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The flexible rapid application development environment

When developing a mission critical business application, choosing the right client-server programming environment is one of the most important challenges facing the developer.

What is KCML?

KCML is a complete client-server runtime environment encompassing a powerful 4GL implementation language, GUI and character mode user interfaces and a built in high performance relational database. KCML reduces complexity by having a single portable implementation language for the business logic, the user interface and database access. The KCML Workbench is the development environment used by programmers to write and interactively debug programs. It has a built in graphical forms designer and object browser.

Committed to ongoing development

As new technologies emerge KCML is continuously evolving, thus ensuring your development remains competitive (KCML is in its 5th major revision). The ToolSet Development Division at Kerridge is totally committed to the ongoing development of the product. KCML's design simplifies administration and minimizes costs, therefore optimizing performance and guaranteeing the most up to date component versions are always used. KCML implements the thin client model where the workstation is solely responsible for managing the user interface and the business logic is centralized on an application server. Deployment of object components from the server to the workstation is completely automatic and managed using a caching technology that minimizes bandwidth. The workstation can be a minimally specified Windows PC, a network computer or even a character based terminal, while the application server can be Unix or NT.

Graphical User Interface

The user interface for KCML can present forms with standard GUI controls such as buttons, list boxes, edit boxes and grids. Forms can also embed OCX or ActiveX controls, and can be data aware with an automatic binding of controls to database tables on the server - greatly simplifying the programming task.

Client Server architecture

KCML separates the business logic of the program from the presentation of the forms to the user. KCML itself executes on a server and communicates with the client over a TCP/IP network. Forms are displayed on a thin Microsoft Windows client which uses caching technology to make best use of network bandwidth.

Object orientated programming

Programs can make use of an object methodology for manipulating components like forms and database tables. Objects have methods and properties and are manipulated in a familiar dot notation. Objects can have event handlers that respond to user events e.g. the clicking of a button on a form, allowing an event driven programming style ideally suitable for GUI applications.

International

KCML programs can support multiple languages simultaneously using a concept of a current display language and multiple string resources. The workbench and forms designer have features to display each supported language and to facilitate translation. Environments supported include Eastern Europe, Middle Eastern right to left text and Far Eastern double byte character sets.

Portability and Scalability

The KCML server is available for Windows NT, Windows 95 and most popular versions of Unix including Linux, AIX, HP-UX, Solaris, Digital Unix, SCO OpenServer and Unixware.

Maximum F

Powerful Database Engine KCML programs can extend themselves to take advantage of specific operating system features. This can be through directly calling functions in a Unix shared library or Windows DLL, or by invoking methods in an OCX or ActiveX component. In the Windows domain it is also possible to interact with other programs using DDE or OLE Automation from the KCML client with the KCML application acting in either the client or server role.

Built in open database

KCML boasts a built in relational database engine tuned for high performance in multi-user environments. Tables can be accessed either via SQL, at the ISAM level or using a rowset object model. An optional gateway is available for transparent access to Oracle tables using exactly the same grammar as native tables. KCML database tables can be accessed by PC desktop applications through an optional ODBC driver. The Microsoft ODBC standard for accessing databases is supported by hundreds of Windows applications and guarantees open access to all your data, while honoring the access restrictions enforced by the database security model.  

Copyright © 2003 [Orion Systems, Ltd]. All rights reserved.
Last modified: Thursday April 28, 2005.