. The table below lists key features and benefits of PowerCOBOL.
| New: | Feature Summary | Detail of Feature | Benefit of Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
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COBOL for GUI |
In PowerCOBOL you: Handle events using COBOL. Invoke GUI methods using COBOL. Reference properties as COBOL data items. Can include COBOL subroutines |
Your COBOL skills apply immediately and naturally to the GUI event-driven model. |
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| V5 | Can select OO COBOL as the primary scripting mode. | ||
| V6.1 | Can use the special POW-COBJECT class to access other objects. | ||
| V6.1 | Can execute multiple instances of PowerCOBOL applications. | ||
| V6.1 | Can create Unicode applications | ||
| V6.1 | Can configure build behavior using environment variables. | ||
| V9 | Supports Windows Vista | ||
| V10 | Supports Windows Server 2008 | ||
| V10 | Support added for UTF-16 Unicode encoding. | ||
| +V4 | WYSIWYG design |
PowerCOBOL Provides: Drag and drop objects onto forms. Objects shown as they appear at execution time. |
You don't have to write code to position, size and style GUI objects. You can focus your efforts on delivering the function and appearance desired by your users. |
| +V4 | Guided development |
Context-sensitive pop-up menus provide lists of available functions. For example: Most frequently used design functions (cut, copy, paste, object properties) Events that apply to the selected control Methods that apply to the selected control name (in the code editor) Properties of the selected control name (in the code editor) Inserts skeleton code where appropriate. |
You immediately know the events, methods, and properties for your selected control. You do not have to tackle hundreds of pages of documentation to retrieve this information. By using skeleton code you make fewer typos and coding errors. |
| V4 | COM compliant | PowerCOBOL is a COM (Component Object Model) compliant system. | You can mix and match PowerCOBOL objects with objects created with other COM compliant products. |
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V4
V6.1 |
ActiveX® support |
With PowerCOBOL you can: Include ActiveX controls in its forms. Create ActiveX controls to include in other language applications. Use a special POW-COBJECT class to access other objects. |
Your applications can take advantage of the rich sets of ActiveX controls that are available. |
|
+V4 +V4.2 |
Basic controls | PowerCOBOL includes the following controls, CheckBox ComboBox CommandButton DriveList FileList FolderList Graph GroupBox ListBox OptionButton Print ScrollBar Table TextBox Timer | These controls cover the basic needs of most applications. |
| +V4 +V4.2 +V5 +V6.1 V7 |
Extended controls and objects | The following controls have been added to PowerCOBOL Version 4: Custom, ListView, Menu, ProgressIndicator, Shape, Slider, StaticText, TreeView Version 4.2: Tab, Toolbar Version 5: Frame Version 6.1: ADODataSource, Controls collection object Version 7: Edit (lightweight version of TextBox but also adds support for data binding); Label (lightweight version of StaticText) |
Controls added in response to customer requests. |
| V6.1 | Improves performance of ListView control. | ||
| +V5 | Text and Date formatting | The RenderText object provides text formatting for many controls including the ability to format dates and have the input format match the display format. | You can present your data in the most suitable manner for your users. |
| Multi-media support |
PowerCOBOL includes multi-media support through the controls: Animation – time varying bitmaps Image – includes bitmaps, Kodak Photo CD, Jpeg, icons and metafiles. MCI – Media Control Interface, supporting sound, video and other media forms. |
You can enhance your applications with pictures, sound and video. | |
| +V4 | ODBC support | The DBAccess control provides access to ODBC compliant databases from PowerCOBOL applications. |
Your PowerCOBOL application can access data from a wide variety of sources. (Note: PowerCOBOL can call standard COBOL subroutines so all the data access features of COBOL are available to PowerCOBOL applications.) |
| V10 | Supports UTF-8 Unicode encoding with Oracle. | ||
| V6.1 | ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) support | The ADODataSource control gives access to databases using Microsoft's ActiveX Data Objects. | You can take advantage of the rich set of functionality provided with ADO. |
| Subroutines to support the use of ADO by converting COM object references to object references that can be used by the ADODataSource control. | |||
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Supports third party controls that use ADO (e.g. Microsoft Rich TextBox) |
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| Provides a DataBinding object for binding data of ADO controls. | |||
| DDE support | The DDE control provides properties, methods and events for DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) client functions. | You can take advantage of DDE in your PowerCOBOL applications. | |
| Excel connection | The ExcelConnection control provides properties and methods for: Opening, Retrieving, Updating, Saving, Closing ... Excel spreadsheet data. | You can tightly integrate Excel spreadsheet data into your applications. | |
| V6.1 | SaveAsBook method has option to display the Save As dialog. CloseBook method has options to close all books connected to the application and whether to save the book connected to the control. |
You can offer your users more control. | |
| +V4 | MS Transaction Server | The MTS (Microsoft Transaction Server) control provides properties and methods for working Microsoft Transaction Server. | You can take advantage of the transaction supporting functions of MTS. |
| V4 +V4.2 |
Menus | The Menu Editor provides straightforward creation and maintenance of menu bars and pop-up menus. | You can create a key part of many applications quickly and easily. |
|
V4 |
Project view and Development Environment |
PowerCOBOL provides a tree view of the modules, forms, code, and controls that make up PowerCOBOL projects. PowerCOBOL represents each object in the tree view with the object's icon. Alongside the tree view are the properties and their values for the item selected in the tree view. The project view menus provide the build, rebuild, execute functions common to the Fujitsu development environments. |
The project view gives you a structural/textual view of the PowerCOBOL application, and a compact view of object properties. These complement the WYSIWYG view helping you understand and manage your applications. |
| V4.2 |
Version 4.2 adds:
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| V5 | Version 5 expands the project tree when the project is opened and gives access to the Run-time Environment Setup tool. | ||
| V6.1 | The Runtime Environment Setup Tool is invoked from the Project window. | ||
| V6.1 | Provides online help for all dialog boxes and property pages. | ||
| V6.1 | Can control compiler behaviors using environment variables. | ||
| V6.1 | Converts projects created with PowerCOBOL V1 and V2 to PowerCOBOL V6.1. | ||
| V6.1 | Converts Group items to Frame or GroupBox controls when converting V3 or earlier projects. | ||
| V9 | Online help converted to Microsoft Compiled HTML Help format (.chm) which is compatible with Windows Vista | ||
| V10 | Manifest automatically generated with configurable user account control (UAC). | ||
|
+V4 |
Built-in debug connections |
The PowerCOBOL debug function displays: Project tree view Active code list Data monitor list Active code windows Command window It gives you control of the event and subroutine code with the usual debug functions of: Stepping into and over statements Running Setting breakpoints Watching data |
Helps you debug your PowerCOBOL application code quickly.
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| V4.2 | Version 4.2 adds: The useful NetCOBOL (previously called Fujitsu COBOL) datatips feature that displays data values when you hover the pointer over a data item. Leaves application window on top when a breakpoint is encountered. |
You can check window contents before viewing code | |
| V6.1 | Debug toolbars provided in the PowerCOBOL Editor | ||
| V6.1 | ESC key can be used to break execution when debugging. | ||
| +V4 | Properties | Version 4 introduces over 600 properties, replacing the 120 "items" of earlier versions. | The properties give you access to, and control over, many different aspects of the graphical controls and their contained data. |
| V4.2 | Version 4.2 adds another 16 properties, including tooltips for all controls and fully configurable date formats. | ||
|
V5 |
Version 5.0 adds 16 more properties, including HotImageList for flat buttons on toolbars. Execution time access for many properties has been upgraded. |
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| V6.1 |
Version 6.1 adds 23 more properties, including: |
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| V7 | Version 7 adds 5 new properties primarily to support the new Edit and Label controls and tunes behavior on several other properties. | ||
| V8 |
Version 8 adds 3 new properties that provide control of: |
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| V6.1 | Provides "POW-xxxx" constants for setting and testing properties. | ||
| V6.1 | When the Icon property is set, the icon is also displayed on the task bar. | ||
| V10 | ShowInTaskbar property added to forms to indicate whether that form should be displayed in the Windows task bar. | ||
| V10 | RestrictInputChar property added to forms to set whether characters being entered should be limited to a particular character set such as the Unicode Basic Multilingual Plane (BMP) or the ANSI code page of the system. | ||
| V10 | RestrictInputCharBehavior property added to controls that can accept input characters to indicate whether or how the RestrictInputChar property governs characters entered in that control. | ||
| V4 | Methods |
Version 4 adds 30 methods covering functions to:
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The methods give you the functions you need to use the graphical controls. |
| V4.2 |
Version 4.2 adds another 6 methods covering control of:
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| V5 | Version 5 adds methods for clearing tables and forcing window messages to execute. | ||
| V6.1 |
Version 6.1 adds methods for:
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| V6.1 | Provides "POW-xxxx" constants for setting and testing parameters. | ||
| V7 | Makes minor adjustments to the ExecuteSync and UpdateRecord methods. | ||
| V8 | Adds the CallForm2 and DoModal2 methods which add a ModalStyle parameter to the CallForm and DoModal methods. The ModalStyle parameter indicates whether just the parent form or all forms in the same thread are inactive while the invoked form is open. | ||
| +V4 | Events |
Version 4 increases the number of supported events to over 30. Key events added: Mouse events Keyboard events Change event for editable items Got and lost focus events Events supporting new controls |
The events give you points at which you can tailor the behavior to the needs of your application. |
| V5 | Version 5 adds DropDown events for DropDown buttons on Toolbars and events to support short-cut keys. | ||
| V6.1 | Version 6 adds nine methods to support the ADODataSource control notifying changes of data and when the changes are completed. | ||
| V6.1 | Provides "POW-xxxx" constants for setting and testing parameters. | ||
| V7 | Makes minor adjustments to the Edit, KeyDown, KeyPress, KeyUp and Return events. | ||
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+V4.2
V6.1 |
PowerCOBOL Editor |
Version 4.2 adds:
Version 6.1 adds:
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Makes it easier for you to edit your PowerCOBOL procedure code. |
| V4 | Configurable editor | You can customize PowerCOBOL to use your favorite editor. | You can edit with your preferred editor. |
"+Vn" in the "New in:" column indicates a feature that contains new or improved elements as well as existing elements. When "+Vn" is in Italics, it refers to the italicized detail items. The number n indicates the release in which the new feature was introduced. V9 features are shown in red.