Features

The DataWindow Web control for ActiveX is a fully interactive DataWindow control for use with Microsoft Internet Explorer that implements all features of the PowerBuilder DataWindow except rich text.

The DataWindow Web control supports data retrieval with retrieval arguments and data update. You can use edit styles, display formats, and validation rules. Most of the PowerBuilder methods for manipulating the DataWindow are available, including Modify for changing DataWindow object properties. Several functions that involve file system interactions, such as SaveAs and SaveAsAscii, are not supported, allowing the Web control to be in the safely scriptable category of ActiveX controls.

Included with the DataWindow Web control is the DataWindow Transaction Object control for making database connections that can be shared by several DataWindow Web controls.

Browser support The DataWindow Web control and Transaction Object control are designed to work in Microsoft Internet Explorer 3 and 4, which support ActiveX controls.

The DataWindow controls are not designed to work in Netscape browsers, which do not support ActiveX controls. Even if you use third-party plugins to enable ActiveX support, scripting for the control works differently and is not tested.

Development environment

When you install PowerBuilder, the Setup program registers the Web control and the Transaction Object control in the Windows registry.

In PowerSite, you can develop web pages that use the Web control and Transaction Object control. You can examine the properties, events, and methods of the controls in the System Tree. In the editor, you can insert the control, set property values using the custom property dialog box, and write event scripts in the script editor.

For more information, see "How to use the DataWindow Web control in PowerSite".

In PowerBuilder, you can examine the properties, events, and methods of the control in the Object Browser on the OLE tab.

In addition to the PowerSite editor, you can use any text editor to write HTML for the controls. However, other development environments are not supported and do not provide any advanced authoring support.

For information about the required HTML, see "HTML for inserting the controls on a web page".

DataWindow objects

The DataWindow Web control uses a DataWindow object, which determines what data is retrieved and how it is displayed. The Web control can also display Powersoft reports (PSRs), which don't need to retrieve data.

A DataWindow object for the Web control can have any presentation style except RichText.

DataWindow objects are stored in PowerBuilder libraries (PBLs) or PowerBuilder dynamic libraries (PBDs). The DataWindow libraries are stored on the web server and downloaded as needed by the Internet Explorer browser. You use a URL to point to the library. It can be relative or absolute, using any supported protocol—for example, http, ftp, or file.

For more information, see "DataWindow objects for the DataWindow Web control".

Database connections

The Web control uses JDBC for database connectivity. Users can connect to a data source on any server to which they have access, including databases and middle-tier servers on the Internet.

You can use internal transaction properties for specifying a connection; or you can make the connection with a separate Transaction object, the DataWindow Transaction Object control. When you connect this way, you can control when SQL COMMIT and ROLLBACK statements occur and you can use the same connection for multiple DataWindow Web controls.

For more information, see "Using the DataWindow Transaction Object control".

Scripting

Since the DataWindow Web control is designed for Internet Explorer, the scripting language you use will be Jscript or another ECMAScript-compatible scripting language supported by Internet Explorer.

In general, you can use the same methods as in a PowerBuilder application. However, there are a few differences:

• Data types are mapped to the basic JavaScript types of string, number, boolean, and various object types
• ECMAScript languages do not support arguments passed by reference; so instead of checking the value of a reference argument, you call a separate method to retrieve the value
• Enumerated data types are not supported; instead, specify the integer that corresponds to the enumerated data value

For more information, see "Coding for the DataWindow Web control".

Events

The Web control supports the same events as PowerBuilder, with these differences:

• Event names are different to conform to Web conventions
• Events in ECMAScript languages do not have return values; instead you can call SetActionCode to affect the outcome of an event

Deployment

The Web control is provided as a CAB file, which allows the browser to install and register the controls. When the user downloads a web page that refers to the CAB file, the browser also downloads the CAB file if necessary, unpacks it, and registers the control.

For more information, see "Deploying the DataWindow Web control".