NetTalk WebServer - Upgrade to NetTalk 5
Required Changes
The Footer procedure needs a new style. Current
footers use the 'adiv’ style, this should
be replaced with the ‘nt-width-100 nt-left’
styles.
Hand-Code changes
If you have used specific properties or methods in
embedded code, then you may need to change the code slightly as some of
the properties, and method names have changed.
| Old |
New |
| p_web.site.BrowseHighlightColor |
p_web.Site.Style.BrowseHighlightColor |
| p_web.site.BrowseOverColor |
p_web.Site.Style.BrowseOverColor |
| p_web.site.BrowseOneColor |
p_web.Site.Style.BrowseOneColor |
| p_web.site.BrowseTwoColor |
p_web.Site.Style.BrowseTwoColor |
| loc:default |
loc:default[1] |
| _jsBodyOnLoad |
BodyOnLoad |
NetWebSource Changes
The NetWebSource procedures were not automatically
generating the HTML on the xHTML tab into the web page. The routine
containing the code was generated, but in NetTalk 4 you often needed to
add a line of embed code to call the routine. In NetTalk 5 the routine is
now called by the template, at an appropriate place (as set in the
template setting). This results in the routine being called twice. A
common result of this is seeing two headers, or two footers on a
NetWebPage. The problem is not in the page procedure, but rather in the
header and footer procedures based on NetWebSource. The solution is
simple, check the NetWebSource procedures and remove hand-coded calls to
routines, where a template generated call is now sufficient.
Browse and Form Styling Changes
NetTalk 5 introduces the ability to set the styles for
browses and forms globally. This will have a benefit later on as you
change styles and generally tweak the look of the application to suit your
needs. To maintain backwards compatibility however this change is not done
automatically. In order to make use of the new approach you will need to
visit the CSS Classes tab of each browse and form, and tick off the option
to Override Global Styles. The settings on the CSS Classes tab of
NetWebPage procedures should also be cleared in this way.
Button Styling Changes
To change the buttons from being OS style buttons, to
jQuery buttons, go to the WebServer procedure, NetTalk extension,
Settings, Buttons tab. If you delete all the buttons that are there, they
will be reset with their new default settings. As you delete the buttons
from the top of the list, they are automatically re-added to the bottom of
the list, with the new defaults. You can also turn on Button Sets while
you are here. Button sets push related buttons together. If you have a
custom button in a browse column, or on a form, of type Other, then you
can set the button to be a jQuery button by ticking on the option Use
JavaScript Styled button at the bottom of the button’s Properties tab.
Also remove the 'SmallButton' style from
the button. The style for Other buttons can now be set globally.
Menu Type Changes
A new TaskPanel menu type has been added. The old menu
has been renamed to XP-Panel. If you are using the XP-Panel menu then
consider changing to the new TaskPanel menu. One advantage with the new
menu is that it is ThemeRoller compatible, meaning that it is
automatically styled to match the other ThemeRoller elements on your page.
A new horizontal menu has been added. If you are using the Chrome menu
style then consider changing it to the Double-Drop menu type. The
advantage of the new menu is two-fold; firstly it is ThemeRoller
compatible and secondly it supports multi-level menus.
Tab Type Changes
A new tab type, called just Tab has been added. The
old Tab type has been deprecated and removed. If you are using the XP-Tab
type for forms consider changing to the Tab type. This type has the
advantage of being ThemeRoller compatible.
Busy Styling Changes
The CSS class for the “Busy Image” can now be set in
the WebServer procedure, Settings, Styles, Site tab. The default has
changed from ‘bdiv’ to ‘nt-busy’. If you overrode the bdiv class in your
own styles then set the setting here back to bdiv.
Changes in Preparation for Using
Multi-Host
NetTalk 5 introduces the Multi-Host application which
allows multiple non-secure web sites to share the same IP number and Port
number. This functionality will be discussed in a later chapter in more
detail. One key element, from a code point of view, is that embedded code
in the WebServer procedure will not apply* if the application is compiled
as a DLL and attached to a Host EXE. *There is one exception to this. Code
in the ThisWindow.Init method will apply. For this reason it is
recommended that embedded hand-code in the WebServer procedure be moved,
if possible, into the WebHandler procedure. Some minor internal changes
have been added to make this possible. If you do not makes these changes
nothing bad will happen, however if your application is run as a DLL under
the Host Exe then your embed code simply will not execute but rather the
embed code in the Host exe (if any exists) will be executed. The most
common methods used for embeds used in the WebServer, and their equivalent
methods in the WebHandler are listed below.
| WebServer |
WebHandler |
| _DeleteSession |
DeleteSession |
| MakeErrorPage |
MakeErrorPacket |
Upgrading FAQ
I'm upgrading from NetTalk 3/4/5 - do I need to buy the upgrade?
Answer: Yes. We will
continue building the NetTalk 5 builds for new versions of Clarion for
the foreseeable future, but if you are wanting the features included in
the
NetTalk
6 upgrade kit, you will need to
purchase
the upgrade from ClarionShop.
What must I change in my application when I upgrade from my NetTalk 4
app?
Answer: For all
objects, other than the web server, Nothing. The app should upgrade
smoothly with no required changes. For the changes you may wish to make
to your web server app see here.
What must I do when deploying my upgraded NetTalk 5 web server
application?
Answer: There is no
major difference to deploying a NetTalk 4 or NetTalk 5 web server,
unless you are deploying using the multi-site Host approach. See here
for details.
What new features are in the NetTalk 5 upgrade?
Answer:
- Updated WebClient class for easier interactions with web servers
- Integration of the jQuery client side framework in the web server
- Support for PHP pages in the web server (requires OddJob)
- Included Multi-Site "Host" application which allows multiple web
sites to share the same IP address and port number.
- Hundreds of other web server improvements.
Why is CapeSoft charging the for an upgrade to NetTalk 5?
Answer: As much as we
can we try to keep upgrades free. Charging an upgrade gives us the
resources to pack in a whole lot of extra functionality into a product,
that we would otherwise not be able to do. We are not forcing you to
upgrade - and we will continue supporting and building NetTalk 4 in
future versions of Clarion. If you would rather not pay for the
additional functionality offered in NetTalk 5, you're welcome to
continue using NetTalk 4.
[End of this document]
