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Alpha5 desktop app on the server

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    Alpha5 desktop app on the server

    Does anyone have experience installing Alpha5 on the server to gain some of the functionality not offered by the WAS?

    Would you just install the developers version or create a desktop app to install on the server?

    I searched this topic but didn't get any matches. If some one has done this please explain how and why? In other words what functionality did you gain by putting Alpha on your server?

    What was it that the desktop could do that the WAS couldn't?
    Is this technique now obsolete?

    Tks
    Bob

    #2
    Re: Alpha5 desktop app on the server

    You can use T/S (Terminal Server, or in 2008R2 Terminal Services) or you can use a WAN (wide area network)

    Both are typically used by remote users. T/S is very fast, but limited in the number of concurrent users. A WAN is very very very slow, unless you have an extraordinarily fast broadband.

    To answer the question 'What can the desktop do the web can't' is a tough question, and really would need you to be a developer who has been around a few years, but the quick answer would be "A LOT."
    Cole Custom Programming - Terrell, Texas
    972 524 8714
    [email protected]

    ____________________
    "A young man who is not liberal has no heart, but an old man who is not conservative has no mind." GB Shaw

    Comment


      #3
      Re: Alpha5 desktop app on the server

      Originally posted by martinwcole View Post
      'What can the desktop do the web can't' is a tough question, and really would need you to be a developer who has been around a few years, but the quick answer would be "A LOT."
      That's so mean! :( You better watch out or Lenny might come after you. ;)
      Peter
      AlphaBase Solutions, LLC

      [email protected]
      https://www.alphabasesolutions.com


      Comment


        #4
        Re: Alpha5 desktop app on the server

        I have a client where I installed the Developer and Unlimited runtime on a Citrix Server.

        The users log on to Citrix and each has their own desktop.
        Multiple users then run payroll and billing on Citrix.
        They do not have Alpha installed on their computers.

        They are almost 1000 miles away and it worksjust as if they were running it on their own computers.

        I am 500 miles away and I do all of the developing work on the Citrix.
        I have had no problems for over 2 years.

        Charlie Crimmel

        Comment


          #5
          Re: Alpha5 desktop app on the server

          I was thinking more along the lines of xbasic functions and scripts and use of the email client on the server interacting with the WAS via the browser and email.

          Using a remote connection and a desktop app sounds interesting.
          I use to do that with PC anywhere before the cloud rolled in.

          Anyone else have an example of utilizing the a5 developer on a server in conjunction with the WAS?

          Tks
          Bob

          Comment


            #6
            Re: Alpha5 desktop app on the server

            Bob,

            We don't run WAS, but we do run many "Batch" type jobs on the server. Many times during the day, when users are on the system, we are not able to do clean-up or massive post operations. We schedule jobs to run at specified times during the night and on weekends for this purpose. It has really been a great help. If you design the "Batch" app correctly, it can (and should) run completely unattended.

            Tom

            Comment


              #7
              Re: Alpha5 desktop app on the server

              Tom, have yall moved to 2008R2, yet. My IT guy and I cannot get programs to run using the Task Manager - they run fine when run manually, but they start and then stop under the TaskManager - can't figure out what setting is blocking us.
              Cole Custom Programming - Terrell, Texas
              972 524 8714
              [email protected]

              ____________________
              "A young man who is not liberal has no heart, but an old man who is not conservative has no mind." GB Shaw

              Comment


                #8
                Re: Alpha5 desktop app on the server

                Bob, I'm not sure on this, but my intuition is that you don't need to open the program as a desktop app; you need to learn how to use xbasic in the WAS - however, since the real WAS pros are in the WAS forum, I would pose this question there.
                Cole Custom Programming - Terrell, Texas
                972 524 8714
                [email protected]

                ____________________
                "A young man who is not liberal has no heart, but an old man who is not conservative has no mind." GB Shaw

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: Alpha5 desktop app on the server

                  No. Our v10 system is server 2003.

                  Our v5 server is NT4.x !!!

                  Tom

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: Alpha5 desktop app on the server

                    Well ... not much help. 2008 is pretty kool, but it is much much much more complicated to setup. One greate improvement with the new T/S is that the remote user's default printer IS the default printer for the remote user. Great improvement over T/S 2003.
                    Cole Custom Programming - Terrell, Texas
                    972 524 8714
                    [email protected]

                    ____________________
                    "A young man who is not liberal has no heart, but an old man who is not conservative has no mind." GB Shaw

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: Alpha5 desktop app on the server

                      Thanks Martin,

                      I did send it around the horn on the app server forum. It was there that I learned that installing the desktop on the WAS might add some functionality.

                      Trying to develop email scripts on the WAS raised these questions. I'm trying to understand both environments a little better.

                      A diagram or flow chart would help if one exists.
                      Tks
                      Bob

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: Alpha5 desktop app on the server

                        I am not a web developer, but my intuition is that this is NOT the way to go.

                        The WAS should have email capability, and user's addresses could be kept in a table.
                        Cole Custom Programming - Terrell, Texas
                        972 524 8714
                        [email protected]

                        ____________________
                        "A young man who is not liberal has no heart, but an old man who is not conservative has no mind." GB Shaw

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: Alpha5 desktop app on the server

                          Originally posted by martinwcole View Post
                          I am not a web developer, but my intuition is that this is NOT the way to go.

                          The WAS should have email capability, and user's addresses could be kept in a table.
                          I think .NET in Alpha will change this in near future.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            To Rest

                            Thanks you for your help. Sometimes it is difficult to get a birds eye view of Alpha or a clear answer. Let me just put one thing to rest if some one has a yes or no answer.

                            If I create a script with the email Genie does it exist on the WAS and can it be used, "as is,"assuming the associated database is present?

                            I guess many would say, "Try it Bob." So in the mean time I will and if some one doesn't beat me to the punch I will get back to, "youall!"

                            Tks
                            Bob

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: Alpha5 desktop app on the server

                              The WAS is the WAS and the Desktop is the Desktop. Only the guy "sitting at the computer" can see the Desktop version. Anyone accessing your WAS application via the internet has absolutely no access to your Desktop application. ("Sitting at the computer" is a vague term today because of remote access and T/S situations but hopefully you understand the implication.)

                              HOWEVER, that doesn't mean that you can't create scripts and functions (see note at the end) in your desktop app and use them in your WAS application. (From here on "scripts" refers to "scripts and functions".) As long as your desktop scripts don't try to run "user interface" actions such as showing message boxes, opening forms, etc., most things can be used on the WAS.

                              However, e-mail does get rather tricky. You can use the WAS to send e-mail but only from whomever you set it to be from. This may sound rather odd but I had one potential customer who wanted to set it up so that anybody who logged in from anywhere on the internet could send e-mail as though it was from that person's own e-mail address and they wanted it so show up in that person's 'sent' mailbox if possible. As far as I know, there is no reasonable way to do that and I don't think anyone will be working on it soon.

                              I'd have to do some digging to find out how I send e-mail from the WAS but it probably wouldn't do you a lot of good because all my WAS work has been hard coded so far so. (I've only developed a couple significant WAS apps and one was started before any web components existed and both require displaying at least 500 lines on one page - something web components can't do. At least I don't think they can yet. Previous versions went 'tilt' at 50-100 lines. My oldest web app is sometimes used to show over 5000 lines on one page.)

                              As far as how to use the scripts that were created on the desktop, there are a number or ways and they are detailed in the Help files. Basically you can save the necessary scripts in the web page they are used in, you can save all of them on one web page and include that web page in your other pages, and you can create an aex file that the WAS can load. (try searching on "was aex" for a starter) Oops! I almost forgot - I'm guessing there must be some way to include them in web components but, as already noted, I haven't used them much other than to play around a bit as a learning experience.

                              In another vein, it is possible for a desktop application that runs on the same server as the WAS to access the same data as the WAS and manipulate it via regular desktop forms, etc. Although I haven't done it, I believe this makes sense for some applications such as an on-line ordering system. In that case, the customer's on-line orders could be handled via the desktop application where it might be easier to set up the necessary in-house features and the on-line users would be able to see status changes in real time - no waiting for you to download orders then upload status.

                              EDIT: Actually, I'm not sure you can run a regular script in the WAS. I know you can call functions but I don't think I've ever tried a "script_play()" in the WAS and don't think I've ever seen any reference to doing that. Anyone know for sure?

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