On Feb 1, 2018, at 4:17 PM, Chip Scheide wrote:
> In principle, it should be possible to create a text editor in 4D
> itself.
>
> I believe that the 4D design interface is built in/with 4D. If this is
> true, you should be able to build a tailorable text editor inside 4D.
> The Method editor while not perfect, is a usable text editor.
>
> IF that is true (creating a text editor in 4D) then adding the ability
> to reference 4D data should not be too hard, not that I am about to do
> either of these projects :)
>
> I have no idea about creating anything compatible with Word...
I’ll chime in on this topic because I have 2 clients that make extensive use of
4D Write. They have “Letter Template” tables with hundreds of 4D Write
documents they have created over many, many years that are used for all sorts
of mail merge type things. Exactly what 4D Write was designed to be used for.
For one client, I’ve also done some extensive 4D Write programming using the
plugin commands to do very complex document creation. I also implemented a
“print preview” option that allows the user to do a “mail merge” and have it
create a single, new 4D Write document from all the individual 4D Write
documents combined so the user can review/edit them before doing the actual
print.
This may sound easy, but it’s not when you have to deal with complex 4D Write
documents that have headers and footers and multiple imbedded images in the 4D
Write documents. It can be done, but it is a lot of work and makes extensive
use of many 4D Write Plugin command most have probably never needed to use. But
they are there to allow doing this kind of complex document manipulation. Will
4D Write Pro have the same extensive programming capabilities? We don’t know
yet.
Of course, some day I will upgrade these clients to use 4D Write Pro. There
current licenses will work, so no extra expense there. But there will be
signification expense for the one client that I’ve done the extensive 4D Write
work for. All my existing code will have to be rewritten. ALL. Every single
line. And that’s over 50 methods and some with literally hundreds of lines of
code. Totally new logic too. Just just swapping out old plugin commands with
equivalent new commands. This will be a big, big job.
Of course, I’m looking forward to rewriting all this code and getting paid $$$
for doing it.
My client is absolutely not looking forward to paying for this. Mainly because
they will receive no obvious benefits from all the reprogramming. Everything is
working fine now. After the rewrite to use 4D Write Pro everything should work
exactly the same and produce documents that look exactly the same. Everyone
understand this. Nobody likes it. But it’s one of those things that must be
done at some point in the future when we MUST move to a pure 64bit 4D version.
That’s the only sales point for this client. It must be done to be 64bit
compliant.
I’ve been waiting for 4D Write Pro to mature and provide all the features and
capabilities in the language to do all the things the current 4D Write plugin
can do. I have to continue waiting because it is still missing some features.
Only in the last few months did they finally add command to allow
programmatically manipulating headers and footers. And placing images on the
background only appeared recently.
I remember vividly when 4D Write Pro was first announced at a 4D Summit several
years ago that one of the bullet points put up on the big screen was “4D Write
Pro will have ALL THE FEATURES the current 4D Write plugin provides.” I
emphasized “all the features” because they made a point of saying that and me
and several other developers specifically asked about it. FULL FEATURE PARITY
was the goal. You would be able to open any existing 4D Write document and
nothing would be lost or changed. Full backwards compatibility if you will.
We all knew that 4D Write Pro would be released incrementally. As features are
added and ready they would be released. That’s the new 4D way. Don’t wait
forever until something is done. Deliver what you can when you can and build on
it until it is done.
I have no problem with this type of deployment. In fact, that is exactly how I
deploy my database applications to clients. Why wait 6 months and get nothing?
They get something every month for 6 months. Always something new each month
until the project is done.
I’m guessing that the 4D engineers made a list of every single 4D Write feature
and plugin command. Then they decided what they would implement first. What was
required, in their mind. What was needed, in their minds. What was easy. And
the work began.
The big question now is, what is still on that list of things the 4D Write
Plugin can do that 4D Write Pro still cannot do? If there is a feature that is
super hard to implement, and nobody uses or asked for it, why would they want
to spend time implementing it? So I’m expecting there to be a short list of
things 4D Write Pro will not do that 4D Write Plugin does. Emphasis SHORT LIST.
So at this year’s 4D Summit I am going to seek out the 4D Write Pro engineers
and ask them specifically for a list of features 4D Write Pro will not provide
that 4D Write Plugin does. Will they say "the list is empty we are are
implementing everything”? Doubtful. Hopefully that list will not contain
anything that I need. If it does, then I’ll have to lobby, and lobby hard, for
them to add the features I need to 4D Write Pro.
Tim
Tim Nevels
[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
Innovative Solutions
785-749-3444
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