1. ActiveX & Progress
Hendrik Demol

2. Who am I? Progress since V4 Belgian ISV Free-lance DWP agent
Hotel-room ActiveX student
From a city with a Viking name: Brugge

3. Who are you?
Anybody using ActiveX ?
Why ?
Which ones?

4. Why use ActiveX’s? To enhance the Progress GUI To add functionality
To make better reports
To interface with hardware or software
To conform to fashion
To make marketing happy

5. When to avoid ActiveX?
When you can not install them on your customer’s PC’s (policies)
When you are afraid of the added complexity
When you don’t want to learn new syntax

6. Types of ActiveX
In-line processing: The preferred way because it is many times faster. The OCX runs in the Progress container
OLE conversation: For use with programs like Office modules (Word, Excel, Outlook). Each call includes a start & stop and this makes it very slow
Other division: UI element or not

7. Check if they work with Progress!
Progress applies the rules very strictly
Others may not … including Microsoft!
E.g. Mappoint’s OCX does not load in Progress so you can only use the OLE type 
As a rule of thumb: if a component works with C++ it works with Progress as well

8. Tools
THE MANUAL: first source of functionality and syntax – usually written with the VB or C programmer in mind (“:” <> “.”)
Progress objectviewer: Progress tool for discovering syntax
ActiveXplorer: check the internals
Dependency walker: to check the files you need to re-distribute
Progress Knowledgebase (Solutions)

9. ActiveXplorer

10. Progress Objectviewer
The bottom pane shows the applicable Progress syntax!

11. Adding an OCX to a screen
Select “ocx” on the Progress palette
Select the required ocx and size it
Set standard properties

12. ActiveX events Most OCX components also trigger events
These are listed in the manuals and are visible in the Progress COM viewer
Also visible as events in the Appbuilder section editor

13. Wrx files
Created by the Appbuilder automatically in the same directory as the .w file
Distribute together with .r files
Watch out for the change of .wrx files over versions: .wrx file generated in Progress 9.1D06 does not load in Progress 9.1D05
OCX versions between developers and between development & production may vary
Some keep their first wrx’s. Older wrx’s seem upwardly compatible (both older OS & OCX)

14. Initialize-controls
Define your own variable and initialize it properly – also for readability
Use this for setting to your standard properties
DEFINE VARIABLE hSp AS COM-HANDLE NO-UNDO.
ASSIGN
hSP = chCtrlFrame:vaSpread
hsp:allowdragdrop = TRUE
hSp:appearance = 1
hSP:BorderStyle = 1
hSP:unitType = 2 /* twips */
hSP:PrintColHeaders = FALSE
hSP:PrintRowHeaders = FALSE
hSP:printMarginLeft = 1000
hSP:TypeNumberShowSep = TRUE
hSP:Protect = FALSE.

15. Cleaning up Clean up afterwards (memory leaks)
Delete the objects (com-handles)
Set the handle variables to Null
DELETE OBJECT hXMLDoc NO-ERROR.
ASSIGN
hXMLDoc = ?.

16. MS Office
Most Office programs are ActiveX servers: Outlook, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, MapPoint, Access, Visio and Binder
DEFINE VARIABLE chActiveX AS COM-HANDLE.
CREATE “my.app” chActiveX.
Once the handle to the application is set you expand to other com-objects and use all the properties and methods of each component.
Study the component objects!
Use Macro recording to retrieve syntax
Sun’s Star Office works in a similar way

17. Excel via OLE Many samples available on the net
Use this for small projects (slow)
Ubiquitous
Dump a textfile and open it with Excel
Make a library with your functions
Consider also the in-line activeX (since Office 9)

18. EXCEL object model Some collection of objects!
Can be found via “help” in the VBA (macro) editor

19. Excel sample code (1) DEFINE VARIABLE chExcel AS COM-HANDLE NO-UNDO.
DEFINE VARIABLE chWorksheet AS COM-HANDLE NO-UNDO.
DEFINE VARIABLE chWorkbook AS COM-HANDLE NO-UNDO.
CREATE "excel.application" chExcel.
/* Open an Excel document */
chExcel:Workbooks:Open("c:\test1.xls"). chExcel:visible = true.
/* Sets the number of sheets that will be automatically inserted into new workbooks */
chExcel:SheetsInNewWorkbook = 5.
/* Add a new workbook */
chWorkbook = chExcel:Workbooks:Add().
/* Add a new worksheet as the last sheet */
chWorksheet = chWorkbook:Worksheets(5).
chWorkbook:Worksheets:add(, chWorksheet).
RELEASE OBJECT chWorksheet.
/* Select a worksheet */
chWorkbook:Worksheets(2):Activate.
chWorksheet = chWorkbook:Worksheets(2).
/* Rename the worksheet */
chWorkSheet:NAME = "test".
/* Modify the cell's format to Text */
chWorksheet:Cells:NumberFormat =
/* Change the cell's color */
chWorksheet:Columns("A:A"):Interior:ColorIndex = 5.
/* Change the cell's format */
ASSIGN
chWorksheet:Columns("A:A"):Font:ColorIndex = 2
chWorksheet:Columns("A:A"):Font:Name = "Courrier New".
chWorksheet:Columns("A:A"):Font:Bold = TRUE.
chWorksheet:Columns("A:A"):Font:Italic = TRUE.
/* Set underline: StyleSingle = 2 */
chWorksheet:Columns("A:A"):FONT:UNDERLINE = 2 .

20. Excel sample code (2) /* Add data */ ASSIGN
chWorksheet:Range("B1"):VALUE = "Value"
chWorksheet:Range("B2"):VALUE = 255
chWorksheet:Range("B3"):VALUE = 100
chWorksheet:Range("B4"):VALUE = 250
chWorksheet:Range("B5"):VALUE = 400
chWorksheet:Range("B6"):VALUE = 100
chWorksheet:Range("B7"):VALUE = 600.
/* Add a Formula */
chWorksheet:Range("A8"):VALUE = "Total:".
/* Set Cell's format to Number */
chWorksheet:Range("B8"):NumberFormat = 0.
chWorksheet:Range("B8"):Formula = "=SUM(B2:B7)".
/* Set horizontal alignment
Right Alignemnt: / Left Alignment : */
chWorksheet:Range("B:B"):HorizontalAlignment =
/* Freeze Pane */
chWorksheet:Range("A2"):SELECT.
chExcel:ActiveWindow:FreezePanes = TRUE.
/* Save the new workbook without displaying alerts */
chExcel:DisplayAlerts = FALSE.
chWorkbook:SaveAs("c:\test2.xls",43,,,,,).
/* Quit Excel */
chExcel:quit().
/* Release Com-handle */
RELEASE OBJECT chWorksheet.
RELEASE OBJECT chWorkbook.
RELEASE OBJECT chExcel.

21. Word Sample program with print screen Sample code:
DEFINE VARIABLE oWord AS COM-HANDLE NO-UNDO.
CREATE "Word.Application" oWord.
oWord:Documents:Open("Some.Doc").
oWord:Visible = True.
PAUSE.  
/* Allow you to actually see the document before we kill it */
RELEASE OBJECT oWord.

22. Outlook Very interesting and rich in functionality
Since V10 date-time format to interact with Outlook agenda
MAPI namespace
Read & write mail, tasks, contacts, calendar & notes
Think about master data! Who is boss? Outlook or your application?
Make a library with your frequent functions

23. Sending mail DEFINE VARIABLE objOutlook AS COM-HANDLE NO-UNDO.
DEFINE VARIABLE objOutlookMsg    AS COM-HANDLE NO-UNDO.
DEFINE VARIABLE objOutlookAttach AS COM-HANDLE NO-UNDO.
DEFINE VARIABLE objOutlookRecip  AS COM-HANDLE NO-UNDO.
CREATE "Outlook.Application" objOutlook.
objoutlookMsg = objOutlook:CreateItem(0).
objOutlookRecip =
/*use of concatenated object */
objOutlookRecip:Type = 1.
objOutlookMsg:Subject = "Your Subject".
objOutlookMsg:Body = "The Body".
objOutlookMsg:Attachments:Add("c:\autoexec.bat").
objOutlookRecip:Resolve.
objOutlookMsg:Send.
objoutlook:Quit().
RELEASE OBJECT objOutlook.
RELEASE OBJECT objOutlookMsg.
RELEASE OBJECT objOutlookRecip.

24. Outlook Object Model
Folders
Inspectors
Collections
Items

25. Mappoint Show addresses on the map Calculate routes Plan routes
Location services
Add data to maps
Very underestimated software (“Mappoint who ?” by Microsoft!) 

26. Farpoint Spread Much faster than Excel Easy object model
Rich functionality
Easy to build into a powerful 4GL wrapper: automatically display a temp-table, etc

27. Charts Many different components out there
Some highly sophisticated modules
The simplest: MS Chart (VB6)
Often array based data
Try to add user interaction (presentation change, data selection change)

28. ComponentOne VsView
The first component I ever used (V2 in combination with Progress 8.2)
Print preview
PDF generation
Zooming
Page browsing
Own mini toolbar

29. Infragistics SchedX Alternative to Outlook
Separate components for day-, week- and monthview

30. Toolbar The newest and slickest are made for .Net
I am still looking for the right one
Infragistics has Ultra Toolbars with Office XP look. And an annoying bug! And intersting tools

31. Calendars
Great for making a date picker (add a dynamic trigger to each date fill-in). E.g. right-mouse-click
Put an ocx on a dialog-box and call this from the trigger

32. List view & Tree view Often used together
Some types have extra UI features
Progress special treeview from
Perhaps not the best UI item for large datasets.
When to load the node?
Nice as a menu

33. Progress bar DEF NEW SHARED VAR vStop AS LOG NO-UNDO init false.
DEFINE VARIABLE hProg AS HANDLE NO-UNDO.
DEFINE VARIABLE vInt AS INT NO-UNDO.
DEFINE VARIABLE vMax AS INT NO-UNDO INIT 8000.
DEFINE VARIABLE vMin AS INT NO-UNDO init 1000.
RUN progressbar.w PERSISTENT SET hProg.
RUN display_title IN hProg (INPUT "Oslo presentation").
RUN display_message IN hProg (INPUT "Hallo World"). /*system message */
RUN GaugeInitMax IN hProg (vMax).
RUN GaugeInitMin IN hProg (vMin).
DO vInt = vMin TO vMax :
RUN Gaugeincrement IN hProg (vInt).
IF vStop THEN LEAVE.
END.
RUN GaugeClose IN hProg.
pause 0.

34. Handling low volume SMS
For big volume you better talk directly to the telecom SMS server
There are several components often working very differently
Perhaps consider separating the modules, making a small SMS server polling the database for new records (generated by the client software) and creating records from the incoming messages

35. Outlook-style button bar
Great for 2 level-menus
Familiar interface
Easy combining text & graphics

36. COMM port reader & TCP/IP
Serial barcode readers
Serial connections to hardware
TCP/IP sockets, Telnet ,etc

37. Image handling
Capturing, scanning, handling, viewing, annotating, converting and more
Many different modules available from Leadtools and Pegasus Imaging Corporation are the best known
There is even a red-eye removal add-on

38. Trying to be funny
If you want to mimic Microsoft you can try to use moving graphics or even genies
Many OCX are supplied with standard Windows programs like Media player

39. Some more … Credit-card validation Spelling Word-processing Faxing
Data Analysis
GIS
Data compression
Postal code validation
Mail validation
XML parsing
etc

40. Use standard Microsoft components or not?
A big question for you: use standard Microsoft OCX components or buy from specialised sources?
Standard MS components usually are part of the Windows environment
Watch out for version differences between Windows versions or components!
Non MS components equals more installed components but more control

41. Use OCX in a framework (DWP)
DWP framework : support for activeX, by using a standard wrapper methodology. Today treeview and listview are supported out of the box. You can add your own using the same methodology

42. Tips & tricks
Null values: Progress happily accepts null values (x / 0 = ?). Microsoft does not! Initialize variables and values to make sure you have valid data
Since V9 you can concatenate objects chApp:Object:SubObject:Property
Invest in making your code generic

43. Use OCX in a 4GL wrapper
Avoid sprinkling your application with the same ocx in various modules
Consider the next version of your ocx
Work a little harder now and relax later
Render the use of ocx’s generic: run your functions & procedures. Keep them when you change ocx
Hide ocx complexity from developers

44. Where to find ActiveX’s?

45. XP look
If all you want to accomplish is an XP look then look at the use of a manifest file
Prowin32.exe.manifest is an xml file that signals Windows XP to update the look of the executable
Warning: add useClipChildren=Yes to your ini file or registry in the startup section, otherwise buttons will not show

46. Conclusion & questions
Think first!
OCX can be a nuissance
OCX are fun
OCX can enhance your app
Tusen Takk!