Just as PowerBuilder pioneered the 4GL approach to client/server Windows application development, version 8.0, currently in limited beta, brings a similar 4GL experience to n-tier Web development. PowerBuilder 8.0, scheduled to ship by Q2 2001, delivers features aimed at developers of both client/server and component-based applications.
This article gives just a brief sample of what's new in version 8.0.

Integration of Web
Development Functionality
To allow for seamless development of Web client applications in today's e-business environments, Sybase incorporated Web development functionality similar to that of PowerSite into PowerBuilder 8.0, resulting in a unified IDE for multitier rapid application development.

Workspaces and Targets
Developers can use PowerBuilder 8.0 to create Web applications - or 'targets' - in addition to client-executable applications and Sybase EAServer components.

In previous releases the developer could only work on objects in one PowerBuilder application at a time. PowerBuilder 8.0 introduces the 'workspace,' within which developers can work on several applications (targets) at once.

There are two fundamental types of targets in PowerBuilder 8.0: PowerScript targets and Web targets. The former can be any of the traditional application types, such as a PowerBuilder client-executable or an EAServer component. A Web target is a Web application type. It can contain all the assets required for building a Web site - HTML files, scripts, images, downloaded components - as well as settings for build options, database connections, and deployment. Web targets are available only in the Enterprise Edition of PowerBuilder.

For Example...
When you start PowerBuilder 8.0 for the first time, you create a new workspace with, or without, targets.

Once you've created a workspace, you may add targets to it. For example, if you're writing business objects and deploying them to EAServer, you can work with EAServer components and a client application in the same workspace. If you plan to access the EAServer components from a Web client, you can add the Web target to the same workspace.

The System Tree, a new feature of the PowerBuilder interface, displays the contents of the current workspace in the Workspace tab (see Figure 1). The System Tree provides an easy and accessible way to edit objects, check them in and out of source control, and build and deploy targets.

Productivity Enhancements
No version of PowerBuilder would be complete without incorporating the enhancement feedback and new feature requests from the PB community. With the assistance of the International Sybase User Group, new feature enhancements were selected and incorporated into PowerBuilder 8.0. A number of usability enhancements have been incorporated, including both development and runtime enhancements.

Exception Handling
When a runtime or system error occurs in earlier versions of PowerBuilder, a single application event is fired to handle the error, no matter where in the application the error takes place.

With PowerBuilder 8.0 exception-handling classes and syntax are now available for context-sensitive error handling in PB applications (see Figure 2). This means that the developer can deal with errors closer to their source by embedding error-handling code anywhere in the application, instead of in a single, global error event.

Something for Everyone
PowerBuilder 7 simplified the process of building distributed applications. PowerBuilder 8.0 completes the story by enabling PB developers to quickly build e-business solutions incorporating Web functionality, all within a single interface. In addition, it offers enhancements for all developers regardless of the type of application being developed. The usability enhance-ments alone are considered a major strength of the new, much anticipated release. Development productivity is, and always will be, a fundamental focus for PowerBuilder.