Progress
AppBuilder
Developer’s Guide


Creating a SmartDataObject Instance

Once you have a SmartDataObject master designed that will supply the data you need, you can re-use it indefinitely. Because of the way AppBuilder checks for opportunities to create SmartLinks, you will probably find it good practice to select and place your SmartDataObject instance before you place the instances of the SmartObjects that will communicate with it.

Follow these steps to use a SmartDataObject in your application:

  1. Open the Choose dialog box by clicking on the SmartDataObject tool icon in the Object Palette. When the dialog box opens, select the appropriate SmartDataObject master from the list:
  2. If you have difficulty remembering which SmartDataObject master is which, choose Preview to open a dialog box that displays the fields listing for the selected master:

  3. Position the new instance (created automatically when you chose the master) anywhere you like in your Smart organizer workspace, and click to release. This is the design-time representation you will see:
  4. AppBuilder will now automatically look for opportunities to create SmartLinks between it and other SmartObjects in the same organizer context. If it thinks it has found such an opportunity, an Advisor window opens. The example shown here presumes that you had previously placed a Navigation SmartPanel:
  5. If the suggested link seems appropriate for the needs of your application, choose OK. If you decide later to make changes, you can easily revise the linkage using the SmartLinks editor. For more information the SmartLinks Editor, see the "SmartLinks Editor" section in "Frequently Used Dialogs."

  6. Set the properties of this SmartDataObject instance. See the "Configuring a SmartDataObject Instance" section in this chapter for further information.
  7. Save your work.

Copyright © 2004 Progress Software Corporation
www.progress.com
Voice: (781) 280-4000
Fax: (781) 280-4095