After running a WinDev application thru its paces, I am left wanting for a replacement for Clarion’s browse grid control. Scroll speed in the WinDev version is hypersonic; having a search box appear in a column header saves screen space. The Xplore template can emulate some of WinDev’s column filtering capability. Column header icons indicating sort/multi-level sort in the WinDev control are more modern looking.
I tried looking at the Noyantis Codejock wrapper, but was met with 404 errors for demo links - and an Activex control would have to be compatible with Clarion to add/edit/delete/filter records.
Are there other options that can work with Clarion to spruce up a table control, which - let’s face it - is the primary interface between a user and the information they seek. Clarion’s control is really dated looking and short on features for 2026…
I would look at using native API calls for controls and then have a class to bind the data from the filemanager/files to the window control(s) on a per thread basis, per control instance basis.
A class would be ideal because of the properties it brings to the table, like instantiation, isolation of variables, and reusability.
Some GUI controls will have similar properties with other GUI controls, eg the scroll bar, added to some controls, in both horizontal and vertical format. This is why I say a class for individual controls would be ideal.
The manifest file will state what version of ComCtl32.dll is using.
It will be a version 6 because Windows visual styles/themes are used, if they are not, it might drop back to a version 5.
Or if using Process Explorer
Run your Clarion .exe.
Open Process Explorer, find your executable in the list, and double-click it.
Switch to the DLLs tab.
Scroll down to comctl32.dll.
A path ending in \WinSxS\...\comctl32.dll indicates Version 6.
A path ending in \Windows\System32\comctl32.dll indicates Version 5.
Be under no illusion, this activity could be considered close to being a major part of the Clarion Runtime, but once you have done this, you can then look at other GUI libraries. Most will probably be familiar with Qt and GTK through Linux distro’s.
Building additional “default” functionality into a control also becomes easier. Like the Text control could have functionally this built into it, in particular the Text Formatter.
Edit.
This is an example of data binding whilst porting to Linux using an Ai LLM model, I think Anthropic Claude.
In this example, the Azure cloud is being used as the always on database, and until Starlink appeared, would have been a risky bet because large parts of the world still has no internet access or dialup at best, thus making the case for offline storage a must.
OS Native File access/ODBC access can become things like JSON-RPC which are built on the raw communication protocols TCP/IP.
Ever since Clarion 5, I’ve been hoping for a workable solution to display images (I mean thumbnails) in the browser. The grid—which, as far as I recall, was introduced in Clarion 11—is slow and unreliable. My experiences with Noyantis have been nothing but bad—though that may well have been my own fault.
That led me to switch completely to Windev, which actually offers more possibilities—and without third-party add-ons. However, this switch isn’t without its problems: Windev is now only available as a subscription; the language seems a bit unstable compared to Clarion.
If there were a (stable) version of Clarion that offered the same controls as Windev, I’d happily switch back. But I’m afraid that, at 61 years old, I won’t live to see that happen. It’s a shame—I’ve been very attached to Clarion since 1990, but its visual capabilities have hardly evolved at all in over 20 years.
Last time I had Windev, where it loses for me is, its not possible to get the code out in a format for transpilers to use, let alone any other tool to translate it to a different language. Its a total lock-in, that only works in Pubs.
At least Visual Studio and other programming languages make it possible and easier to port to new languages and OS’es.
Whats not stable? I found my Windev apps would randomly crash.
Open Source has open libraries, private languages like Clarion or Windev have different ways for new features to be available. Its a case of choose what suits best.
As per my email, the Report Control / Report Grid is always under constant updating, that’s mainly because its at the very heart of all of our commercial apps. We’re constantly optimizing and enhancing it to add more functionality to our apps.
I’ll ensure the demo app is up to date and will post the link here. I can also quickly cover its functions on Wednesday’s ClarionLive webinar if that helps?
Thank you for the reply. I had migrated away from Clarion a few years ago to WinDev.. but now that the new owners of WinDev are allegedly changing subscription pricing and charging an excessive per-EXE fee for a WinDev compiled application, I may have to revert back to Clarion. The WinDev table control is light-years ahead of what Clarion possesses (and never updated) in terms of capability, scrolling speed, and handling large database files. I don’t require an Outlook-style grid control – just a simple columnar display, but a current-looking appearance, faster scrolling speed, integrated filter/search capability, yet still be fully compatible with the Clarion CRUD and with Clarion 3rd party QBE products (e.g. Auratek Query Wizard) – hence my request for a Clarion-compiled database example with a sizable database to “kick the tires” before spending a lot of money with CodeJock (who apparently stopped selling its components piecemeal – unless I am missing something on their web site).
I have a hectic schedule, but if you can cover how to implement the CodeJock component into a Clarion application and show how the standard Clarion CRUD and 3rd party QBE tool(s) work, I believe I can download (or view) that webinar at my leisure?
Maybe there is an ActiveX grid control you could use? If so, a lot of progress has been made in recent times in making ActiveXs easier to implement in Clarion.
If you do find one and need help with it ask again back here.
I’m talking about the IDE. Ever since Clarion 8, I’ve had the impression that new versions are being rushed to market without being tested. Take Clarion 12.13999, for example. How is it possible that the update buttons suddenly stopped working? The first version of the Grid in Clarion 11 only displayed images in the first cell.
Like I said: If Clarion worked flawlessly and offered the same capabilities as Windev, I’d be back with Clarion tomorrow.
It could be for a number of reasons and it might not have shown up in testing.
I dont know enough about SV to have much of a comment, and even whats official may not be the whole picture.
I think @BoxSoft did something where an app could be tested automatically/programatically which will help in some situations, but as only Win11 is now officially supported by MS, with a few Win10 LTSC variants like IoT Enterprise to 2032, its easy to see how some things can slip through the net.
Not ideal, but we have to work with what have got.
If resources permit jumping ship to alternatives so beit.
Its your call, I dont care what you do, but I did find my biggest gripe with WinDev was windows randomly shutting down. I wasnt as quick on it either, and I couldnt do mass updates across the app quickly or easily.
