Description:
PowerBuilder is an object-oriented application development resource that helps you build multitier applications for multiple platforms. Beginners and pros alike will appreciate PowerBuilder's style in creating applications to interact with a variety of databases. Your applications can range between client/server, Internet, or distributed. You can create the user interface (the windows, menus, controls, and much of the visual environment that your user will interact with) as well as the processing logic, which determines the "rules" that the application will follow. All along, PowerBuilder creates a comfortable environment that is not only intuitive, but easy to adapt to and easily adaptable to your personal style. Newbies can start out with the PowerBuilder tutorial. Working through the first help manual is a great introduction to this product, and while you're practicing, you'll learn a virtual cornucopia of tricks. The printed tutorial is different from many other help manuals: it is well written and inviting, almost like a good friend looking over your shoulder. But beyond the tutorial, PowerBuilder also comes with a number of installable books to light your path. You'll also have access to thorough online help, which can take you step by step through PowerBuilder's numerous functions and covers topics ranging from installation to deployment, from development to database communication. While you're using PowerBuilder, you'll be using a multipane setup, and you'll find all of the buttons within easy reach, intuitively placed, and easily maneuverable. Take the To-Do List function out for a spin and see how easily PowerBuilder keeps you on track, whether it's an automatically generated list or a list you've created for yourself. Your scripts will be written using PowerScript, the language particular to PowerBuilder. There are numerous built-in functions that anticipate your needs, whether you want to update the database or close a window. And from the very beginning, you can develop applications that run on the Web, taking advantage of technologies such as Web.PB, DataWindow plug-in, PowerBuilder window plug-in and ActiveX, DataWindow ActiveX and DataWindow JavaBeans components, and JavaBeans proxy classes. And even better, you'll be able to build applications that will run in a distributed environment and work toward cross-platform development and deployment. Windows or Unix--you can take your pick; PowerBuilder approaches them the same way, at the same time. And when it finally comes time to package your application and release it for use, PowerBuilder also gives you the tools to include bitmaps, icons, and other additional resources in libraries. From start to finish, Sybase's PowerBuilder has got you covered. --Emilie Dirks
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