CHT Build 12D1.01 Released Today

Hi All...

I've just posted Build 12D1.01.
Primarily this includes the necessary template modifications to give you 100% (more or less) compatibility with C7 Appgen.

There are still some issues but these are C7 issues that I've been assured are being handled in upcoming C7's.

The issues are:
First:
EXTRACT() isn't working correctly when there's an exclamation mark in the extraction string.
This one is a minor problem as I've written a template subroutine to perform the work that this function normally does.

Second:
#RUN () isn't working correctly. It omits the first paramter when parameters are passed to it. I've done a temporary workaround to add an extra first parameter when C7 does a #RUN(). Once this is fixed I'll remove this workaround.

Third:
When an app containing a dictionary is first converted, the two base modules Appname_BC.CLW and AppName_BC0.CLW are not added automatically into the project. You need to insert these manually into the project's list of .CLW's and the app will compile correctly. Try converting HND2.APP. When it finishes conversion add these two modules to the list and the app will generate and compile with no errors.

Fourth:
When an application window has an equate or variable in the window label, C7.4406 fails to convert the window correctly. You can correct this on the C7 side but that still leaves other window issues, such as dropped menus. Instead, correct this at the C6 side by replacing the equate or variable with a constant value. The app window will then convert correctly. This is not something I've worked around since it has alreay been fixed (indicated by PTSS) for the next C7 release.

Fifth:
If you load/unload an app enough times and then click any template in the global extensions area, the app will eventually lock up completely and you'll need to use task manager to get rid of C7 and the app. I've been told that this problem too has been fixed for the next update. My recommendation because of this major show stopper is to not build anything final or even brand new in C7.4406 since there's a chance once the app locks up like this that it will be corrupted to the extent that you won't be able to recover it. However, this shouldn't stop you from experimenting.

While this is a fairly long list of issues, with the last one being major, C7 with this set of CHT 12D1.01 templates are nearing a state of useability that I find very encouraging. During C7's on-going development I expressed often my trepidation that the template generator would not be 100% C6 backward compatible and we'd have to build separate template sets for C6 and C7. I'm satisfied now that this will not be necessary and we will be able to work forward on a single set of templates to service both Clarion versions.

If you're going to experiment with app conversion from C6 to C7, I suggest you use HND2.APP, since I've made all the adjustments necessary to eliminate the above issues - with the exception of "Third" above, which you'll need to handle yourself.

I've made some cosmetic changes to our template interfaces, hope you'll like them. They'll act as a reminder that this 12D1.01 set is the first in a series of CHT templates that are fully inter-compatible with C6 and C7.

Cheers...
Gus Creces
The Clarion Handy Tools Page
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Clarion 7 News

We haven't had a lot of time to devote to C7 this past week or two but we're making progress.

We've gotten to the stage where we have isolated a few key C7 bugs and shortcomings that impact our templates. There appear be lots of other C7 template generator bugs and incompatibilities, judging from the PTSS bug report data base. Many of those have not been issues that we've had to deal with since they're not getting in the way of our use of the template language.

Obviously, I'm concentrating on the things that would get in your face if you were taking a C6.3 application built with CHT templates and porting it to C7 via it's application conversion feature.

There aren't a lot of "bugs" and "incompatibilities" that directly impact CHT, but those that I've found are an indication that the C7 template generator has some considerable distance to go in order to become fully C6 backward compatible. My guess, at this point, is that some of these things may never really be resolved in any reasonable time frame, and third parties will just have to bite the bullet and build work-arounds. After a year or two of working entirely in the C7 environment, most of us will have gotten used to the differences and code templates in a way that C6 and C7 can both live with.

At this point in time, I'm heartened that we can release a single template set that's fully compatible with both environments without our having to jump through too many hoops. And without doing a major re-write.

This upcoming week we'll be releasing build 12D1.01 with template changes that are primarily focussed on greater C7 compatibility without affecting how those templates work in C6. We'll be basing this release on C7.4406 which is all we have in hand at the moment. If fixes do come in on bugs we've reported, our workarounds will nevertheless work just as well in these later versions of C7 unless there are actual C7 regressions.

With these upcoming changes we're able - even today - to take apps like HND2.APP, HND3.APP and HNDACCES.APP, copy them to the C7 compile directory, have C7 convert the APP and the DCT, and then generate and compile without having to deal with any significant issues. I'll try and get a video done wherein we'll show you directly the process of getting two or three CHT demo apps to convert, generate, compile and run in C7.

Cheers...
Gus Creces
The Clarion Handy Tools Page
Visit Website