By popular demand here is a list of everything included in the separate PPL 2 packages:

PPL 2 Base Edition:

1. Create executable from the IDE.
2. Realtime code profiling and memory leaks detection.
3. Visual Programming, drag & drop.
4. Visual project manager allow simple object creation.
5. Visual Form Builder.
6. Auto-update installed components and packages.
7. Code-completion (Intellisense).
8. Tag search. Type english like phrase to find anything you want.
9. Smart moves (intelligent drag and drop of objects).
10. Integrated programmable Shell.
11. Intelligent help system and tooltips.
12. Open IDE API to create your own plugins.
13. Auto code templates.
14. Build components visually.
15. Advanced Help File Editor.
16. Syntax formatter.
17. Batch processor to create multiple objects at a time.
18. Find Wizard, search for anything, anywhere.
19. Visual Matrix data type editor.
20. Image list editor.

Orion Database Package:

1. Visual Query Editor.
2. Visual Report Builder.
3. Table Editor.
4. Database visual creation.
5. Table visual creation.
6. PDatabase, PTable, PGrid, PDBControl, PDBEdit, PDBCheckBox, PDBNavigator, PReport, PBand, PRText, PRDBText.
7. Database Project Templates.

Swirl Game Package:

1. Visual Map editor.
2. Surface Editor.
3. PGame, PMap, PSprite, PPhysicSprite, PWorldSprite, PLayer, PSoundEngine, PMusic, PSound
4. Game Project Templates.

Windows Mobile SDK:

1. Can create executables for Windows Mobile platforms.
2. Can compile and debug using Windows Mobile platforms.

As many of you, avid readers, know, PPL 2.0’s release was pushed to a later date. That date however is getting closer and this time we mean it.

PPL 2.0 is, by the day, getting new features and other areas are being polished and enhanced. The reason why we are adding new features late in the development is because in order to make PPL 2.0 a super easy programming environment (the way we’ve envisioned it at the beginning of the project), we are inventing new ways to program.

One of such new ways is called “Smart Moves”. This new technic allow you to drag objects over other objects and based on their class types, specific actions are taken. You define the smart moves in a file that looks like this.

<smartmove>
<source>PTable</source>
<target>PQuery</target>
<commands>
set 'Name' "'Name'_Query"
set 'Database' Root
set 'Query' "SELECT * FROM 'TableName'"
select Target
pide {pide_menu "Data:Populate Objects from Query"}
</commands>
</smartmove>

The smar moves definition file is an XML format file that contains commands to perform if an object is dragged over another. In this case, if a PTable object is dragged on a PQuery object, the query object will be assigned with all the necessary properties to execute the query on the source table. Even PField objects will be created with the Data -> Populate Objects From Query menu item. You can then drag the PField objects to, let’s say a PBand object in a report to create a PRText.

I think you get the idea, how powerful this new feature is?

The Orion database components are being worked on right now. We have the ability to easily create databases, tables and fields. If you already have a SQLite database file, just drag it to your project and all the neccessary objects will be created instantly. Importing text files into SQLite databases will be a breaze as well.

We also have a visual query builder included with the Orion library. We are working on a visual report builder which will allow you to preview reports on the Windows Mobile devices. This is something you don’t see in many WM development tools.

We are also adding a table data editor for you to insert and edit your tables data right from within the PPL 2.0 IDE.

Trust us the wait will have been well worth it!

Hey all, it has been quite a while since I’ve posted some updates. Don’t worry we are hard at work and we are getting somewhere.

We now have a Batch Operation dialog that allows you to set properties on multiple objects in one click. Same goes for creating a series of objects in one click.

Work on the Orion database engine started again this week. Yes, we’ve worked on it long ago and didn’t have time to retouch it. Now, we are putting polishing and we’ve came up with really cool stuff.

For example, creating a database with multiple tables, is a matter of dragging components to the project manager and select the database object and click ‘Create Database’, this will create the database file and create all the tables according to the fields specification you’ve specified.

Next is our visual query builder module and the report editor. The report editor module has not been worked on at all, so we are not sure yet what we will do, we would really like it to run on the Windows Mobile devices (in preview mode) but if it is too complicated we are going to go with an already made report builder.

So, in to sum up, the database support in PPL 2.0 will be very advanced (still SQLite based for portability and very small) fully object-oriented, create tables visually, create queries visually and create reports visually.

Our goal with PPL 2.0, is to offer a tool that is easy to use but also very powerful.

Work on promotion videos has started and we will be releasing small clips of the cool features you will be able to use in PPL 2.0.

Until next time, enjoy life!

There are a few new features I would like to include into PPL 2.0 before its official release:

• Real time memory analyzer with report, graph and chart.
• Real time profiler with report, graph and chart.
• Visual programming (icon based and all object-oriented).
• Visual SQL query builder and visual table builder.
• Report designer.
• SSL encryption.

The real time analyzers won’t be a huge job and will provide real time information about memory consumption and speed issues in your program.

The visual programming tool is pretty much all on paper right now, it should not be too hard and will provide PPL 2.0 with almost no coding application development.

The Enterprise components (SQL builders, table builders, Report designer and SSL encryption) will most probably use third party components integrated into the development environment.

Most of the higher level tools will probably be part of the Pro or Enterprise version. I am thinking about including three versions: Trial, Pro and Enterprise.

Chances are, we will start selling the versions with less features first and release the higher end versions later, nothing is set in stone just yet but it is a possibility.

As you may noticed from the way PPL 2.0 is shaping up, it is a HUGE step forward in the right direction (hopefully) and is going to target business developers and will focus less on Windows Mobile development. The platform is really going downhill, we hope it will have a second life if Microsoft wants it to.