Customer Reviews

PowerBuilder® 6: A Developers Guide

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am relatively new to PowerBuilder having been in an actual production environment (outside of college) for about 7 months now and have read everything I can find on PowerBuilder. This is by far the best book I have been able to find. The author explains its capabilities clearly and the examples actually match the lesson. Far too often the examples briefly touch the subject and you finish a book no better off than when you began. Not so with this one. I highly recommend it for beginning PowerBuilder developers.

PowerBuilder 6 A Developer's Guide is a must have. There are example code with real world solutions to real world applications. You can immediately piece together a complete system by using the techniques used in the many sample applications provided on the enclosed CD.

The CD is packed with sample applications, code, and reference material, as well as links to the author's Web site. Good luck!

After reviewing all the available books on PowerBuilder, we selected this and used it as the sole source for training our programmers in PowerBuilder. The result of their first project was beyond our best expectations. Developers returned to this book time after time and found much of the example code reusable in our application. There are a number of typos, but all are obvious, the presentation shows his deep understanding of both PowerBuilder and instruction. Our highest recommendation.

An ok book to start with Powerbuilder. I expected much more from the author. I also found some editing errors in the text that would confuse anyone just learning Powerbuilder.

We just completed a week training with this book (though we're using PowerBuilder 8), with updates provided by the author. The entire class was up to speed so that on the 5th day, we were actually working on the new application system. As we worked through the examples in the book, I kept seeing examples of functions that we had planned and would need in the application, so I started cutting and pasting the code, objects and sometimes entire windows into our new application. I'd guess that as much as 70-80% of the completed application will be derived directly from this material, so in my view, the book proved worth it's weight in gold (training and function for our company). The support and advice from the website has been very useful also. In all, highly recommended, has saved us weeks if not months of development time.

If you purchase this book hoping to use the CD to follow the examples; DON'T. I tried to install the material following the author's instructions and had no success. When I e-mailed the author with an description of the error message; I received a non-response. I now have 1200 pages that should be tied to a working database to assist me in my development which now will not happen. Wait for the movie.

I have purchsed most of PowerBuilder book on Amazon. This book, "PowerBuilder 6: A Developer's Guilde" , is exactly what I (as an experienced programmer, but new to PowerBuilder) needed. Over 1200 pages , with a CD-ROM containing many thousands of lines of reuseable code. Every feature of PowerBuilder is demonstrated in a short, minimal example, and then each is incorporated into a larger application.

Everytime I wanted to add semething new to my application, such as a ListView or TreeView, I would struggle on my own to understand the syntax and function; then I'd turn to this book, find the section on that object, and drop the example code directly into my application. With a few general changes (or often with no changes) the object worked in my application. After a few of these experiences, I came to trust that the book's example where always the easiest starting point. Soon everyone on my team was borrowing my copy of the book.

The writing is clear and too the point, it assumes that the reader is an experienced programmer, new to PowerBuilder, and the author leverages the knowlegde of the reader. He does not reteach basic programming constructs, but shows how they are expressed in PowerBuilder (PowerScript) and what's unique about it. The section on event-driven programming was very enlightening about how PowerBuilder (and Windows) works under the covers to send the events and messages and triggers that provide the framework for programming.

The only negative is that I wish there was a more detailed index, however the material is organized so clearly, that is easy to find the information that I need through the table of contents (if I didn't find it in the index).

Over all, this book helped me progresss to the advanced level as a PowerBuilder programmer. I believe I've read every page of the book, and used most of the code examples in the process. Based on this book, I was able to obtain my PB Certification which is essentially required for contractors to get an interview about possible projects. Where ever I go, this book is with me, I don't loan it out any longer...

With examples of every feature/function in PowerBuilder, designed in such a general way so that I can drop the code in and it functions with minor (usually renaming) changes. This is the best value for me professionally. I would love to see an updated version for the recent PB release.

Although this book provides a mildly structured approach to attacking powerbuilder, it lacks any qualitites one should look for as a developer. Index is lacking, poor examples, the order in which it presents its information is rather poor. Highlights of the book: it doesn't go in depth with much, and were it not so poorly written, it could be a good beginners manual.