IDOL-IV separates application logic from application data. Programs written in Script-IV and Thoroughbred Basic refer to Dictionary-IV for every data item, including table and file definitions, screen designs and user messages. Those definitions sit outside the code.
Why it matters
- More time on design. Compared with a conventional 3GL, IDOL-IV shifts effort from coding and debugging to application design and usability. Once an application is designed, its technical documentation follows almost automatically.
- Lower maintenance costs. Because definitions are separate from logic, a change is made in one place, and retesting and quality assurance are simpler.
- Portable applications. Application code is isolated from the hardware and operating system, and Thoroughbred handles the porting. Because the whole user interface is isolated too, moving an application from one spoken language to another is straightforward.
- Fast prototyping. You can generate sample applications quickly, put them in front of real users and adjust them based on feedback.
Components
- Dictionary-IV: the object dictionary
- Script-IV: the 4GL procedural language
- Report-IV: the report generator
- Query-IV: end-user query management with SQL
- Source-IV: source code management
How it fits
The OPENworkshop and Dictionary-IV installation places Thoroughbred products in the IDOL-IV object library, and IDOL-IV operator codes and passwords are used for security, including TS ODBC DataServer logins. For object-oriented development on the same foundation, see OPENworkshop.