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CapeSoft NetTalk

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Please Note: NetTalk 14 requires CapeSoft Reflection,  StringTheory 3 , jFiles 3 and Clarion 8 or Higher.

Some functions require other products. See Requirements.



The ideal learning book

Developing Web Applications With NetTalk

4th Edition - Now Available.


Introduction

NetTalk is a TCP/IP communications library for Clarion. It allows your program to interact with other programs over TCP/IP. Both IPv4 and IPv6 are supported.

It doesn't matter what language the other side is written in - the programs you are talking to may also be written in Clarion, but can be written in some other language.

NetTalk provides a huge amount of functionality, built on top of this basic TCP/IP layer which allows you to easily make use of many common network systems and protocols.

As NetTalk has grown over the years it has become desirable to segment it into multiple parts to allow ir to be cheaper for those developers only wanting to make use of some basic functionality. To this end there are three NetTalk Levels - NetTalk Desktop, NetTalk Server and NetTalk Apps. Each of these three is discussed in more detail below.

It is easy to move from one level of NetTalk to the next with no financial penalty - For comparative pricing see Cost.

NetTalk Desktop

This level of NetTalk contains all the basic functionality which your Windows Desktop program will need.
This includes all the NetAuto functionality, like NetRefresh and NetAutoClose, NetSimple (server and client) plus classes for SMTP/POP3/IMAP Email, FTP, HTTP and HTTPS WebClient classes and so on.
It also includes LDAP, Active Directory, Desktop Maps, OAuth Client and more.

Please note that NetTalk Desktop requires Reflection, StringTheory 3,  jFiles 3 and others for full functionality. See Requirements.

NetTalk Server

NetTalk Server includes all the functionality of NetTalk Desktop but also includes classes and templates for generating highly interactive web applications and/or Web Service API Servers.

Web API Servers (aka Web Services) allow desktop programs from yourself, or anyone else (in any language) to access your data, through a clearly defined interface that you create. Unlike web apps (for which there is a reasonably steep learning curve), creating web services is easy and can be done with very little effort. A typical "newbie" program can have a server written and deployed within a few days.
This part of NetTalk allows you to create SOAP and/or REST servers which have a very "industry standard" interface which programmers in any language will understand. It generates its own documentation and testing procedures.

Web Applications allow you to extend the reach of your systems so that any user with a browser can interact with your data. It is not a "one click" conversion of your existing Clarion desktop program - rather it requires that you develop a new app file. However lots of code from your existing desktop program can be reused, including source procedures, reports, processes and so on.

While building web applications with NetTalk Server requires an investment from a learning and development point of view, the payoff comes in the form of a highly scaleable web app with exceptionally easy deployment. The app created is based on internet standards and allow you all the control, speed and power of an interactive web application.

Please note that NetTalk Server requires Reflection, StringTheory 3,  jFiles 3 and others for full functionality. See Requirements.

NetTalk Apps

NetTalk Apps is the newest NetTalk level and includes all the functionality in NetTalk Desktop and NetTalk Server. In addition it includes the necessary templates, classes and JavaScript to allow you to create completely stand-along JavaScript applications. These applications can be packaged (without a server) into apps that can be deployed onto any device and which in turn can then run disconnected from the internet on that device.

NetTalk apps are written with the exact same template set as NetTalk Server apps so existing code and existing skills can be leveraged.

Most disconnected apps need to synchronize their data with an external server. NetTalk Apps include this functionality as standard and can synchronize with a NetTalk Server app with no effort at all. When disconnected from the network the Apps are able to store data locally until the connection is re-established.

Please note that NetTalk Apps requires Reflection, StringTheory 3,  jFiles 3  and others for full functionality. See Requirements..

NetTalk Wizard

The NetTalk Wizard is included with both NetTalk Server and NetTalk Apps editions. This wizard allows you to create WebServer apps, Web API apps, Web Sync Apps and Mobile Apps quickly and easily.

Source Code

NetTalk makes use of a small DLL to wrap the WinSock layer, and to provide basic, thread-safe communications functions for the class layer. All the NetTalk classes are shipped as source code as are all the templates. The source code for the DLL is available.

NetTalk Webinars on ClarionLive

There have been a number of NetTalk based sessions on ClarionLive. These are invaluable in introducing you to new NetTalk features as well as to ways of using NetTalk.
Number Title Download
493 Case Study: Creating APIs with NetTalk (John Hickey) file
489 NetTalk 11 Desktop file
488 NetTalk 11 - Server file
487 NetTalk 11 - Apps file
486 NetTalk 11 Official Release file
467 Alexa, Aurdina and NetTalk (Alejandro Elias, Roberto Renz & Dries Driessen) file
466 Creating WebServiecs in SQL Script.It file
459 Consuming Web APIs file
455 Disconnected Apps / Synchronizing Data (with John Hickey) file
451 Desktop Mapping file
429 WebHooks (Mark Riffey) file
424 NetTalk 10 Release Webinar (Server Level) file
422 NetTalk 10 Release Webinar (Desktop Level) file
417 Using IIS and Nettalk on the same port via an IIS Reverse Proxy (by Dries Driessen) file
405 Aquiring a Domain SSL Certificate (by Roberto Renz) file
396 Building a TS Plus Load Balancer using NetTalk (by Dries Driessen) file
379 Database Design for Distributed Systems file
363 Creating a Virtual Machine at Amazon Web Services for hosting Server Software file
344 NetTalk 9 - Server Level - New Features file
339 NetTalk 9 Launch file
304 API's Part 3 : Using JSON - jFiles release webinar file
302 APIs Part 2 : REST services file
300 API's part 1 : Creating Web Services in Clarion file
255 Creating Web-Services Servers with NetTalk 8 and xFiles file
253 NetTalk 8 Launch file
221 NetTalk Layout - including Header, Form, Popups, Content Body and so on file
217 Using CSS in a NetTalk program - How to do Visual design? file
187 NetTalk 7 Launch file
171 Web Forums Source Code file
149 NetTalk 6 update (From Wales) file
135 NetTalk 6 launch - What's New file
133 Secwin 6 (including using Secwin in a NetTalk Web Server project) file
97 How to apply CSS to a Net Web Server application file
93 Using Calendars and Schedules in NetTalk Web Server file
92 Using NetTalk & xFiles to do SOAP (by Ben Dell) file
65 NetTalk 5 update (After CLDC 2010 announcement) file
48 NetTalk Web Client (including SOAP) file
35 NetTalk 5 Launch file
2 NetTalk 4 file
ClarionLive Webinar number 2 introduced the Web Server approach used by NetTalk.  Webinar number 35 took this further showing the differences between NetTalk 4 and NetTalk 5. If you're unsure about NetTalk for creating web servers, then we recommend you download and watch the webinars. There is no charge for this. The ClarionLive downloads page is here.

The best approach to watching webinars is to download them, then play them in the free VLC media player. This allows you to pause, go back, jump forward and so on.

Additional Resources

NetTalk ships with literally hundreds of examples and hundreds of pages of documentation.

In addition to these materials the following resources are also available;
Resource Description
NetTalk User Group Webinars Held weekly, these webinars are a great place to ask questions, see demos, and generally become more proficient across all levels of NetTalk. Registrations are free. All webinars are recorded, show notes are created, and are available for download from the User Group page.
www.NetTalkCentral.com The primary forums for the NetTalk community. Registration is free, but you will need to send an email to support@capesoft.com to get your account activated.
Developing Web Applications with NetTalk (4th edition) Focused at the NetTalk Server Level this book (supplied as a PDF) is a tutorial which leads you through creating a Web application. An excellent resource for beginners to rapidly assimilate the knowledge they will need to get to grips with the web as a platform. ($199)
Training Workshops Recordings (CIDC 2013 Orlando) A companion to the book these live recordings work through the material in the book demonstrating the techniques and processes. ($499 including the book.)
Training Recordings
(CIDC 2015 Orlando)		  Onsite and Online Attendees at the event get these for free.
Training Recordings
(CIDC 2017 Orlando)		  Onsite and Online Attendees at the event get these for free.
Training Recordings
(CIDC 2019 Orlando)		  Onsite and Online Attendees at the event get these for free.

Upgrading to NetTalk 14

New Requirement: jFiles 3 is now a Requirement for NetTalk (all levels.)  This in turns requires CapeSoft Reflection (which is free).
New Requirement: If you are using xFiles, then you need to be on xFiles 4.

It is recommended you read Upgrading to NetTalk 14.

If upgrading from earlier versions then consult the appropriate upgrade documentation for each major release since the release you are using. (See here for a list of available documents)

The Cost of the upgrades are covered below.

NOTE: NetTalk uses many of the latest methods and functions in the following products. If you are using these then please update them at the same time.
StringTheory 3, CapeSoft Reflection, xFiles 4, jFiles 3, WinEvent 5, Draw 4,, File Explorer 5 / Chrome Explorer


NetTalk Server / Secwin Support

NetTalk Server (aka Web apps) has long had Secwin integration. However Secwin has undergone a major change with Secwin 7. Therefore please note;

NetTalk 11 Web Server / Apps and earlier is compatible with Secwin 6. It is not compatible with Secwin 7.

NetTalk 12 Web Server / Apps and later is compatible with Secwin 7 and Later. It is not compatible with Secwin 6.

This notice applies to Secwin in Server applications. NetTalk 11, NetTalk 12 or NetTalk 14 can be used with Secwin 7 or Secwin 6 in Desktop applications.

What the Users Say...

Compatible With

Clarion 8 Yes
Clarion 9 Yes
Clarion 10 Yes
Clarion 11 Yes
Clarion Templates Yes
ABC Templates Yes
Local Mode Yes
DLL Mode Yes
Multi DLL Yes

Requirements

NetTalk makes use of a number of other CapeSoft classes for specific tasks. Understanding these requirements, most of which are related to one or more specific features can be confusing. This section explains what is needed, and when.

StringTheory 3 is required by all levels and is not optional. (On special during the NetTalk 14 release).

jFiles 3 is required by all levels and is not optional.

CapeSoft Reflection is required by jFiles and is not optional (but it is free).

xFiles 4 is not required by Server Level, but so much functionality depends on it that you may as well treat it as required if using Server or Apps level.

NOTE: NetTalk uses many of the latest methods and functions in the following products. If you are using these then please update them at the same time.  StringTheory 3, CapeSoft Reflection, jFiles 3 , xFiles 4, WinEvent 5, Draw 4, File Explorer 5, Chrome Explorer

Feature Level Product Required
All All StringTheory 3 (required)
All All JFiles 3 (required)
All All CapeSoft Reflection (required)
     
Email Signing Desktop Cryptonite  (required)
OAuth Desktop  Chrome Explorer (Recommended).  Some services (primarily Google) force logins via and external browser, and do not allowed logins from any embedded HTML control. All services allow login via an External Browser, so Chrome Explorer is not an absolute requirement.
NetDrive Desktop See OAuth above.
Maps Desktop Draw  (Required)
WinEvent 5 (Recommended)
xFiles 4 (Recommended)
     
Server API Methods Server xFiles 4 (Required)
Send-To Excel button Server xFiles 4 (Required)
PHP-CGI support Server OddJob (required) [PHP-CGI support is deprecated, and no longer maintained]
Run Server as Windows Service Server SelfService - WinEvent 5 (required)
 

Documentation & Support

Documentation for NetTalk 14 is available here.

Go here for further support.

Cost

 All levels of NetTalk require CapeSoft Reflection, StringTheory 3 and jFiles 3. Some features in NetTalk require other products. See Requirements.

It is possible to upgrade from NetTalk Desktop to the full NetTalk at any time by paying the difference in price. ie There is no gain, or disadvantage, to purchasing NetTalk Desktop first, and then updating to NetTalk Server later on.

NetTalk Desktop

Some features in NetTalk Desktop require other products. See Requirements.
New License $399   Order Now
Upgrade $299   Order Now

NetTalk Server (includes NetTalk Desktop)

Some features in NetTalk Server require other products. See Requirements.
New License $999   Order Now
Upgrade $499   Order Now

NetTalk Apps (Includes NetTalk Server & NetTalk Desktop)

Some features in NetTalk Apps require other products. See Requirements.
New License $1399  Order Now
Upgrade $599  Order Now

Changing Level from NetTalk 12 or NetTalk 11 or NetTalk 10 or NetTalk 9

Upgrade from Desktop to Server 14 $699  Order Now
Upgrade from Server to Apps 14 $799  Order Now
Upgrade from Desktop to Apps 14 $999  Order Now

Changing Level from NetTalk 14

Upgrade from Desktop 14 to Server 14 $599   Order Now
Upgrade from Desktop 14 to Apps 14 $999   Order Now
Upgrade from Server 14 to Apps 14 $399  Order Now

Refund Policy

CapeSoft believes that if you aren't satisfied with our products, we would like them back - and we will refund you the money. This allows you to purchase our products with confidence. You can read our full refund policy here.

Acknowledgements

Our thanks go to all the developers who have contributed to code to the NetTalk project over the years. While thanking individuals is dangerous because omissions easily occur, a special thanks go to Donald Ridley, Dries Driessen, Geoff Robinson and Brahn Partridge for their assistance.

NetTalk includes software developed by the OpenSSL Project for use in the OpenSSL Toolkit. This code is Copyright (c) 1998-2019 by The OpenSSL Project. All rights reserved. It is included here under the terms of their license.
OpenSSL includes cryptographic software written by Eric Young of Cryptsoft.

This product includes code developed by the jQuery Project and is included here under the terms of the MIT license.

The jQuery Media and jQuery Form plugins are Copyright by M. Alsup and is included here under the terms of the MIT license.
The jCanvas plugin is Copyright by Caleb Evans and is included here under the terms of the MIT license.
The Ad-Gallery plugin is Copyright by Anders Ekdahl and is included here under the terms of the MIT license.
The jQuery File Upload plugin is Copyright by Sebastian Tschan and is included here under the terms of the MIT license.
The Signature Pad plugin is Copyright by Thomas J Bradley and is included here under the terms of the New BSD license.
The FlashCanvas code is Copyright by Tim Cameron Ryan and the FlashCanvar Project. It is included here under the terms of the MIT license.
The json2.js file is written and maintained by Douglas Crockford and is in the public domain.
The QuaggaJs plugin is Copyright by Christoph Oberhofer and is included here under the terms of the MIT License.
The jsQR plugin is Copyright by Cosmo Wolfe and is included here under the terms of the Apache License 2.0

The TinyMCE HTML Editor is copyright by Moxiecode Systems and is included under the terms of the LGPL license.
The Redactor HTML editor is copyright by Imperavi Inc and is included under the terms of their OEM license.
the CKEditor4 HTML Editor is copyright by CKSource Frederico Knabben and is distributed under the terms of the  LGPL.
The Advanced Code Editor (ACE) is copyright by Ajax.Org and is included under the terms of the MPL license.

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