ProtoView has released SQL View, a high-level scripting and prototyping language for the Windows environment that features high- (and, if necessary, low-) level access to SQL Server database tables, views, stored procedures, and powerful data and cross-field validation. SQL View provides table browsing, spreadsheet-like data lens extraction, data formatting and validation features, and interactive querying and update functionality and is fully integrated with ProtoView's screen painter and object editor. Once a prototype has been developed and tested, it can be compiled down to a binary executable that can be run directly under Windows.
Typical application development time can be cut by more than 100 percent, compared to other Windows development languages.
Also available now from ProtoView is the Screen Management Facility for Windows, Version 3.2, new features of which are: the ability to place bitmaps and icons within pushbuttons using the screen painter; multiple range checking for data entry fields; currency and date control supporting 26 currencies and six international formats, respectively, with full validation; and enhanced code generation for Borland C++ and Zortech C++.
SQL View costs $495; ProtoView 3.2 runs $695. Reader service no. 24.
ProtoView Development Co. 353 Georges Road Dayton, NJ 08810 908-329-8588
ZBasic/Windows, a Windows development kit from 32 Bit Software, is based on ZBasic-PC, which allows you to write both 386 and 486 programs on any PC. Programs can be written on non-386 machines and recompiled for 386 and 486 hardware.
ZBasic/Windows allows you to use Windows at three levels of complexity: a basic level of coexistence with other Windows applications, a more advanced level with Windows compliance, and a fully integrated Windows level with multiple boxes and menu bars. This choice of levels allows you to easily write programs that coexist with other applications in the Windows environment.
ZBasic/Windows' introductory price is $139.95; the regular price will be $199.95. Bundled with ZBasic-PC, the cost is $229.95. Reader service no. 20.
32 Bit Software 3232 McKinney Ave., LB 14 Dallas, TX 75204 800-32BITSW or 214-720-2051
BRIEForC++, a BRIEF add-on that includes a complete browser for C++ has been released by Solution Systems. The browser allows you to view classes and structures in a pop-up window. You can browse according to class hierarchy, member variables, or member functions. The browser scans multiple files, allowing access to all files in the system, not just those currently stored in memory. BRIEForC++ automatically loads the relevant files and positions the cursor to the appropriate member variable, member function, or class.
Once you make a selection from the window, you can begin editing with BRIEF. To edit from another class or function, call the browser again.
BRIEForC++ supports the Borland C++ Version 2.0 compiler and requires BRIEF 3.0 or higher, hard disk, and a minimum of 256K RAM. The price is $129; $399 when bundled with BRIEF 3.1. Reader service no. 21.
Solution Systems 372 Washington Street Wellesley, MA 02181 800-677-0001 or 617-431-2313
The ImageTools Document Management Utility (DMU) is now available from Discorp. Running under Windows 3.0 and fully implementing the Dynamic Data Exchange, ImageTools facilitates complex imaging functions such as scan and store, view, print, export, and document management through simple program interaction. ImageTools affords easy integration of document image processing into any application and simplified access to users' imaging peripherals.
The DMU is accessed through either a user interface, the Windows clipboard, or a DDE interface, and uses either single files or Discorp's folder manager to create, print, or view documents. Viewing and printing are accomplished using hardware or software decompression with the image data presented in a window. Each image window allows for image zooming, reduction, rotating, panning, scrolling, and copying to and from the Windows clipboard. File formats available include CMP, ImageTools, TIFF, or PDA; you can export to BMP or PCX formats.
ImageTools costs $400. Reader service no. 22.
Distributed Image Systems Corporation 290 Easy Street #5 Simi Valley, CA 93065 805-584-0688
Integrated communication between remote computers and central applications on LANs is enabled by the new family of products from Dovetail Communications. The family includes the File Transfer Server, a hardware/software communications server which resides in a dedicated PC workstation and manages bidirectional file transfer activities at speeds of 1200-9600 bps. The server includes the Script Language Interpreter (SLI), an embedded programming environment (a dialect of Tiny Basic) that allows you to integrate file transfer functions into your network applications.
The Communications Co-Processor is an add-on component that allows support for as many as eight dial-up lines. (The basic server supports only two.) Also included are REMCOM, a remote API module for optimizing the file transfer process for operation from within another program, making file transfer automated and transparent for remote users.
Each LAN server costs $695; REMCOM modules, $15; and the Communications Co-Processor, $500. OEM pricing is available. Reader service no. 23.
Dovetail Communications Technologies 1050 Northgate Dr., Suite 455 San Rafael, CA 94903-2540 415-492-1303
A new version (1.62) of the Far Memory Manager library is being shipped by Dolphin Software. The library now provides the ability to identify the line number and source file of a statement that generates any of 27 errors detectable by the Dolphin functions; a utility to display any Dolphin function declaration from the DOS command line; and revised documentation that presents the debugging features in practical detail.
This is added to the previously available enhanced memory allocation functions, multidimensional dynamic array allocation, far heap diagnostic functions, and a memory allocation log for tracking down far memory bugs.
Ben Barron of the University of California School of Medicine in Davis, Calif., said of the Far Memory Manager, "I was most impressed by the fact that it permits you to allocate and deallocate memory in blocks of any size without any penalty, and by the log that shows you how all your far memory was allocated."
The library supports both Turbo C/C++ and Microsoft C and comes in small, medium, and large memory models. The price is $99. Reader service no. 25.
Dolphine Software 48 Shattuck Square #147 Berkeley, CA 94704 415-644-9530
Release 2.0 of NEWT-SDK, a TCP/IP development kit developed specifically for Windows 3.0, is now shipping from NetManage. NEWT is the only currently available TCP/IP package implemented as a Windows DLL, as opposed to a TSR; thus, it is loaded into memory only when needed. Release 2.0 includes two new Direct Link Libraries: FTP, which provides an API to the Internet File Transfer Protocol for file transfer to and from a remote system; and SMTP, which provides an API to the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, allowing mail exchange with Unix workstations, NEWT users, and other supporting systems.
NEWT supports IP routing between networks -- Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI, and now the Serial Line IP (SLIP) -- communicating with multiple network cards simultaneously and routing IPs between them.
DDJ spoke with Brian Holeman of Maxim Technologies in Vienna, Va., who used NEWT to connect a server on a Sparc station to a user interface. "NEWT was the only product we found with the ability to link into the server as a standard Windows app from within Windows," said Holeman.
NEWT supports Windows' standard and enhanced modes and all network interface cards based on the NDIS industry standard. The price is $500; site licenses and multiple-copy discounts are available. Reader service no. 26.
NetManage Inc. 10020 N. DeAnza Blvd. #101 Cupertino, CA 95014 408-257-6404
The C Editor and Menu+ are two new libraries from Automated Business Consultants. The editor acts as a complete word processor, allowing unlimited data file size and offering a spell checker, printer drivers, underlining, bolding, justification, cut and paste and search and replace facilities, and multiple window margins.
Menu+ is a user interface library with window functions, window status tracking, pull-down bars, pop-up button menus, a complete set of data entry functions, file and directory browsers, and picklists.
Bundled together, the C Editor and Menu+ cost $325; Menu+ is sold separately for $150. Reader service no. 27.
Automated Business Consultants P.O. Box 5642 Evansville, IN 47715 812-477-6482
SLR Systems has announced OPTLINK/Compress 3.0, a linker with compressed, single-level overlays designed to provide greater file compression at higher speed. It produces self-extract-to-run EXE files, and when the file is executed, an automatically embedded decompression routine instantly takes control and expands the program back to its original form.
Features new to version 3.0 include: up to 8192 overlays, indirect calls, EMS/ XMS caching, compress root and large and small model overlays, and autoallocation of libraries. Furthermore, OPTLINK/Compress allows overlays to a separate file and calls from overlay to overlay. With OPTLINK, large programs can be stored on a single floppy disk -- its EXE files need less than 1K extra memory for the decompression routine.
Kenneth Kiraly of MultiScope Inc. in Mountain View, Calif., chose the product for its speed. "Compared to its competitors, OPTLINK saves time in developing large applications and generates smaller executables," Kiraly commented.
OPTLINK/Compress supports Codeview 3.0 and 3.1 and costs $350. Upgrades are $75 or free, depending on purchase date. Reader service no. 28.
SLR Systems 1622 N. Main Street Butler, PA 16001 412-282-0864
New from Machine Independent Software is the Hash Table Generator, for use in compilers, interpreters, and other language recognizers. The Generator produces a table which results in a "perfect hash," the fastest way to identify keywords. One hash function call and one string compare uniquely identify any keyword. The hash function generation process is automated: You provide a list of keywords in a text file, one keyword per line. To add a keyword, simply add a line to this file and rerun the Hash Table Generator using the new list.
Features included are: no collisions, each keyword produces a unique hash result; for n keywords, a hash value for each of between 0 and n-1; a fast hash function provided in C source, uses one table lookup and one XOR function for each character in a keyword; a header file including keyword hash value #defines and an array of keyword strings sorted by hash value; and dynamic computation of hash table size.
Available for DOS and OS/2. $59 includes table generator, sample input file, hash function in C source, and user guide. Reader service no. 29.
Machine Independent Software Corp. 1651 Bennington Hollow Lane Reston, VA 22090 703-435-0413
Sequiter Software has released CodeBase++ 1.01, a multiuser, dBase-compatible class library for use with C++ that now comes with a DLL for Microsoft Windows 3.0. The library works directly with the data, index, and memo files of dBase III-IV, allowing C++ developers to build dBase-compatible applications. The combination of C++ and CodeBase++ offers high-level database management capabilities, speed, low memory requirements, portability, flexibility, and the advantages of a low-level programming language.
Ray Storer, an independent developer from Fort Knox, Ky., said, "the functions are really powerful and straightforward. Take the function DATAMEMO, for example: You execute it, and it does everything for you. It opens up buffers and the database, memo, and index files. You just need to manipulate the data."
Codebase++ can be shipped royalty free with any application; price is $295. Reader service no. 30.
Sequiter Software Inc. #209, 9644-54 Ave. Edmonton, Alberta T6E 5V1 Canada 403-448-0313
Embedded DOS is the new MS-DOS-compatible operating system from General Software. Originally developed for desktop use, it was revamped to satisfy the demands of embedded systems developers. It provides the full functionality of MS-DOS 3.31 with a ruggedized, real-time implementation essential for embedded applications.
An "adaptation kit" allows you to combine and customize the DOS components to meet the requirements of your embedded environment; it also includes a special version of the DOS kernel that supports symbolic debugging during system development. Source code is provided for all the base device drivers, COMMAND.COM, and utility programs.
Developer kits cost $495; royalties are based on volume commitments ($2-6 per copy). Reader service no. 31.
General Software P.O. Box 2571 Redmond, WA 98073 206-391-4285
Copyright © 1991, Dr. Dobb's Journal