Screen generator

Last updated

A screen generator, also known as a screen painter,screen mapper, [1] or forms generator is a software package (or component thereof) which enables data entry screens to be generated declaratively, by "painting" them on the screen WYSIWYG-style, or through filling-in forms, rather than requiring writing of code to display them manually. [2] [3] [4] [5] 4GLs commonly incorporate a screen generator feature. [6] They are also commonly found bundled with database systems, especially entry-level databases. [7] A screen generator is one aspect of an application generator, which can also include other functions such as report generation and a data dictionary. [8] [9] The earliest screen generators were character-based; by the 1990s, GUI support became common, and then support for generating HTML forms as well. Some screen generators work by generating code to display the screen in a high-level language (for example, COBOL); others store the screen definition in a data file or in database tables, and then have a runtime component responsible for actually displaying the form and receiving and validating user input.

Examples

Examples of screen generators include:

Related Research Articles

A fourth-generation programming language (4GL) is a high-level computer programming language that belongs to a class of languages envisioned as an advancement upon third-generation programming languages (3GL). Each of the programming language generations aims to provide a higher level of abstraction of the internal computer hardware details, making the language more programmer-friendly, powerful, and versatile. While the definition of 4GL has changed over time, it can be typified by operating more with large collections of information at once rather than focusing on just bits and bytes. Languages claimed to be 4GL may include support for database management, report generation, mathematical optimization, GUI development, or web development. Some researchers state that 4GLs are a subset of domain-specific languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mainframe computer</span> Large and powerful computer

A mainframe computer, informally called a mainframe or big iron, is a computer used primarily by large organizations for critical applications like bulk data processing for tasks such as censuses, industry and consumer statistics, enterprise resource planning, and large-scale transaction processing. A mainframe computer is large but not as large as a supercomputer and has more processing power than some other classes of computers, such as minicomputers, servers, workstations, and personal computers. Most large-scale computer-system architectures were established in the 1960s, but they continue to evolve. Mainframe computers are often used as servers.

Systems Network Architecture (SNA) is IBM's proprietary networking architecture, created in 1974. It is a complete protocol stack for interconnecting computers and their resources. SNA describes formats and protocols but, in itself, is not a piece of software. The implementation of SNA takes the form of various communications packages, most notably Virtual Telecommunications Access Method (VTAM), the mainframe software package for SNA communications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UNIVAC 1100/2200 series</span> Family of mainframe computers

The UNIVAC 1100/2200 series is a series of compatible 36-bit computer systems, beginning with the UNIVAC 1107 in 1962, initially made by Sperry Rand. The series continues to be supported today by Unisys Corporation as the ClearPath Dorado Series. The solid-state 1107 model number was in the same sequence as the earlier vacuum-tube computers, but the early computers were not compatible with their solid-state successors.

dBase was one of the first database management systems for microcomputers and the most successful in its day. The dBase system included the core database engine, a query system, a forms engine, and a programming language that tied all of these components together.

Informix-4GL is a 4GL programming language developed by Informix during the mid-1980s. At the time of its initial release in 1986, supported platforms included Microsoft Xenix, DEC Ultrix, Altos 2086, AT&T 3B2, AT&T 3B5, AT&T 3B20 and AT&T Unix PC.

ABAP is a high-level programming language created by the German software company SAP SE. It is currently positioned, alongside Java, as the language for programming the SAP NetWeaver Application Server, which is part of the SAP NetWeaver platform for building business applications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CICS</span> IBM mainframe transaction monitor

IBM CICS is a family of mixed-language application servers that provide online transaction management and connectivity for applications on IBM mainframe systems under z/OS and z/VSE.

Adabas, a contraction of “adaptable database system," is a database package that was developed by Software AG to run on IBM mainframes. It was launched in 1971 as a non-relational database. As of 2019, Adabas is marketed for use on a wider range of platforms, including Linux, Unix, and Windows.

The Symbolic Stream Generator is a software productivity aid by Unisys for their mainframe computers of the former UNIVAC 1100/2200 series.

In computer science, automatic programming is a type of computer programming in which some mechanism generates a computer program, to allow human programmers to write the code at a higher abstraction level.

Cullinet was a software company whose products included the database management system IDMS and the integrated software package Goldengate. In 1989, the company was bought by Computer Associates. Cullinet was founded in Arlington, Massachusetts and later headquartered at 400 Blue Hill Drive in Westwood, Massachusetts.

Cincom Systems, Inc., is a privately held multinational computer technology corporation founded in 1968 by Tom Nies, Tom Richley, and Claude Bogardus. The company’s first product, Total, was the first commercial database management system that was not bundled with manufacturer hardware and proprietary software. In June 2024, Cincom Systems Inc. was acquired by PartnerOne, a Canada-based enterprise software company. At the time of the sale, Cincom had 400 employees both in the US and internationally.

A transaction processing system (TPS) is a software system, or software/hardware combination, that supports transaction processing.

LINC is a fourth-generation programming language, used mostly on Unisys computer systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CA-Telon</span>

TELON, later renamed CA-TELON, is one of the first commercially successful application generators for building business applications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oracle Designer</span>

Oracle Designer was Oracle's CASE tool for designing an information system and generating it. After generating the information system one is able to edit the generated code with Oracle Developer Suite.

IBM's Cross System Product (CSP) was an application generator intended to create online systems on IBM's mainframe platforms. Introduced in 1981, CSP consisted of a set of source code generators that allowed developers to interactively define, test, generate, and execute application programs. CSP was composed of two products:

Business Controls Corporation is a privately held computer company that developed an application-program-generator and also a series of accounting software packages. These packages were widely enough used for various business magazines to have back-of-the-book ads for companies seeking accountants with experience in one or more of them.

The Librarian is a version control system and source code management software product originally developed by Applied Data Research for IBM mainframe computers. It was designed to supplant physical punched card decks as a way of maintaining programs, but kept a card model in terms of its interface. During the 1970s and 1980s it was in use at thousands of IBM mainframe installations and was one of the best-selling software products in the computer industry.

References

  1. ↑ Pratt, Philip J.; Adamski, Joseph J. (1991). Database Systems: Management and Design. Boyd & Fraser Publishing Company. p. 627. ISBN   978-0-87835-579-2.
  2. ↑ Budde, Reinhard; Kautz, Karlheinz; Kuhlenkamp, Karin; Züllighoven, Heinz (2012-12-06). Prototyping: An Approach to Evolutionary System Development. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN   978-3-642-76820-0.
  3. ↑ Hoffman, Paul E. (1982-07-05). "SCR Screen Manager, a screen generator by Reddox". InfoWorld . 4 (26): 58.
  4. ↑ Del Rossi, Robert (1 October 1990). "The state of screen generators". Data Based Advisor. 8 (10) – via ACM Digital Library.
  5. 1 2 Bowerman, Robert (July 1983). "Relational database systems for micros". Datamation . 29 (7): 132 – via Internet Archive.
  6. ↑ Gray, M. M.; Fisher, G. E. (1991-03-01). "Functional Benchmarks for Fourth Generation Languages". NIST.
  7. 1 2 Gillenson, Mark L.; Ponniah, Paulraj; Kriegel, Alex; Trukhnov, Boris M.; Taylor, Allen G.; Powell, Gavin (2007-03-16). Wiley Pathways Introduction to Database Management. John Wiley & Sons. p. 49. ISBN   978-0-470-10186-5.
  8. ↑ "Key elements of CASE kits: Prototyping, code generators". Computerworld . 21 (16): 74. 1987-04-20 – via Google Books.
  9. ↑ Babb, Elizabeth A. (1985). "Increasing Productivity with the Application Generator Interface". Journal of Information Systems Management. 2 (2): 57–67. doi:10.1080/07399018508967756. ISSN   0739-9014.
  10. ↑ Bert, Joseph J. Le (1993). CICS Essentials: For Application Developers and Programmers. McGraw-Hill. p. 19. ISBN   978-0-07-035869-0.
  11. ↑ "Screen Definition Facility II". Lookup Mainframe Software. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  12. ↑ Schussel, George (February 1983). "Mapping out the DBMS territory" (PDF). Data Management Magazine. ISSN   0148-5431. OCLC   1796752.
  13. 1 2 Langer, Arthur M. (2013-03-14). Analysis and Design of Information Systems. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 162–164. ISBN   978-1-4757-3492-8.
  14. ↑ Markandeya, Sushil; Roy, Kaushik (2014-11-17). SAP ABAP: Hands-On Test Projects with Business Scenarios. Apress. p. 649. ISBN   978-1-4302-4804-0.
  15. ↑ Campbell, Greg (1988-11-15). "FoxBASE Plus/LAN". PC Magazine . 7 (19): 261.
  16. ↑ Duncan, Judy (1991-08-19). "FoxPro speeds up query results". InfoWorld . 13 (33): 57.
  17. ↑ Bauman, John (1990-06-01). "SnapApp: the application generator for FoxPro". Data Based Advisor. 8 (6): 12–14.
  18. 1 2 "The History of FoxPro - People That Contributed With Other xBase Tools". www.foxprohistory.org. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  19. ↑ Nietz, Kerry (2003). FoxTales: Behind the Scenes at Fox Software. Hentzenwerke. p. 99. ISBN   978-1-930919-50-1.
  20. ↑ Littlefield, Warren M. (1993-06-04). dBASE-From the Dot Prompt: An Introduction to Structured Programming Using dBASE IV. State University of New York Press. pp. 205–220. ISBN   978-1-4384-1107-1.
  21. ↑ Ross, Paul W. (1995-10-25). The Handbook of Software for Engineers and Scientists. CRC Press. p. 601. ISBN   978-0-8493-2530-4.
  22. ↑ "Univac Combines Screen Generator, Handler". Computerworld . 15 (1): 93. January 5, 1981 – via Google Books.
  23. ↑ Sperry 1100/60 System (PDF). Data Pro. July 1985. p. 13.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.