Enjoy the lazy days of summer coding the easy way

August 8, 2007 – Version Control: Ever made a change and wished either you hadn't or that you could remember what you did? Well, the built-in version control logic for programs can help solve that without having to resort to outside tools.

Whenever you save a program in PxPlus, the system keeps a copy of the prior version of the program in the program file. This means that whether you are out at a client’s site, or back in the office doing development, the system will keep track all of your changes. What’s nice is that the prior versions of the programs don't impact system performance since PxPlus (and ProvideX) will only load the 'Current' version into memory -- the prior copies in the program files are simply ignored.

Other than using additional disk space, having prior copies of the programs around gives you all sorts of advantages. If you made a mistake (and who hasn't), you can simply use the VER command to recall an older – functional -- version of the program and then save that as the current version. This makes applying quick fixes or patches remotely on a client’s system simpler and safer.

Of course, having prior copies of the programs makes figuring out what changed much easier as well. From the program Properties display in the Integrated Toolkit, available with PxPlus, you can quickly compare different versions of the same program. This makes seeing what modifications or changes you made a snap.

Better yet, in the next build of PxPlus we have added the option to create "Patch" files for line numbered programs, which contain the console commands (line changes) required to change one version of a program to another. This means you can make modifications without having to remember everything you changed and then have the system provide you with the commands required to re-apply the changes to an original version of the program. These patch files are quite handy if you need to email some "patches" to a client or vice-versa from the client back to the office. Regardless of whether you use the files to re-apply the code to other copies of the program or as incremental changes to you ongoing development system, your tasks are now more manageable.

So kick back and enjoy the last few days of summer and let PxPlus worry about keeping track of what you did. The built-in version control is just one of the many ways that PxPlus makes your coding easier.

Version control -- Another great reason for using PxPlus

Have you heard the news???

Business Basic goes Open Source

In case you haven't heard the news, Business Basic has just gone open source with the release of MicroShare Basic under the GNU General Public License (GPL).

But how will this affect you and PxPlus?

Rest assured that you will continue to receive the same kind of service, development and support from PVX Plus that you have come to expect. Actually, you may see more interesting things happening in the development area. With the knowledge and experience, that Mike King brings to the table, having him oversee the Business Basic Open Source development should be good news for everyone.

In addition, it means that Business Basic applications can now join many of the other fast growing development languages such as Perl, PHP, and Python, which are open source. This will not only mean better recognition of business basic but also the potential for more programmers and applications working in BB.

Better news yet, for PxPlus clients, due to our involvement with this open source development, we will have full rights and access to the code and, as such, will be able to implement the new functionality which is added to MicroShare Basic directly into PxPlus.

This arrangement will assure you access to some of the latest and greatest in business basic capabilities and features. This will prevent your application from being left behind as technology changes in the future.

This new opportunity is truly great news for PxPlus, the Business Basic community and in particular your application. Being part of the Open Source revolution will help ensure your future with increased availability of programmers, resources and industry recognition.

For more information on the PxPlus built in version control check out:

http://www.pvxplus.com/pgsrvr.pvp?pg=build9171

For details on the Open Source Business Basic check out:

http://www.bbsysco.com/page/news