Using Ultra Tree is not the same as regular, everyday use of Clarion's database designer, the DCT, or the application designer & generator, IDE, to build the browses, menues, forms, and reports for Whitemarsh's two main systems, Metabase and Midas? While each of these two systems has hundreds of tables and thousands of procedure routines, they are all very carefully engineered together to be exceedingly non-redundant.
Using UltraTree, while absolutely critical to these two very large systems, was simply not an everyday development activity. Needed also was the development of a reliable and repeatable set of work products that serve as the UltraTree construction and use-technique "memory."
In 1996 when the need for an UltraTree like data structure for Bill of Materials first arose, and after a number of weeks building one by hand, Phil Carroll's product UltraTree was recommended as a replacement. It constructed in several hours what previously took weeks to build. To ensure reliable and repeatable UltraTree windows and application rebuilding, a very careful study of Phil Carroll's required DCT and the App files that Phil had built was undertaken.
To Phil, all this was self evident. And why not, it was his daily obsession for almost 30 years at IBM and for almost 30 years building these preeminent tools. Such intense efforts leads one to believe that it would all be self-evident for us as well.
Phil, being the "conservative" demo maker that he was, put every variation of every feature, technique or alternative in the very same demo app. Let's just say, sorting it all out to just use only what was needed for a specific UltraTree DCT and APP was...well, finding the right word is an exercise for the reader.
That began the building of Cheat Sheets. Building code-snippets followed soon thereafter. Then building whole code collections were undertaken that could put into every app that needed some aspect of an Ultra Tree. Not only did virtually all the Whitemarsh applications need an UltraTree, some needed three, four or five.
Lots of redundant code resulted. Engineered was a way to build generalized app code-sets that only required "mapping" the generalized code-sets to the application's tables, columns, and keys. Immediate standardization and real reduction in resources were realized in coding and testing.
Recently, a whole code collection resulted in the replacement of "JP's" data migration system that was lost when he passed. The Whitemarsh data migration system dynamically creates an UltraTree from a DCTX (a backup text based DCT). This system is now a stand-alone application for Active UseSupport subscribers.
Extended from that, another application is under design to generate UltraTrees from TXAs. For example, where are all the different places table rows are created, used, updated and even deleted? Where are all the different places a given Procedure Routine is used, a key is employed, and so on.
Extended even from that is another UltraTree-based application that supports project management.
UseSupport of value becuase it contains an active, growing and ever updated set of tools, techniques and guidance through which use of the UltraTree & family can be a greater value. Not just for UltraTree users, and not just for Clarion users, but also for non-Clarion users as they use Clarion and UltraTree to prototype IT applications. UseSupport subscriber help us grow.
