Uniface Development

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		Model-driven			The Uniface Component Editor
		Uniface Application Model			Uniface Components
		Templates			Version Control
		Component-based Development			Help
		The Uniface Development Environment			Online Resources
		Powerful Procedural Code

Model-driven

The core of the Uniface development architecture is Model Driven Architecture. The Uniface Application Model is a centrally stored, relational repository containing all of the definitions of a Uniface application. Uniface offers a team development environment, with all developers accessing the same repository and sharing the application source.

Uniface Application Model

The Application Model in Uniface is a thorough description of an application, containing practical definitions such as the user interface requirements, the data model (structure) and business rules (behavior).

The Application Model contains the definitions of the field and entity attributes used by Uniface components. The more that is defined in the Application Model, the less work developers need to do later when constructing components.

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Templates

Templates further enhance the productivity of application development by providing a common foundation for constructing Uniface components. As skeleton components with all definitions and properties already defined, templates are stored in the Uniface repository and therefore are accessible by all developers to use as the basis for the development of their tasks.

They can also enforce development standards for application "look-and-feel," functionality and usability.

The object-based inheritance of the Uniface repository enables the rapid implementation of any changes to be incorporated into the relevant Uniface components. This makes the inevitable application changes more acceptable for business.

Component-based Development

The Component-based Development (CBD) methodology is the development and deployment of individual components as an entire application, with the functionality of components being reused throughout the application.

A component could be an individual piece of business logic.  An example of a component is the execution of a credit check that could be used by several parts of the application—in the customer-facing web application, the customer service department for processing returns or the accounts department. Using the same component in several parts of the application saves time in development, deployment and maintenance because there is no redundancy within the application.

The added benefit for CBD with Uniface is the ability to use components for a vast array of technologies, making the reuse of components from other legacy applications or the integration with emerging technologies a viable, flexible option. For example, an existing COBOL application that calculates insurance premiums could be reused in a new Uniface application by having components access the legacy COBOL component. Reusing existing application logic within a new application will save development time and costs.

The Uniface Development Environment

The Uniface Development Environment (UDE) provides the ability to develop Uniface Forms, Services, Reports and Server Pages in a visual development environment called the paint tableau. 

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Powerful Procedural Code

The UDE has a customizable editor that helps developers create logic using Uniface procedural code.

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The Uniface Component Editor

Uniface procedural code is stored in triggers which are fired or executed from user events. For example, pressing a command button or moving from one database to another fires a trigger, which activates the procedural code.

Procedural code is a powerful development language that enables rapid and easy programming using statements and functions. A particularly impressive piece of functionality is the ability to translate procedural code into database DML (data manipulation language). Developers no longer need to consider what database the application could be deployed on.

The Structure Window provides a visual representation of objects painted in the form tableau, enabling fast and easy navigation while enhancing usability and productivity.

Shortcuts provide fast access to often-used developer actions.

Uniface Components

Uniface applications are built from five types of Uniface components:

Forms are interactive screens with a user interface to allow the user to view and edit data, and update the database. Forms are deployed in client/server, character-mode or thin client. 

Services

Services are Uniface application components designed to handle the processes of a Uniface application. Services do not have a user interface, however, they have a data structure, which exploits the relationships between the entities in the service and allows developers to update the databases.

Uniface Services

Uniface Services can be separated into Session and Entity services to provide optimal scalability through application partitioning. Session services execute business logic, while Entity services provide data source connectivity.

Uniface Server Pages

Uniface Server Pages are dedicated Uniface components for web deployment. The Uniface development environment allows developers to develop components as web forms and generate HTML.

Reports

Reports are application objects for printing purposes. Reports are not interactive, as they are never displayed on the screen and have no user interface. They have a data structure that exploits the relationships between the entities contained in the model, and have a visual layout that determines the appearance of the printed output. Reports cannot update the database.

Version Control

The UDE has a connection compliant to the Source Code Common Interface (SCCI), enabling development teams to use the version and source control tools in the marketplace that adhere to this standard from project to project.

Help

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The UDE has a context-sensitive help, enabling a developer to look for assistance related to his or her current actions at the press of a button.

Online Resources

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Frontline Support Portal

The Frontline Support Portal is an online information medium for developers to use to access the latest information on the Internet. 

Uniface Library

The Uniface Library is a live database containing up-to-the-minute documentation.

Uniface @cademy

The Uniface @cademy is an online training facility.

The Community

The Community is an online resource to connect Uniface developers with each other across the world. Frontline provides technical support information including online call tracking.