Components of QAB
You will use the following QAB components when creating and running QAB programs:
- PROGMAKE, the QAB Program Editor, is used to create and edit QAB programs.
- PROGCOMP, the QAB Compiler, is used to analyse and check your program to prepare it for execution with PROGRUN or PROGRUND. It is also used to generate interface code for linking C functions and procedures into your own version of PROGRUN.
- PROGRUN, the QAB Interpreter is used to execute QAB programs. Although QA programs are interpreted, in general they will perform as well as an equivalent C program, because only a tiny proportion of the execution time of a typical DP4 program lies in application code.
- PROGRUND, the debugging QAB Interpreter, is used to execute QAB programs with debug facilities, such as the ability to set breakpoints or inspect and change data.
- QABUTIL is a collection of utility programs used with QAB. Amongst other programs it contains facilities to analyse and search your QAB programs in various ways, facilities to create transfer files that can be used to update QAB programs stored on an older version of the database, and facilities to delete unwanted QAB related data.
- PROGPRN is used to create a print-out of QAB programs and other data. In particular it can be used to create a pseudo-code representation of a QAB program that may be useful as part of a program specification if you decide to rewrite a QAB program using another programming language.
- AUTOQAB is a generator that can create in a customisable way QAB programs for maintaining static data tables. You may find it particularly useful as a way of proto-typing the maps for data entry programs.
- PROGBIND is a program that is used to maintain QAB programs that use Place Holders. It allows you to globally change your programs by attaching a different set of procedures to the Place Holders. It also contains several reports related to the use of Place Holders.
Related Programs
The following programs, though not specifically part of QAB, are also often used by QAB programmers or system integrators.
- MAPEDIT, the map editor, is used to create the maps used by your QAB programs. In 4.6xx releases you may also want to use MAPMAKE to gain access to some additional facilties.
- MAKEDB and the other DP4 database creation tools are likely to be useful. You will probably need to make changes to your database structure as your system develops.
- DFSETUP, the DP4 system set up program, will be useful if you are developing programs that use an OSDI.
- DBERA, is used to create "Era" records, that can be used by QABUTIL to exports parts of a QAB program changed since a specific point in time.