4D Documentation

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Creating or opening a project

All projects are handled through 4D in local or remote mode, or 4D Server.

Creating a project

New 4D application projects can be created from 4D or 4D Server (see Developing a project). In any case, project files are stored on the local machine.

To create a new project:

  1. Launch 4D or 4D Server.

  2. Select New > Project... from the File menu:

    OR

    (4D only) Select Project... from the New toolbar button:

    A standard Save dialog appears so you can choose the name and location of the 4D project's main folder.

  3. Enter the name of your project folder and click Save.

    This name will be used:

    • as the name of the entire project folder,
    • as the name of the .4DProject file at the first level of the "Project" folder.

    You can choose any name allowed by your operating system. However, if your project is intended to work on other systems or to be saved via a source control tool, you must take their specific naming recommendations into account.

When you validate the Save dialog, 4D closes the current project (if any), creates a project folder at the indicated location, and puts all files needed for the project into it. For more information, refer to Architecture of a 4D Project.

You can then start developing your project.

Opening a local project

To open an existing project locally from 4D:

  1. Select Open a local application project in the Welcome Wizard dialog,

    OR

    Select Open/Local Project... from the File menu or the Open toolbar button.

    The standard Open dialog appears.

  2. Select the project's .4dproject file and click Open.

    By default, the project is opened with its current data file. Other file types are suggested:

    • Packed project files: .4dz extension - deployment projects
    • Shortcut files: .4dlink extension - store additional parameters needed for opening projects or applications (addresses, identifiers, etc.)
    • Binary files: .4db or .4dc extension - legacy 4D database formats

Options

In addition to standard system options, the Open dialog in 4D provides two menus with specific options that are available using the Open button and the Data file menu.

  • Open - opening mode of the project:

  • Data file - specifies the data file to be used with the project. By default, the Current data file option is selected.

Opening a remote project

The first time you connect to a 4D Server project via a remote 4D, you will usually use the standard connection dialog. Thereafter, you will be able to connect directly using the Open Recent Projects menu or a 4DLink shortcut file (see below).

To connect remotely to a 4D Server project:

  1. Select Connect to 4D Server in the Welcome Wizard dialog,

    OR

    Select Open/Remote Project... from the File menu or the Open toolbar button.

The 4D Server connection dialog appears. This dialog has three tabs: Recent, Available, and Custom.

If 4D Server is connected to the same network as the remote 4D, select Available. 4D Server includes a built-in TCP/IP broadcasting system that, by default, publishes the name of the 4D Server projects available over the network. The list is sorted by order of appearance and updated dynamically.

To connect to a server from the list, double-click on its name or select it and click the OK button.

A circumflex accent (^) is placed before the name of projects published with the encryption option enabled.

If the published project is not displayed in the Available list, select Custom. The Custom page allows you to connect to a published server on the network using its network address and assigning it a customized name.

  • Project name: Defines the local name of the 4D Server project. This name will be used in the Recent page when referring to the project.
  • Network address: The IP address of the machine where the 4D Server was launched.

    If two servers are executed simultaneously on the same machine, the IP address must be followed by a colon and port number, for example: 192.168.92.104:19814.

    By default, the publishing port of a 4D Server is 19813. This number can be modified in the Project settings.

Once this page assigns a server, clicking the OK button will allow you to connect to the server.

If the project is published with the encryption option enabled, you must add a circumflex accent (^) before the name, otherwise the connection will be refused. For more information, refer to the Encrypting Client/Server Connections section.

Once a connection to the server has been established, the remote project will be listed on the Recent tab.

Project opening shortcuts

4D offers two ways to let you open projects directly and bypass the Open dialog:

  • via menu options:

    • Menu bar - File > Open Recent Projects / {project name}
    • 4D Tool bar - Select the project from the menu associated with the Open button

  • via preferences:

    • Set the At startup general preference to Open last used project.
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