R:BASE Conferences

A Few Highlights from Day Two Post-Conference Super Advanced R:BASE v9 eXtreme Class:

2009-10-21T20:19:00.003-04:00

New system variables: You could previously get this information using code but now there are system variables to instantly provide record number, record count, record number and count, record number and count with description, R:BASE version and Build and more.
New Link Label: You can make easy hyperlinks in forms - a URL Link which includes a tab for HTML language
New Auto Hint feature which shows the hint within the Status Bar position instead of a balloon.
51 Snazzy New Themes
New Advanced Rich Text Control object - built in advanced RTF word processing software which can be used for mail merge or reports.
New Enhanced Table Designer with help visible on every click.
Cross Tab Report Features: You can add custom titles in cross tab reports by right clicking. You can also draw horizontal and vertical lines and add color.

Razzak also demonstrated a solution to provide rotated variable text on labels using the caption property command. Very slick!

Thank you Razzak and John for all your hard work to provide a great post-conference super advanced R:BASE extreme v9 class. All the cool new features and tricks we learned will make our databases shine.

A Few Highlights of Day One Post-Conference Super Advanced R:BASE v9 eXtreme Class:

2009-10-19T22:11:00.006-04:00

Best way to upgrade a database to version 9 is to unload the database using the old version software (after verifying no issues) then reload with version 9 software.
Component IDs on forms are automatically assigned to each new form object. You can edit the component ID if you prefer a different name.
Renaming forms/reports three ways: Use two slow clicks like Windows, press F2 key or right click to rename
Highlight all forms in forms window (Control-A) and compress or assign THEMENAME to all forms at once.
Hover mouse over custom form action to see code in a hint window
In 64 bit version of version 9 R:BASE you can sort forms by form edited date which makes it easy to find a form you just edited.
New form object - DB slider to adjust numeric values
Object Inspector is now integrated into regular R:BASE (don't need Enterprise Edition any more)
New drop down box on Object properties is a short cut to get to later tabs that you would normally have to scroll to see.
Reports now have 2D and matrix (PDF417) bar codes included at no additional cost. (Razzak tried to take that one back after he saw how popular it was but we held him to it!)
Background color mapping in Enhanced DBGRID highlights rows based on column values (ie - red background needs attention). You can use multiple colors to indicate multiple conditions including null. The color can be placed in a different column - not just the column with the specified value.
Undocumented Feature in Enhanced DBGRID - PROPERTY TABLE tablename 'CLOSE' or 'OPEN' is just like SAVE ROW used with PROPERTY TABLE 'REFRESH'. However this will also cause the grid to re-open maintaining any sort or conditions that were set when it was opened.

Cascading List Views in Forms

2009-10-18T13:55:00.001-04:00

Razzak showed a technique using a series of Variable List View controls in a single variable form. Each did a lookup, and the second and third each had a variable in its WHERE clause that refered to the variable set by a click in the earlier list view.

It created a drill-down interface, with a performance advantage over using DB Grids or other DB controls: None of the three tables involved was ever locked by a user (unless and until a double-click brought up an edit form).

That technique can be used in 7.6 or 8.0, also. But Razzak went on to show many new features of eXtreme 9.0. For example, more EEPs are possible, and it is easier to get to the EEP you want to edit. You can make the form "scroll up" like a window shade to gain screen real estate, or to hide private information when somebody walks up behind you.

2009 Project Bundle Up

2009-10-18T13:21:00.004-04:00

For the first time ever we had a live auction. Much to the chagrin of Jan Johansen, he became the auctioneer. Many even followed his suggestion of bringing alcohol to be auctioned. The list of items included a suncatcher, vodka, many bottles of wine, power supply, and others. Over $360 for Project Bundle Up at the auction.

Curently as this moment we have collected approximately $1450 for Project Bundle Up. For many of you who couldn't make it to the conference, you can send a check to Donna Memon at R:BASE Technologies. Please write the check in order of "Project Bundle Up" or "Salvation Army".

Bill Downall receives the "Life Time Achievement Award"

2009-10-18T12:44:00.005-04:00

Bill, to much of his surprise and delight, last night was awarded the RBTI “ Life Time Achievement Award”.

Bill received this awarded and is so busy “Blogging” that he has left himself out of this announcement. To be honest between his takings of notes, being one of two MCs’ and keeping us all up to date on this Blog it is an award WELL deserved, among all the other day by day items.

You can view these awards and other activities by following this link as well as viewing them on one of Bill’s earlier posts today.

http://picasaweb.google.com/RBASE10thYear

Thank you,
RBang

Custom Images on Form

2009-10-18T11:30:00.001-04:00

The artistic John Minyo showed how to design (or find) custom bitmap images, and use them on radio buttons, checkboxes, speedbutton, or other controls. The custom images are files that store multiple images, all the same size, which represent the different states of a control: enabled, disabled, checked, selected, etc. Each image within the custom image file is a glyph.

He also showed how, in 9.0, to use these custom images in the Glyph/layout settings for the controls, to set which image goes with each state of the control. The halloween themed skeleton heads and pumpkins on speed buttons were a special highlight.

Documenting the Undocumented

2009-10-18T10:02:00.003-04:00

Razzak showed what he described as 12 percent of the undocumented features of R:BASE eXtreme 9.0.

Magnifying glass to zoom in on small, hard to read things (Ctrl-Alt-M)
PROPERTY REPORT CANCEL 'TRUE'
Report | Breaks | DESC order
Form Designer | Assign color: click on the title "Background Color" or "Font Color" on the toolbar
In Enhanced DB Grid, set filter type to (None) for fast load, to "Column Values" for drop-down list
Enhanced DB Grid, Hot Keys: Ctrl-F/F3 for Find, Ctrl-L for enhanced Filter dialog, Ctrl-S for show/hide DB Grid Columns
Data Browser | Table | Open | Select Column | right-click, calculate, options include all output options (Printer, text file, PDF, clipboard)
Working with old code w/ PLUGIN commands, *.rbl, *80.rbl, eXtreme 9.0 will recognize and run correct 9.0 version
Migrate your Custom Color defined in 7.6 or V-8 into eXtreme 9.0 (in old version: Settings/Custom Colors/Save to File. In new version, Settings/Custom Colors/Load from File)

Banquet Awards

2009-10-18T09:36:00.003-04:00

First Timers
David Braunschweiger
Masahiro Kawata

Extra Mile
Mashahiro Kawata

Bug Finders Extraordinaire
Bill Downall
Dan Goldberg

Beta Testers
Mike Byerley
Brock Dewey
Paul Dewey
Bill Downall
Dan Goldberg
Gary Wendike

Developer of the Year
Mike Byerley
(Third straight year!)

Developers' Program Changes

2009-10-18T09:21:00.001-04:00

Razzak announced that the R:BASE Technologies program for Authorized Developers will be discontinued at the end of 2009, to be followed by a new program, the details of which are yet to be announced.

R:Base is now Peachy!

2009-10-18T09:11:00.001-04:00

Alexsey Chuyasov demonstrated the next integration facility, beyond what was not in the last year or two for QuickBooks. This is R:Accounting for Peachtree, a plugin interface that allows R:BASE to suck data out of Peachtree, or even for R:BASE to send financial transactions into Peachtree. The user interface is still being refined, but the live demonstration showed R:BASE building a report on data that came out of Peachtree, and separately, data entry into an R:BASE form, and the same transaction with details posted into the Peachtree.

R:Mail Delivers

2009-10-18T08:51:00.000-04:00

John showed extensive improvements in the ease of use of R:Mail 9.0, through the R:Mail Editor's Advanced Rich View Editor. Now a database-driven automated email is easy to make look pretty, with a fully GUI editor that formats your message in HTML. Save the template, and your R:Mail plugin commands can reference the template, saving dozens of lines of code and making the message much easier to edit in the future. R:Mail 9.0 thus becomes much more accessible and useful for the end-user.

R:Charts 9.0

2009-10-18T08:39:00.000-04:00

John Minyo walked us through the interface for creating a wide variety of good looking charts from table data. The examples used financial data, and the variations in graph type and styling options were seemingly limitless.

Most awesome: he demonstrated a chart that appears to scroll real-time data (like the Task Manager "performance" tab), by reiterating the plugin call in a timed loop, as rows were being inserted or deleted from the underlying table.

Enhanced DB Grid

2009-10-17T15:31:00.000-04:00

Razzak showed off many cool features of the new-in-9.0 Enhanced DB Grid.

Allow your users to search for/isolate any rows in the DB Grid with a filter bar at the top.
Allow users hot-keys for advanced changes to the layout and to advanced search criteria.
Preserve a set of selected rows in the grid, through other clicks and actions, until the user changes the selections.
Put look-up messages in balloons over data as the mouse hovers over those cells.

He also showed a live example of a government agency application that combined features of R:BASE eXtreme 9.0, R:Magellan 9.0, R:Mail 9.0, and R:SFTP Client 9.0, to do things like plot and display travel routes, retrieve huge files from distant FTP servers, and load their data into a database, and easy-to-use drag-and-drop user interfaces.

Product Showcase and Highlights

2009-10-17T13:45:00.002-04:00

In a whirlwind tour of eXtreme 9.0 add-ons, Razzak explained that many of these will be built in -- embedded right within the RBASE code, and can be activated by simply buying a license.

R:PDF Form Filler was one new product, that enables you to link R:BASE tables and columns directly to the data entry fields on a PDF form. You can pre-fill the PDF form from R:BASE.

R:BASE Total Backup enables you to schedule complete (UNLOAD) backups of multiple databases. It can backup 7.6, 8.0, and 9.0 eXtreme databases.

R:Compiler 9.0 features some improvements for performance and for security. You can choose to include form and report definitions right within the compiled EXE file, rather than in the database. This can help minimize data that has to travel back and forth between workstation and server, and can also protect your EEP commands from examination and alteration by unauthorized individuals.

R:Scope will be able to check integrity of BLOB data for the first time.

Introduction of R:BASE eXtreme 9.0

2009-10-17T09:41:00.002-04:00

What's special about 9.0?

Just a few highlights: (it's hard to keep up when Razzak is showing off things at full speed.)

Enhanced SQL Engine

Now development is all Visual C++

Single-Engine DLL with built-in File I/O Efficiency

Improvement Speed

Database Explorer

Enhanced XP/Vista Theme-Aware user interface

Redesigned toolbars, icons, look and feel of everything

Data Designer

Every ancient SQL command has a GUI implementation

R> Prompt

Improved console and history

Query Builder

much smarter than before

Form Designer and Report Designer

Hundreds of new features and enhancements

Editor and Debugger

better toolbars

integrated spell-check and thesaurus

enhanced R:Style

BLOB Editor

way beyond what you used to have

Output, File Gateway

improved security, encryption, and more

... and lots of other development productivity features

2009 Conference Day 1 Morning Sessions

2009-10-17T09:29:00.000-04:00

Project Bundle-Up cheerleaders Jan Johansen and Tom Eldred introduced a Wizard of Oz theme -- Jan skipped to the front like Dorothy on the Yellow Brick Road, swinging the Langenberger basket that traditionally holds donations. After all, it is the 70th anniversary of the movie The Wizard of Oz, and we all came to Pittsburgh to see the Wizard.

Jan introduced a new feature: the Pre-paid amnesty donation. For a $25 up-front donation, Jan and Tom will forgive a whole bunch of sports or political references, or cell phone noises.

A. Razzak Memon welcomed us all, despite the so-called poor economy. He said he doesn't really believe the economy is that bad. RBTI is grinding out new releases and improvements. Work goes on. They take care of customers. There was only a brief moment last spring when Razzak considered not having a developers' conference this fall, but he decided not to change what works.

So regardless what happens, RBTI will still be there. "We ain't going nowhere."

2009: The 12th R:BASE Conference in 11 years!

2009-09-25T11:29:00.013-04:00

And the main event program for this year is the beta release and even more exciting enhancement's offered in RBASEeXtreme 9.0:

Make sure NOT to miss out on this 2-Day Action Packed Conference. With the kick-off starting Sat at 8:30 AM! till late Sat Night and again starting Sunday at 8:45 AM till 5:00 PM Bring coffee and be ready for both days.

And for all you current beta testers the RBTI Dream Team has spent countless hours preparing us all for a "Knock Your Socks Off Event" a huge Thank You!

I would like to provide a link to helpful information:

RBase Conference Information

Maps to the Conference Center "A direct link to the Marriott"

RBASEeXtreme 9.0 Site and over 109 Reason to Upgrade!

And to pre-order and receive your Exclusive Beta Copy of RBASEeXtreme 9.0

Stay tuned and refresh this page as this event is happening for the latest in information, pictures and Rnews Live. Well almost - Some delays are expected due to current activity at the conference.

Oh! User Privileges never so easy w/V-9 eXtreme

2009-05-12T12:04:00.003-04:00

eXtreme 9.0 Beta is Here

2009-05-08T09:56:00.001-04:00

Merriam-Webster says eXtreme means:

a: existing in a very high degree

b: going to great or exaggerated lengths : radical

c: exceeding the ordinary, usual, or expected

And it's true. Everything is familiar (but much better looking). And everything goes way beyond what you've seen before. We've only seen the unveiling presentation so far, Thursday night, near Indianapolis. Today (Friday, May 8) we start with the hands-on Super-Advanced Training.

I know you're envious that you couldn't be here. From what we've seen so far, you have reason to be. We'll tell you more later.

Moon Duffers

2008-10-20T21:15:00.002-04:00

Five developers spent Monday afternoon at a golf course new to R:BASE conferences. Moon Golf Club, in Moon Township, PA, is virtually adjacent to the Pittsburgh airport. Duey, Dewey, and Dewey (Heffelfinger, Brock, and Paul), played with Steve Sweeney and Bill Downall, who prefer not to be known hereafter as Hughie and Louie.

As with our usual courses in Murrysville and Irwin, PA, Moon was lovely, hilly, short, and inexpensive. Paul took so many pictures that we were afraid Tiger Woods caddy Steve Williams would appear to smash his camera. The weather was perfect. The course was not crowded, so five people playing together didn't disturb anyone. We finished in about three and a half hours, so catching a plane to California was still easy.

Everyone hit some really nice shots. And Duey birdied the first hole.

Capturing a signature from a handheld unit

2008-10-20T11:31:00.000-04:00

Frank Taylor and Karen Tellef: Capturing a signature from a handheld unit and scanning back documents

Frank and Karen demonstrated an application they developed for Araho Transfer that enables the capture of signatures from handheld units. The application uses VB code to perform the actual signature-capture event. The signature is converted into a bitmap file which is stored on a central server.

It took a good bit of research to find the equipment that best fit the needs of the project. They settled on Fujitsu 5650C Scanners along with the bundled software Virtual ReScan by Kofax.

By taking advantage of today’s technology, with R:BASE as the centerpiece, Araho Transfer has made significant strides in their transition to a paperless office. Impressive indeed!

Banquet Awards - Big Spender

2008-10-20T11:27:00.004-04:00

The 2008 Big Spender award went to Jan Johansen

Banquet Awards - Helping Hands

2008-10-20T11:20:00.009-04:00

Conference Photographers - John Engwer, Ken Shapiro, Paul Dewey, Emmitt Dove
Foodies - Brad Davidson (Starbucks) and Tom Eldred (Restaurant Map); also not pictured: Cheryl McClure

Cruise Control - The Limas

Duffer - Steve Sweeney

Not pictured: The BloggingHeads - Bogey Bill (Bill Downall), R Bang (Paul Dewey), RBDeveloper (Mike Ramsour), MANOPT ON (Emmitt Dove)

Not pictured: Fundraising - Adriana Montano and Claudine Robbins

Banquet Awards - Best Suggested Feature

2008-10-20T11:14:00.005-04:00

The awards for Best Suggested Feature went to Mike Byerley (dllcall), Charlie Parks (PROPERTY everything), Jan Johansen (images in listviews) and Emmitt Dove (hide on startup)

SupeR:Bug

2008-10-20T11:10:00.004-04:00

Charlie Parks was recongnized for his thoroughly-detailed approach to bug reporting, complete with Powerpoint presentations with circles and arrows.

Banquet Awards - Bug Finders Extraordinaire

2008-10-20T11:06:00.005-04:00

The Bug Finders Extraordinaire - Buddy Walker, Bill Downall, Sami Aaron, Emmitt Dove and Charlie Parks

Banquet Awards - Extra Mile

2008-10-20T11:03:00.005-04:00

Extra Mile Award Recipients from Sweden (Bo Franzén), Brazil (Silvio Castaldi, Luis Gimenes, Alexi Nicolini), New Zealand (John Docherty) and Switzerland (Adrian Hüssy)

Banquet Awards - First-Timers

2008-10-20T10:59:00.005-04:00

First-time Conference Attendees Inducted into R:Cult - Brock Dewey, Jason Kramer, John Docherty, Tony DeLuca, Mike Epstein, Laurie Jackson, Stephanie Eugenius, Boyd Wichman, Anne Giannetti

Dynamic R:Charts

2008-10-20T10:34:00.000-04:00

Paul Buckley: Dynamic R:Charts – Extending the power of R:Charts to create them on the fly with user parameters

Paul demonstrated an application he has developed that enables a user to interactively select various options to create R:Charts “on the fly”.

After explaining the details of the program he demonstrated how it works.

Donations for Project Bundle-Up Near $5,000

2008-10-20T09:56:00.001-04:00

R:BASE Developers have blown away the previous record donation of $2,500, set in 2005. (Of course,that year, as every year, Razzak matched and then added extra funds, so that PBU received more that $5,000 that year.)

This year, as of the beginning of the banquet Sunday night, contributions from developers were near $4,600 not including matching. And during the dinner, several more donations were contributed. The laptop and iPod raffles may have been big motivators leading to the boost. Considering the economy and the weather forecasts, Pittsburgh needs a good year for Project Bundle-Up fund-raising. Thanks, everyone.

Day 3 Opening Comments

2008-10-20T09:52:00.003-04:00

The day opened with another spirited question and answer session regarding the new Software Assurance Plan. Razzak fielded a number of questions and suggestions. Many questions can be answered by visiting http://rbase.com/support/ and clicking on the appropriate links.

John Minyo distributed the final (and perhaps most important) gift to the morning's conference attendees. Inside the tastefully wrapped box was the R:BASE flash drive that contains all of the presentations and documentation from the conference. This will prove to be a very valuable resource.

If you weren't able to attend the conference you might be able to purchase the conference materials from RBTI. They can be contacted at (724) 733-0053.

Running R:BASE 7.6 and Turbo V-8 for Windows on Linux Server

2008-10-20T09:46:00.002-04:00

Paul Buckley: Running R:BASE 7.6 and Turbo V-8 for Windows on Linux Server

Paul chronicled the performance issues he encountered with one of his customer’s R:BASE applications on a Windows network. Forms were taking several minutes to open up. Numerous approaches were tried ranging from tweaking the application to upgrading the network hardware.

Nothing made much of a difference and Paul’s customer wasn’t exactly ecstatic with the situation.

Finally, in desperation, Paul went out and bought a low end computer and loaded it with Red Hat Linux. He said the entire process was surprisingly easy. Once the new network was set up the performance issues pretty much disappeared.

It was acknowledged that one of the primary reasons for the performance difference between the networks is how much security Microsoft has had to build into their products. This was an intriguing presentation for many attendees since speed is a major consideration when designing and creating an application.

Measuring Customer Satisfaction – Creating Online Survey

2008-10-20T09:25:00.001-04:00

Jan Johansen: Measuring Customer Satisfaction – Creating Online Survey

JJ Calibrations is an A2LA Accredited calibration laboratory. One of the accreditation requirements is to do periodic customer surveys. Jan decided to develop an application using R:BASE to accomplish this.

The application was designed to send out a survey to JJ Calibration's customers using R:Mail. The customers could complete the survey and send to the results back to JJ Calibration using a web address embedded in the e-mail. In order to associate the survey results with a customer, a mechanism needed to be created to assign a unique ID number to each e-mail. Jan worked with RBTI to develop a product called R:GUI ID. Jan’s system uses R:BASE, R:Mail and the R:GUI ID product.

Jan shared some of the problems he encountered and how he addressed them in developing the application.

Winners Everywhere!

2008-10-20T08:51:00.002-04:00

At the banquet dinner Sunday evening, Tom Eldred was the winner of the raffle for the iPod, and John Docherty from New Zealand took home the lovely Sony Viao laptop. Both items were donated by RBTI, and the proceeds will benefit Project Bundle Up. What's more, Razzak will match the funds raised by the raffle!

Developer of the Year for 2008

2008-10-19T23:37:00.005-04:00

In recognition of his selfless dedication to R:BASE, RBTI and the R:BASE Community, and as one of Razzak's Guardian Angels, Mike Byerly has been selected as the 2008 Developer of the Year.

Congratulations, Mike!

Estimating and Beyond

2008-10-19T16:41:00.002-04:00

John Docherty: Estimating and Beyond

John has the distinction of being the person who traveled the farthest (furthest?) distance to attend the conference. Coming to us from Christchurch, New Zealand, John presented a thorough methodology for estimating how much a project is worth. ( Anyone notice that labor was “misspelled” on one of the slides :-) )

John demonstrated an impressive and detailed R:BASE application that can be used to estimate the cost of a software project. It is incredible to realize how many details that should be considered when preparing a job quote.

Authoring Software for Learning and Testing Using Dynamic DB TreeView and ActiveX Controls

2008-10-19T16:16:00.002-04:00

Adrian Huessy: Authoring Software for Learning and Testing Using Dynamic DB TreeView and ActiveX Controls

Adrian hails from Baden, Switzerland. He gave a well-designed presentation of how he has used DB TreeView and ActiveX controls in one of his applications.

After presenting the methodology he used, he gave the audience a demonstration of how his application works.

He then went on to explain what ActiveX Controls are and how they can be used.

To see some of the things Adrian is involved in you can visit http://www.huessy.com/defaulte.htm

Designing Touch Screen Applications

2008-10-19T15:45:00.003-04:00

Jan Johansen: Designing Touch Screen Applications for Ultra Tablet PC Notebooks

Jan (pronounced Yan) of JJ Calibrations in Portland, OR, demonstrated an R:BASE application he developed for a handheld touch-screen PC. JJ Calibrations is an independent, A2LA Accredited calibration laboratory.

He noted that there were some special considerations due to the small size of the handheld computer. For instance, text had to be made larger due to the small screen size.

He also built some time-keeping functionality into his application so that a technician’s time could be logged . . . uuummm . . . accurately shall we say?

Jan’s application looked pretty impressive! According to http://www.jjcalibrations.com/ Jan wears no less than 3 hats including Research & Development, Technical Operations, and Webmaster.

Understanding DLCALL, DLLOAD, DLFREE, etc.

2008-10-19T15:28:00.001-04:00

Mike Byerly: Understanding DLCALL, DLLOAD, DLFREE, CHKFUNC, DELFUNC Functions

As stated in the R:BASE Online Help: The DLCALL Function calls any Windows dynamic link library (DLL) and loads it into memory for use with R:BASE.

This capability enables a Developer to design his own functions as a Windows Dynamic Link Library using his programming language of choice. Once the DLL has been created it can then be called and manipulated using the DLCALL, DLLOAD, DLFREE, CHKFUNC and DELFUNC functions. This allows Developers to enhance or extend the already impressive capabilities of R:BASE.

Mike presented an explanation of how to use these functions and a couple of examples of how they can be used.

Software Assurance Plan Q and A

2008-10-19T14:53:00.003-04:00

Razzak: Special Software Assurance Plan Q and A

Due to a number of requests regarding RBTI’s new Software Assurance Plan, a special session was added. Razzak explained the reasons for instituting the plan as well as some of its features and benefits.

Specifics of the plan can be found at http://rbase.com/support/sa_plans.php

Basic highlights of the Software Assurance Plan (hereafter called the SAP):

Current users can download all current updates through the end of October regardless of their purchase date. After that any product updates, enhancements and bug fixes will be available for download only to those who subscribe to the SAP.

If you have purchased a product recently you can continue to download updates and enhancements for one year from the date of purchase. The SAP will not be applicable to existing VIP Support Plan customers, RBTI’s corporate customers, and Authorized R:BASE Developers.

Additional questions and comments should be directed to Razzak Memon. This particular blog entry should not be construed as a complete, definitive and/or legally binding explanation of the Software Assurance Plan. For complete details contact R:BASE Technologies, Inc.

Dynamic Application Menus Using TreeView Control

2008-10-19T14:35:00.003-04:00

Bill Downall: Dynamic Application Menus Using TreeView Control

Bill confessed that the main reason he has come up with a lot of his very useful applications, some of which he’s shared with the R:BASE Community, is because he’s basically lazy. Why make things difficult when they can be done more easily? Let the computer do the work.

To illustrate this, he demonstrated how he uses the TreeView control to make dynamic menus.

Customizing R:Mail 3.0

2008-10-19T14:13:00.005-04:00

John Minyo: Customizing R:Mail 3.0 for Individual Mail Servers

As described at http://rbase.com/products/rmail/: “R:Mail for R:BASE is a fully-integrated innovation that makes the chore of sending email messages with attachments COMPLETELY automated from within your R:BASE for Windows application.”

This very useful R:BASE plugin has gone through numerous updates and enhancements over the years. John showed a side-by-side comparison between the 2.6 and 3.0 versions.
He then demonstrated the process of setting up R:MAIL and how to use some of its features.

During the presentation Razzak chimed in with a surprise announcement with the release of “R:Mail Editor for R:BASE Dummies”. This product helps to simplify the process of setting up and configuring R:MAIL 3.0.

Razzak and Aleksey Chuyasov demonstrated the current state of development on the Client Server version of R:BASE. Several developers were invited unannounced and unprepared to come up to the front and log in to the RDCC section of rbase.com to show their lists of bug fixes and enhancement requests. Response was impressive. The fruits of the Client Server effort will most likely be seen in the eXtreme version of R:BASE.

2008-10-19T14:00:00.001-04:00

The Dream Team (Where's Rafee?)

2008-10-19T13:51:00.000-04:00

A group of dedicated, serious-minded R:BASE Developers study a clip from Saturday Night Live to determine whether a certain governor/candidate might know something about SQL.

Sunday Afternoon Session

2008-10-19T13:44:00.002-04:00

Sami Aaron opened the afternoon session with a story about Mike Byerly. Mike has been instrumental in adding numerous features and fixes to R:BASE.

Sami was extremely appreciative of an enhancement to the LISTOF function that helped her solve a technical problem for a customer. Mike, in turn, convinced RBTI to add the enhancement to the core R:BASE product.

Many thanks to Mike for his unselfish support and contributions to the R:BASE Community. Hmmmm . . . maybe he should be “Developer of the Year” again?

Vertical Market Applications

2008-10-19T12:01:00.000-04:00

Razzak Memon: Vertical Market Applications: Customizing and Securing Your Code

Razzak emphasized that it is very important to protect your intellectual properties. It is far too easy for an unscrupulous person to plagiarize our code and by extension all of the hard work that went into it. He recommended that you have an Internet domain name . . . . and a good attorney.

R:Compiler is an indispensable application that converts your R:BASE application (.RBA file) into an executable file. More information can be found at http://rbase.com/products/rcompiler76/

Razzak went on to detail the steps he takes to protect his applications. This includes compiling the application, having a legally binding licensing agreement and a well-designed installer.

Additional steps that should be taken are:

Password protect your database, forms and applications
Disabling TRACE
Customizing application exit routine

Dynamic Objects vs. Hide on Startup

2008-10-19T11:28:00.001-04:00

Emmitt Dove: Dynamic Objects vs. Hide on Startup

In this interesting How-to presentation, Emmitt illustrated the use of dynamic objects. The ability to create and delete form objects is yet another powerful programming tool in the R:BASE Developer’s toolbox.

Dynamic objects are created and deleted with the CREATEOBJECT and DELETEOBJECT commands. These commands are used in conjunction with the use of component IDs.

Emmitt’s presentation illustrated a technique that can be used to logically determine whether or not to display a form on startup. This concept and technique can be applied to a variety of situations and applications.

Charting Sales Data Using R:Charts

2008-10-19T10:48:00.002-04:00

Gary Wendike: Charting Annual Sales Data from over 40 million records

Gary presented a series of graphs that he has developed using R:Charts and R:BASE. Gary uses this dynamic duo to chart sales data for Farmland Foods to Wal-Mart. Data is tracked for a running 52 week time period.

R:Charts is an R:BASE add-on product that provides a charting solution for R:BASE databases. More information can be found at http://www.rcharts.com/

Using R:Charts, Gary produces over 120 reports each week to track sales data. The data is crunched and summarized from a massive table in R:BASE and sent to R:Charts to make a picture of the data that makes it easy to understand. “A picture is worth a thousand words”.

Interesting stuff.

2008-10-19T10:11:00.000-04:00

Sami Aaron: Integrating R:Scheduler into an Existing R:BASE application

As explained at rbase.com “R:Scheduler is a multi-user event calendar scheduling program, that also keeps track of individual contacts and a personnel task list.” A complete product description for R:Scheduler can be found at http://www.rscheduler.com/intro.php.

Sami presented an excellent demonstration illustrating how she integrated R:Scheduler into some of her R:BASE applications. Development and implementation was relatively easy for one customer but another customer was a bit more difficult.

She worked with RBTI to work out some technical issues and came up with an application that has been very well received by the “Saint Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired”.

During the Q and A discussion that followed one conference attendee asked if the Society would be interested in marketing the product that Sami has developed. Sami responded that “they are very interested in marketing the product.”

2008-10-19T10:01:00.002-04:00

A sunny, crisp Pennsylvania autumn morning greeted attendees on Sunday. After sufficient trips to the coffee urn attendees were ready for the day’s opening comments.

One item of special note was mentioned by Bill Downall. Steve in Memphis sent the following e-mail to the R:BASE list server. In Steve’s own words:

============

Bill D, Razzak, Et Al., my St. Agnes Academy Middle School Cross Country
Team are now TENNESSEE STATE CHAMPIONS!

Yes, RB played a role. I wrote and used a stored procedure to produce
individualized/customized workout goals based on previous race times.
Labels were generated for the runners to place on their shorts and a report
was generated for recording workout results at the workout venue.

So, this is another "true story", with AWESOME RESULTS!

Y'all have fun.

Steve in Memphis - Well, still basking in the warm glow of CHAMPIONSHIP in
Knoxville at the moment ...

============

R:BASE Rocks! Congratulations go out to Steve and the St. Agnes Academy Middle School Cross Country team.

Following the opening comments Mike Byerly announced the first presenter of the day.

Dinner Cruise

2008-10-18T22:04:00.004-04:00

After the Saturday sessions a sizeable group went for a sail on the Gateway Clipper Fleet. Thanks to Sharon Lima for her efforts organizing this event!

Please see the photo slide show for evidence that a good time was had by all in attendance.

Final Presentation of the Day

2008-10-18T16:51:00.002-04:00

Razzak continued his presentation after a break to show how to create R:Web Reports. Using R:Web Suite it is eXtremely easy to publish native R:BASE reports to the web.

Another web-centric add-on is R:Web Gateway. This enables a user to export data through a web form to a variety of file formats.

Innovation begins with a need. Our customers continually challenge us with new requests, requirements and needs. RBTI faces the same challenges. To ensure continuous product improvements and enhancements they have developed the R:BASE Advantage program.

Razzak gave a demonstration of an R:BASE application designed for Ontario, Canada’s largest electric producer. The application has the capability of displaying CAD drawings (DWG files) and a wide variety of other file formats directly from an R:BASE form.

A customer need resulted in the development of R:Hash.

Razzak concluded by stating that “If you give the best you can you are untouchable.”

Who's the birthday boy?

2008-10-18T16:16:00.002-04:00

When you get a chance be sure to wish Tom Eldred a hearty Happy Birthday! How many year's is it?????

Configuring R:Web Suite

2008-10-18T16:12:00.001-04:00

Razzak Memon: Configuring R:Web Suite, Apache 2.2.9, and PHP 5.2.6 on Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Vista Business and 2003 Server

Razzak demonstrated the steps required to install and activate Apache and PHP on various operating systems for using R:Web Suite.

As always, Razzak makes it look “So seemple”. The details will be provided on the conference materials.

Taking the T to Station Square

2008-10-18T15:39:00.003-04:00

Here's what the Port Authority of Allegheny County web page says about travelling from the Omni William Penn to Station Square, either for a dinner cruise, or just to wander Station Square and find shopping restaurants, light, water and music shows, or whatever.

If you miss the 5:09, there's another one at 5:27pm. They apparently run about 18 minutes apart. You don't want to get to Station Square after 6:00.

How to Save $52K a year using R:WEB

2008-10-18T15:33:00.003-04:00

Frank Taylor: How to save $52K/year and increase revenue 5.7% with R:Web Suite

Frank’s company, Araho Transfer in Boston, Massachusetts, was generating millions of pages of printed documents in a relatively short period of time. Araho Transfer provides transfer and handling services for the distribution of seafood products. They instituted a high priority project for reducing costs. The results surprised everyone.

They decided to use R:WEB Suite to address the needs of the project. As a result of using a Web-based solution using RBTI products, they have estimated cost savings of $52,000 a year while their sales have increased by 5.7% in 2008.

Frank presented a live online demo of the application. He pointed out that the application had to be simple to use. His company worked closely with RBTI to address some of the technical issues and difficulties that presented themselves. Rafee Memon discussed some of the challenges that had to be overcome.

You can learn more about Araho Transfer at: http://www.arahotransfer.com/home.html

Trivia question: What American TV series was inspired by the British TV program “Till Death Us Do Part?”

Upgrading from DOS to R:BASE for Windows

2008-10-18T14:52:00.001-04:00

Razzak Memon: Upgrading from R:BASE for DOS to R:BASE 7.6 or Turbo V-8 for Windows
§ Strategies and Easy Steps

Razzak demonstrated a real world conversion process for upgrading a database and application from R:BASE for DOS to the latest versions of R:BASE for Windows.

There is a recommended path to follow to convert a DOS application to current versions. Make sure that you begin the process with an environment that works. It is very important to be using at least R:BASE 6.5++ version 1.68 or later to do your conversion.

You should make absolutely sure that the various environment settings are ODBC compliant. This is especially true (but not necessarily limited to) the IDQUOTES, QUOTES and NULL settings.

Razzak then demonstrated a systematic process for converting an entire application from DOS up to the current versions of R:BASE for Windows. He concluded by showing how to make the final step to R:BASE eXtreme which requires a different set of rules but is quite easy to do.
The entire detailed system for upgrading databases and applications will be documented on the conference materials to be provided later.

Razzak’s final word was: GET OUT OF DOS!!. Further development is frozen.

If we’ve heard it once we’ve heard it a hundred times: “You will never regret staying current. The rest is history.”

v9x Hint

2008-10-18T13:56:00.004-04:00

Click on the photo below that is labeled "Forms Builder ..." and it will load full size in your browser. Examine closely the icons on the object toolbars -- see anything new?

ABC's of Creating Plugins

2008-10-18T13:39:00.003-04:00

Aleksey Chuyasov: ABC’s of Building a Plugin –Tips on Designing Custom R:BASE Plugins
Aleksey demonstrated the steps needed to create an R:BASE plugin. Plugins help to extend the functionality of R:BASE.

Plugins are created using a programming language such as Borland C++. Once the plugin is created it can be called from within R:BASE to accomplish a specific task.

This is a powerful option available to developers. RBTI offers their assistance to help get started with creating your own custom Plugins.

R:SureShip

2008-10-18T12:03:00.001-04:00

John Minyo: Introducing R:SureShip

R:SureShip is a program that integrates UPS WorldShip 10.0 with Turbo V-8 and Oterro 8.0.
John demonstrated how the package works. The product is extremely useful for those who have the need to ship many packages at once.

R:SureShip provides many options and features for creating a shipment and tracking the packages at various stages in the process. It has multiple search and printing options.

The Help option has been enhanced to show how to integrate your database with R:SureShip.

=====================

Prior to breaking for lunch, Sami Aaron announced that Oma Cox is a brand new grandfather. Oma made a generous donation to Project Bundle Up in honor of his new grandchild.

Sami announced that there will be a Dream Team auction on Sunday. The auction winner will get to have lunch with five members of the Dream Team.

Message from Grandpa Oma Cox

2008-10-18T11:56:00.002-04:00

Oma emailed:

I too thank you for the blog. I’m with my new grand daughter (Mary Madisyn Harper) and daughter (Ashley)! Everyone is fine! Will have pictures soon! Again as I told Razzak I’m in for 200 on project bundle up! Keep the info flowing! Hope everyone enjoys the M&M’s.
Miss all of you!

Introducing R:BASE eXtreme

2008-10-18T11:47:00.004-04:00

Razzak introduced the “Extreme Dream Team”, the ones that keep things going and keep things running smoothly at the RBTI office. Donna Memon and John Minyo comprise the “Extreme Dream Team.”

RBTI now has an automated phone system. It is very important to review the new Software Assurance Plan options. Which option you select (or choose not accept) is determined by how much you value your investment in R:BASE. Your selection determines your level of support.

Razzak Memon: “Know Your Goals and Don’t Let Anyone Distract You from Your Path”

Our Achievements:

Razzak asserted that everything begins with a vision. He then presented a series of slides showing some of the key events surrounding the birth of R:BASE Technologies following the sad events of March 13, 1998. This date marks what could have been the end of R:BASE when Abacus Computing went bankrupt.

Razzak put everything on the line to personally ensure that R:BASE did not die. Bringing R:BASE back from the brink of death, R:BASE has flourished due to Razzak’s vision.
The remarkable thing about the slide presentation was that it wasn’t done with PowerPoint but using the new R:BASE eXtreme.

Introducing the 2nd Generation: R:eXtreme (v. 9.0)
The 2nd Generation of R:BASE will be called R:BASE eXtreme. RBTI is taking advantage of the numerous features of the Microsoft programming environment.

Razzak introduced many of the new and enhanced features of R:BASE eXtreme. Some of the many noteworthy features are: support for longer file name paths (versus the 52 character limit in 7.6 and V-8), Help button on just about every dialog box, and database explorer enhancements. Just about everything is now drag-and-drop.

The database explorer has a familiar look and feel compared to previous versions but there are numerous usability enhancements and new features under the hood. The form designer will now have all of the options exposed. Currently this functionality is limited to the Enterprise Edition.

Enhancements to the report and label designers were reviewed. Over 50 new themes have been added bringing the total to 86. Themes can be easily previewed.

The R> has been enhanced with the addition of an optional history window.

A simple demonstration using the DIR command illustrated eXtreme’s blazing speed compared to Turbo V-8. Very enticing!

eXtreme is still in development and will not be released for general beta testing until Razzak says so.

First Look at R:BASE Extreme

2008-10-18T11:20:00.008-04:00

DB Explorer - Grouping Tables
DB Explorer - Stored Procedures

DB Explorer - Forms - Version Information

Forms Builder - Object Inspector Built In

Opening comments, the Dream Team and History

2008-10-18T10:19:00.005-04:00

Conference Etiquette and Guidelines

Co-emcees Sami Aaron and Bill Downall reviewed the various logistics of the Conference.
Items of special interest include Project Bundle Up and the Silent Auction. Click the link on the blog to learn more about Project Bundle Up.

R:BASE Technologies has provided two very special items to be raffled off to raise funds for Project Bundle Up. One is a top-of-the-line Sony Vaio laptop that comes with R:BASE 7.6 and Turbo V-8 preinstalled. The other item is an Apple IPod. Raffle tickets for the laptop are $10 each or 5 for $40 while tickets for the IPod are $5 each or 5 for $20.

There were a surprising number of Conference first-timers this year. They ranged the gamut from R:BASE veterans to R:BASE newbies. One attendee traveled clear from New Zealand to attend!
Developer of the Year for 2007, Mike Byerly, had the privilege of introducing Razzak Memon, president of R:BASE Technologies. Razzak expressed deep appreciation to conference attendees for coming to celebrate the 10th anniversary of RBTI. As Razzak often says, he doesn’t ration his passion he shares it. No one will ever question his passion for his “baby”.

Known facts behind the success of R:BASE Technologies, Inc.

Razzak then proudly introduced the Godfather of R:BASE, Wayne Erickson. He has been one of the many guardian angels of R:BASE.

Among R:BASE’s other guardian angels are Aleksey Chuyasov, Alex Ageev and John Minyo. Razzak is especially proud of his son Rafee Memon who is working on a double major at CarnegieMellon University.

Collectively this group represents the R:BASE Dream Team.
Razzak also introduced additional guardian angels and unsung heroes of R:BASE. These included Bill Downall, Sami Aaron, Claudine Robbins and Mike Byerly.

A video of BCON Systems from Japan was presented. They were singing a song wishing us the best of luck with R:BASE.

Amazing 10 Years!

Wayne Erickson presented a fascinating history of the original roots of R:BASE going clear back to work he did while working at NASA along with Dennis Comfort.

The acronym for the project they were working on was IPAD. Besides the official designation for what IPAD stood for and due to the difficulty and complexity of the work, additional definitions were used like:

I plan all day
I predict a disaster
It probably ain’t doable

As the PC burst on the computing scene Wayne and his brother started tinkering around with some of the “state of the art” hardware and software available at the time. This eventually led to the development of the original RIM (relational information management) programs for the personal computer.

Segue from the days of Microrim to 1998 and the official birth of R:BASE Technologies. The first official release of R:BASE under the auspices of RBTI was R:BASE 6.1A, released in November of 1998. One of the first changes to R:BASE was a fix for the JDATE function (think Y2K problems).

BCON systems, from Japan, has been an integral part of R:BASE since 1983. Their version had a number of enhancements over the 6.1A version. Using BCON’s codebase, the first true blue RBTI version was released in February, 2000. This was known as R:BASE 2000 version 6.5.
New and improved releases ensued. It came time to modernize to make R:BASE a true Windows program. The first 7.0 version was released in June, 2002. Subsequent releases included 7.1, 7.5, finally culminating in version 7.6 released in October, 2006.

There was still a need to “Break the Limits”. This required a new file format to break the 2 gigabyte technical limitation. In addition to being able to create databases of virtually unlimited size, the new format would allow for longer names for tables, reports, variables, etc. throughout the database. The new file format brought about the creation of R:BASE Turbo V-8, released in 2007.

Into the future, the next product under development is R:BASE eXtreme, version 9.0. The exciting journey continues . . .

Greetings from Japan

2008-10-18T09:42:00.003-04:00

Click to play.

Day 2 - The Conference begins. The Japanese members of the Dream Team sent a video greeting to the conference attendees.

Day 1 from Pittsburgh

2008-10-17T20:42:00.006-04:00

Greetings from the 10th anniversary R:BASE Developers' Conference from the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh!

The day's schedule got underway with the Authorized Developers' meeting at 1pm. Whereas previous meetings were scheduled for one hour in a cramped room, this one was scheduled (wisely, as it turns out) for four hours in a spacious room for the number of attendees (roughly 32).

The attendee from the most distant location had to be Adrian Hüssy from Switzerland. By far the most-well-represented US State was California. Notably, all the attendees from the Left Coast sat on the Right Side of the Room.

The AuthDev meeting featured a good bit of lively discussion on matters of interest to the audience. At the end of the day, there was white smoke on a couple of issues, and the participants retired to the registration reception.

As usual, John (photo to come) met everyone and handed out the bag of goodies. And what a nice bag it is! Sami had much to do with the fact that it is a recycling bag (that can be used, among other places, at the grocery) with an insulated lining. Other goodies include a very nice white polo with R:BASE logo, some M&Ms with various appropriate messages (Thanks, Oma!!!), a mouse pad with the new logo (see below), a quite nice new portfolio with notepad and pen/flashlight, a stress reliever (squeeze the stressed-out head for a soothing message), and yr. editor's favorite, a tee shirt with R:BASE logo. On the front. The back of the tee carries the logo yr. editor created at the last conference in response to the logo contest challenge. While yr. editor is tempted to take this as a huge compliment, the fact is that it was the only entry and thereby the default winner.

After introductions all around and some excellent hors d'oeuvres, the reception was adjourned in favor of dinner. Tomorrow promises to be an interesting day!

Places to Eat Lunch

2008-10-17T17:50:00.002-04:00

Tom Eldred has assembled a map of places near the Omni where conference attenders can find lunch. Click the map to blow it up to a larger size. Thanks, Tom!

Golf Monday Afternoon

2008-10-16T06:30:00.000-04:00

We have two tee times Monday afternoon, right after the conference, at Moon Golf Club in Moon Township, near the Pittsburgh airport. The price, including cart, is a very reasonable $24. Rental clubs may be available, too. They even have a set of women's rental clubs and a set of left-handed men's clubs (and 4 sets of men's right-handed). Moon Golf Club pro shop phone number is 412-262-2992.

Please add a comment to this post if there is a chance you will play.

Saturday Cruise Into the Future

2008-10-08T14:23:00.013-04:00

If you are attending the conference, please join us on a riverboat dinner cruise on the three rivers that flow through Pittsburgh, on Saturday night October 18th. This is a special R:BASE Technologies Anniversary, and we have much to celebrate.
This is an optional activity, but we hope many of us will take advantage of the opportunity. Reservations include a buffet dinner, dessert and coffee or tea. There is a cash bar for soft drinks and liquor. A live band will provide music from the 60's through today, and there is a dance floor.
A reserved section has been arranged for the R:BASE Technologies group. To be assured of being seated in our area, please read carefully and follow the instructions below.
The price per ticket is $47.59, including all taxes and gratuities. Call as soon as possible. Cruises do sell out.
~~For guaranteed seating at the R:BASE section, reserve by this Saturday, October 11.~~ The deadline for guaranteed seating together is past, but chances are good they can still accommodate us. Call 412-355-7938 (Janet) or 412-355-7997 (Kim). They are the only ones assigned to manage our special group seating. (If you get voice mail, leave your number for a call-back!) Refer to R:BASE Technologies and Account Number 77929.
Have your credit card in hand. There are no refunds. The cruise sails rain or shine. Seating on the two lower decks is indoors. Tickets will be delivered to you at the Saturday afternoon R:Base conference session. Refunds are given only if the ship does not sail.
The Gateway Clipper boards beginning at 5:30, sails at 6:30 and returns at 9:00. Conference presentations will end Saturday in time for all to get there. The Pittsburgh subway is convenient to both the Omni hotel and the pier at Station Square where the cruise launches.
Check out the cruise company's website at www.gatewayclipper.com

Greetings!

2008-10-03T14:26:00.001-04:00

I will be joining Bogey Bill

Welcome & Open Thread

2008-10-01T10:00:00.001-04:00

Welcome to the conference blog. You can use the "comments" link on this article to post your own remarks about the conference or about the blog. This is the place to start a conversation, even if you are not one of the official blog authors.