Application Framework Slow to Open

[hike]

Hi,

Can anyone offer any tips for me: I have an application I built using application framework. When I open a form that I designed it seems to take a long time to open (about 5seconds or so). Does anyone know exactly why and if there's a way to speed it up?

Thank you in advance,
Hike

 

[Langley]

I've never used the application framework, but usually it's something to with some processing attached to the INIT oe OPEN methods.

Mac

"Do not delve too deeply in the arts of your enemy and so become ensnared by them"

langley_mckelvy@cd4.co.harris.tx.us

 

[footpad]

Hike,

I don't use the AF myself. (I've been using Paradox for so long that I already have enough toolkit code and personal preferences that the AF never really added anything useful for me.)

However, I do know that slowly opening forms can frequently be sped up by taking another look at the form itself and the way it performs the tasks it was designed for.

For example, if you include queries in the data model, Paradox needs to run those queries before it can actually display the form. In this case, taking another look at the task you're solving can frequently uncover a different way of doing things to speed things up for the end user.

In the case of a form that needs to open queries, I generally try to do that in two steps. Instead of placing the queries in the data model, I'll usually create an interim form that tells the user what's going to happen next and then run each query before trying to open the final form.

This gives me the change to:

-- a) use something other than queries to select the appropriate records,

-- b) provide the user with some tools to customize the selection process (the default might be to display yesterday's orders, so I'll place an edit box for the user to enter a different date. This lets the process perform double duty),

-- c) verify that these queries return results, and

-- d) validate things before they become problems. For example, the might not type a date value into the edit box I mentioned earlier. By validating before the queries run, I don't waste a lot of time trying to run queries that will fail because of the bad input data.

Now, these examples may or may not apply to what you're working with. Why not tell us a little about the form, what you're trying to accomplish, and a little bit about the way you've put it together? We might be able to suggest some different approaches that could yield better performance.

Hope this helps...

-- Lance

 

[hike]

Thanks for all your suggestions.

I have no queries in my form. In fact, it still takes a little while to open when I have no code written. What I have are three tables in my data model: Table 1 is the master table attached to Table 2 as 1:m; Table 2 is a master table to Table 3 as 1:m also.

I've tried using AF before and this seems to happen all the time. As you suggested Langley, it might have to do with all the processing built-in during the open or init event.

I'm thinking of forgetting AF altogether so I don't have to worry about this anymore. But can I still use my application as a stand alone using Runtime?

Thanks again everyone for your help,
Hike

 

[footpad]

Hike,

Discarding the AF is probably the best idea. I've heard very few good things about it.

As far as Runtime goes, yes, you can stage any ObjectPAL application from within Runtime, provided you don't try to add features that don't specifically work in Runtime, e.g. form/report design and so on. (Those are pretty well documented in the Runtime .HLP file.)

Hope this helps...

-- Lance

 

[hike]

Lance,

Thanks. I think I'll do that.

Cheers,
Francis