Open Source Edition for VDF 8.2
Date: May 19th 2002
by Chris Spencer TUFware Systems
TUFware Systems are pleased to announce the release of the Open Source version of the TUFware Evolution programmers' class library for Visual DataFlex version 8.2.
Until now, TUFware Evolution has been a commercial product. However, following the major policy changes at DataAccess Worldwide (relating to the short cycle of updates of Visual DataFlex), we at TUFware Systems were faced with making a decision.
The resources required to keep up to date with each release of Visual DataFlex were impacting on our ability to allocate sufficient resources to development of applications for our clients. We realized that we had several options:
1. Continue to put resources into developing TUFware Evolution and allow our other business interests to suffer.
2. Cease all further development of the product and let it die a natural death.
3. Make TUFware Evolution freely available to all Visual DataFlex programmers, allowing the product to continue to grow via input from those people who wish to use it.
It is with some reluctance that we have elected to go for the third option.
What is TUFware Evolution?
TUFware Evolution is an add-on class library for Visual DataFlex. It provides many powerful improvements to the basic class library provided with Visual DataFlex, as well as major enhancements. It is targeted at making applications more professional and robust. This is the class library that we use for our own application development. It is constantly growing and evolving. Hence the name.
The list of features is too large to provide here. However, the following is a summary of some of the more popular items:
- A comprehensive security sub-system
- 2-dimensional array class with [row,column] referencing and multi-column sorting
- Greatly improved Grid class with [row,column] referencing (This class alone can save you days of work !).
- Twin-List templates for simplified record selection
- Multi-record selection lists
- Automatic popup calendar for all date fields
- Ability to attach a popup calendar, calculator, file or folder selector to any form or grid column.
- Protection of data fields and parent relationships.
- Simple and advanced keyword generation and search facilities
- Button (and other controls) shadowing (and other formatting) under data dictionary control.
- Ability to setup default parent records for new child records.
- Simplified coding of header-table view structures.
- Simplified drag & drop coding.
- More powerful wizard classes.
Where Do I Get It?
Thanks to the people at VDFGuidance (and in particular Wil Van Antwerpen), a projectpage has been setup, where you may freely download all TUFware Evolution-OS, including all relevant class and demonstration application source, (very) limited help and documentation and a DLL required for some features.
Peer to peer help is available from the following newsgroup:
news://news.mijnwebapp.nl/Evolution
Where Do I Get Support?
As an Open Source product, we expect that much of the support will be provided by the community of TUFware Evolution-OS users using the abovementioned newsgroup. However, TUFware Systems will monitor the VDF Guidance newsgroup as our own time & resources permit. We may provide answers to some questions and make comments where we see fit.
Can I Get Paid Support?
Yes. If you have a problem that the members of the newsgroup are unable to resolve, you may purchase an instance based support contract from TUFware Systems. Please refer to
our website for more details.
Can I Pay for Further Development?
If you require enhancements to be made to TUFware Evolution-OS that none of the members of the newsgroup are able to provide, you may approach TUFware Systems to make these changes for a fee. Note that these changes may also be made available to the rest of the community.
Installation tips, Requirements and Download
Make sure that you read the detailed installation and configuration guidelines that are available in the word document
TUFware Evolution-OS.doc (this file is also available in the first level folder once you unzip the zip file)
You need to have Visual DataFlex 8 in order to use this product!
You can download the file by ftp or http:
Evolution version 8-0-0 FTP-download ~ 2.29 Mb (zipfile)
Evolution version 8-0-0 HTTP-download
Barry Munro has been kind enough to create a new updated version of Evolution.
This version contains all the patches that have been applied to evolution since its initial release.
Evolution version 8-0-1 FTP-download ~ 635 kb (zipfile)
Evolution version 8-0-1 HTTP-download
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