Programming With Andromeda

Andromeda programming breaks up into two broad areas. The first is Database Programming and the second is Web Programming.

Database Programming

Database programming is done by creating a text file that describes the database. You then run the builder program that builds or upgrades the database. You can modify the spec and re-run the build as often as necessary or desired. Any kind of change can be made to the spec at any time, dropping columns, adding tables, modifying calculations, modifying security, and so forth.

During a build Andromeda adds anything to the database that was added to the spec since the last build. Andromeda will widen columns, add columns, modify calculations, and anything else that is necessary to bring the database up to spec. The builder will throw errors on impossible conversions. If you build a database with a character column, and later change the type_id to int, the builder will throw an error because it does not know how to make that conversion.

Database builds are non-destructive. If you remove a column from a table the builder will not drop the column from the table. Neither will the builder drop a table if it disappears from the spec. However, the run-time environment will completely ignore dropped columns and tables, it is as if they did not exist.

Web Programming

Andromeda provides zero code table maintenance screens, but the programmer can create any other kind of screen as well.

You can modify the default table maintenance forms or replace them outright. You can create different versions to run depending on whether a person is logged in, or whether they have certain privileges.

You can add special programs to the menu and code them up on their own pages.

You can install multiple templates and select different templates based on the user's access. This is useful for public sites, the site can have a public template that visitors see, while using the Andromeda default template for employees doing database administration.

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