What's New in Superbase95 The Relational Database with Visual Power Take a look at Superbase95. It's the most visual, intuitive and powerful relational database for Windows so far. It will revolutionize the way you create and use database applications with its dazzling range of new features and enhancements. New Features for Developers The Superbase Object Model The most significant development in Superbase95 is the implementation of a comprehensive object model, which offers more than seventy different object types, including forms, reports, dialogs, communications and mail, as well as hundreds of methods, events and properties. An extended programming language To encompass the needs of the new Object Model, Super Basic Language (SBL) has been significantly extended to include a new object-based language. Object SBL is largely compatible with Visual Basic, with extra features experienced programmers will appreciate such as event prioritization and no limits to controls on forms. Improved Macro Recorder The Superbase95 Macro Recorder tracks interaction with Superbase to produce Object SBL from visual programming actions. This gives developers immediate insight into object properties and programming methodologies within Superbase. Powerful Object Browser Developers can traverse the Superbase object hierarchy in any direction to view, set and change object properties with ease through an intuitive interface. Non-instantiated objects are also displayed, so you always know which properties you need to set for objects you are about to create. The Object Tracker lets you dump the current object properties to a program, so you can instantly validate property settings or restore previous settings. Form and Report Designer Form and Report Designer tools all produce object code and are now integrated within the Superbase environment. You can create forms visually, save them as program code, amend the program and have the program regenerate the form (Two Way Tools). There is a comprehensive implementation of list and combo box types on forms and the Report Designer now supports outer joins. New Features in Dialog & Program Editors, Menu and Icon Bar Editors. The Dialog Editor has been updated to include a toolbox, alignment tools, support for Help context I.D.s and MRU list. Dialogs can now be dynamic. The Program Editor now includes color coding of programs, improved tab stops and many other features. Icon bars can be floating or fixed in different positions on the screen (top, bottom, left, right). In addition, using the Icon Bar Editor, you can easily assign ToolTips and status-line help to user defined icons, as well as setting help context I.D.s to allow access to specific help pages from any topic. Updated File Designer plus MDI support The file design process has been extensively revamped with many new usability features. Support for MDI has been added, and for greater compatibility, Superbase95 can operate in both SDI and MDI modes. Performance Although the new object language will have some impact, several areas of Superbase95 have improved performance. They include adaptive index creation on import, updates using the Query Optimizer, P-coded calculations and validations, optimized form rendering and adaptive write locking. Import/Export A new interface allows various facilities including error logging and merge options. The API is now available for access to non-supported database file formats. The DLLs for import/export are optional and can be left out of applications. Communications and Open Access OLE Automation To give Superbase application developers a powerful new way to build integrated systems which make use of the features of other products, Superbase95 is an OLE automation client. Now, through SBL, you can automate objects within other OLE 2 compliant applications such as spreadsheets and graphing packages. Extended Access through ODBC Read-transparent ODBC connectivity gives access to a vast range of data sources, bringing SQL data right to the user interface. Smart Queries make full use of the client server environment, analyzing each query to ensure intensive processing operations take place at the server, rather than locally. Any SQL query can also be opened as a Superbase file and then viewed using the Superbase selection bar and query tools. Update capability can be added to applications within SBL. The DLLs for ODBC access are optional and can be left out of applications. New SQL Drivers New drivers are now available in the SQL Library for Oracle 7 and IBM DRDA, giving Superbase the broadest range of SQL connections available on a Windows database. Extended Communication and E-Mail Support Superbase95 supports communication through all Windows communication ports COM1 - COM9, it has it's own communications event and can send and receive at all Windows-supported baud rates. Superbase95 supports E-Mail through both MAPI and VIM compliant interfaces, it has it's own mail event and simple menu commands which make it easy for end-users to send and receive mail. Ease of Use Features for End Users New Form and Report Builders & File Templates Superbase's intuitive Form and Report Builders and file templates make it easy for end users to construct forms, graphical reports and their underlying data file formats. The Form and Report builders come with a gallery of pre defined styles and can work with Superbase, dBASE and SQL data file formats. These styles can be replaced with user definable entries within the Superbas.ini file. The file templates can also be easily modified to create your own custom templates. Enhanced Query Tools. Queries and ad-hoc reports can be generated fast in Quick Reports, then taken into the Report Designer to add visual enhancements such as additional fonts, color and images. The DLLs for QBE access are optional and can be left out of applications. Multidimensional Cross-tabs Cross-tab queries are integrated into the Quick Reports and Query by Example tools. These give users a powerful analytical tool which enables them to cross-tabulate data in multiple dimensions, switching instantly between views and types of summary. All reporting functions such as SUM and COUNT are generated on the fly, and icons are provided for pivoting of row and column, column and page, and row and page data. The cross-tab DLLs are optional and can be left out of any application. Improved Help with SuperSteps & ToolTips End users can get help with common database functions by accessing SuperSteps, which give clear, step by step instructions for everyday database tasks. Dialog-specific help is available throughout the system. To make navigation around the interface easier, ToolTips give the user concise pop-up advice, when the cursor pauses over an active icon. With all these changes, we've still kept faith with the Superbase legacy. For instance, programs developed in previous versions of Superbase will still run perfectly in Superbase95. Developers who are accustomed to using Super Basic Language will find that they can still do so, and switch to Object programming at their own pace. Superbase95 can help them do this with its progressive learning tools. For instance, it creates and displays object code from items created in SBL alongside the original SBL, giving a direct comparison between the two methodsof programming. System Requirements Even with all its new features, Superbase is still the least resource-intensive Windows database. Microsoft Windows 3.1 or higher running in standard or enhanced mode. PC using Intel 386 or higher processor. 4MB RAM. 10MB available disk space. High density diskette drive for installation EGA, VGA or other high resolution display supported by Microsoft 3.1 or later. Mouse, pen or compatible pointing device. Optional Equipment Any printer or network supported by Microsoft Windows 3.1 or later. Any Microsoft Windows compatible Media Control Interface (MCI) device. Superbase SQL Library 1.1 or later to connect to SQL database servers.