Data Access Worldwide Forums - DataFlex Technology Stack Testing

Data Access Worldwide Forums - DataFlex Technology Stack Testing https://support.dataaccess.com/Forums/ A forum dedicated to discussing, testing, and shaping the future of the Technology Stack project. en Wed, 15 Jul 2026 11:03:33 GMT vBulletin 60 https://support.dataaccess.com/Forums/images/misc/rss.png Data Access Worldwide Forums - DataFlex Technology Stack Testing https://support.dataaccess.com/Forums/ Various string operations compared https://support.dataaccess.com/Forums/showthread.php?73379-Various-string-operations-compared&goto=newpost Tue, 07 Jul 2026 10:49:39 GMT So, inspired by Samuel and Marco's thoughts about strings, I built some tests and ran them under the various runtimes we (where "we" refers to the chosen few from the TechStack training at FlexRoads ;)) have access to in DF27 (pre-pre-alpha ;)).

I've summarised the results (only one run each - yes, I know I should do it several times and average the results :o) in a Google Sheet here, but have also attached them as a PDF here DF 27 (pre-alpha) string tests - Sheet1.pdf (the forum doesn't like .xlsx files it seems). All results are in milliseconds (for which I had to write my own arithmetic routines as the TimeSpan stuff isn't working yet).

The basis of the tests is that I load a string with A-Z, a-z comma-separated values (so 52 characters, with commas between then) 5,000 times (so the resulting string is 519,999 characters long). I do that by first loading them into a UChar array and then converting that to a string (very quick under all implementations). For comparison I also load a string array with the same characters (but without the commas, so just 260,000 of them).

I then do a bunch of string-things on those: split to an array (the new runtimes do this in native code, rather than DF code, so are very much faster), finding and replacing, replaces, joining, inserting, removing, finding and overstriking, etc.

It was a bit of a pain to get the same essential code to run under all the different toolchains, but it is done now. I'd really like it if there was an easy way to check which toolchain you are using, but I guess that will come in time.

Mike

PS - Can't seem to spell "operations" today! :o

PPS - The bold column headings are what (SysConf(SYSCONF_OS_NAME)) returns for each of the five extant toolchains, plus, in the Windows cases, "- 64 bit" or "- 32 bit" depending on the compile-time value of Is$Win64.

Attached Files

DF 27 (pre-alpha) string tests - Sheet1.pdf (51.4 KB)

]]> DataFlex Technology Stack Testing Mike Peat https://support.dataaccess.com/Forums/showthread.php?73379-Various-string-operations-compared A funny one... ;) https://support.dataaccess.com/Forums/showthread.php?73378-A-funny-one-)&goto=newpost Tue, 07 Jul 2026 07:11:34 GMT Wrote "Object oXYZ" but forgot to add "is a cABC". I was using the 0.1.5+wasm-32 toolchain at the time, so was amused to see the error: "NO_IMAGE, INVALID LITERAL". ;)

Mike ]]> DataFlex Technology Stack Testing Mike Peat https://support.dataaccess.com/Forums/showthread.php?73378-A-funny-one-) Oh no! :( https://support.dataaccess.com/Forums/showthread.php?73374-Oh-no!-(&goto=newpost Fri, 03 Jul 2026 14:55:56 GMT = iArg) Move iArg& to sArg : : ...]]> It seems that my favourite nasty hack:

Code:

While (num_arguments >= iArg)

     Move iArg& to sArg

           :

           :

     Increment iArg

Loop

Is no longer allowed: "Error 4391 ... Indexed and split fields are no longer allowed, use the reflection API." :(

Mike ]]> DataFlex Technology Stack Testing Mike Peat https://support.dataaccess.com/Forums/showthread.php?73374-Oh-no!-( <![CDATA[No "LINK ERROR" on new compilers]]> https://support.dataaccess.com/Forums/showthread.php?73371-No-quot-LINK-ERROR-quot-on-new-compilers&goto=newpost Thu, 02 Jul 2026 12:18:45 GMT If you compile a program while a previous version of it is running, under the "old" toolchains (27.0.0-windows32/64) you get a "- LINK ERROR: UNABLE TO OPEN FILE..." with a red circled exclamation-point making it clear it didn't work.

However under the "new" toolchains this doesn't happen. Instead the compiler reports "----Compile Finished in n.n seconds ---- ... ----Executable written: ..." , which last statement really isn't true. To compound the confusion, if you then realise your error, stop the running program, go back to the Studio and recompile, you then get "- No changes detected, skipping compile ... ----Compile Finished in 0 seconds ---- ... ----Executable written: ..." (again untrue) - you have to make a change to an involved source file in order to force the compiler into action. 'Tis confusing for a poor fuddled developer. :confused:

Mike ]]> DataFlex Technology Stack Testing Mike Peat https://support.dataaccess.com/Forums/showthread.php?73371-No-quot-LINK-ERROR-quot-on-new-compilers Debugging throwing a COM error https://support.dataaccess.com/Forums/showthread.php?73367-Debugging-throwing-a-COM-error&goto=newpost Tue, 30 Jun 2026 10:25:51 GMT Doing a bit of debugging, using (in this case) the 27.0.0+windows-64 toolchain, I am getting a COM error: Code: --------- C:\Program... Doing a bit of debugging, using (in this case) the 27.0.0+windows-64 toolchain, I am getting a COM error:

Code:

C:\Program Files\DataFlex 27.0\Bin64\Studio.exe

COM object method invocation error





Internal Error: boost::any_cast() failed unexpectedly. Contained type, if any, is incorrect





Error: 4399





Please report this error to Data Access Corporation





GET_COMEVAL (14038) - oDebuggerEngine (882) - at address 109466

MSG_ONCOMEVALUATEQUICKINFO (13473) - oCodeComplete (5296) - at address 146976

[start] - at address 292193

When hovering over a DateTime variable (dtStart), just after doing: Move (CurrentDateTime()) to it - the breakpoint is on the next line: I'm just trying to check what is in it.

Edit: The "Locals" pane shows for dtStart "Internal Error: boost::any_cast() failed unexpectedly. Contained type, if any, is incorrect".

Mike ]]> DataFlex Technology Stack Testing Mike Peat https://support.dataaccess.com/Forums/showthread.php?73367-Debugging-throwing-a-COM-error DateTime arithmetic no (yet) working https://support.dataaccess.com/Forums/showthread.php?73365-DateTime-arithmetic-no-(yet)-working&goto=newpost Mon, 29 Jun 2026 15:00:37 GMT Just saying ('coz I'm sure it will get fixed in due course), but in messing around with measuring how fast things were working I noticed that my usual:

Code:

    DateTime stStart dtEnd

    TimeSpan tsTook

        :

        :



    Move (CurrentDateTime()) to dtStart



    // Thing that I'm measuring...



    Move (CurrentDateTime()) to dtEnd

    Move (dtEnd - dtStart) to tsTook

Doesn't (yet) work in the 0.1.5+native-64/32 toolchain versions. tsTook seems (in the debugger) to hold a value similar to 4:14:25:51.912 (4+ days! ;)) while the actual time was well under 1 second, while Showln (String(tsTook)) displays 02:25:51 (no milliseconds), from which I concluded that TimeSpan handling code is a bit broken ATM.

So I've had to hand-roll my own code to work out and display the difference between two DateTimes.

Mike ]]> DataFlex Technology Stack Testing Mike Peat https://support.dataaccess.com/Forums/showthread.php?73365-DateTime-arithmetic-no-(yet)-working Tell what toochain is used https://support.dataaccess.com/Forums/showthread.php?73362-Tell-what-toochain-is-used&goto=newpost Fri, 26 Jun 2026 15:34:12 GMT Is there a mechanism for checking which toolchain a program has been compiled under? Like IS$WIN64. Mike Is there a mechanism for checking which toolchain a program has been compiled under? Like IS$WIN64.

Mike ]]> DataFlex Technology Stack Testing Mike Peat https://support.dataaccess.com/Forums/showthread.php?73362-Tell-what-toochain-is-used Timeline please https://support.dataaccess.com/Forums/showthread.php?73361-Timeline-please&goto=newpost Fri, 26 Jun 2026 15:24:32 GMT Yes, I am whining. I know I know, you said the preview build is coming soon, and I know the people that attended that Amsterdam conference got... Yes, I am whining.

I know I know, you said the preview build is coming soon, and I know the people that attended that Amsterdam conference got the preview build. It's just annoying to see people talking and using the preview already and I am left with nothing to play with.

Frank Cheng ]]> DataFlex Technology Stack Testing Frank Cheng https://support.dataaccess.com/Forums/showthread.php?73361-Timeline-please Welcome to the Technology Stack testing forum https://support.dataaccess.com/Forums/showthread.php?73358-Welcome-to-the-Technology-Stack-testing-forum&goto=newpost Thu, 25 Jun 2026 19:21:26 GMT Welcome to the Technology Stack testing forum. This new section is dedicated to discussing, testing, and shaping the future of the Technology Stack... Welcome to the Technology Stack testing forum. This new section is dedicated to discussing, testing, and shaping the future of the Technology Stack project: the development of a new DataFlex runtime that, among many other improvements, will bring back multi-platform support.

The first major target platform is WebAssembly, enabling WebApps with offline capabilities that can be packaged as real mobile applications. This will be followed by server-side WebApps and FlexTron desktop applications on Windows. Looking further ahead, we also plan to support additional platforms such as Linux and macOS through a new Web Server.

The first DataFlex release to include this new runtime will be DataFlex 2027. A Technology Preview is coming soon, and trainees from FlexRoads have already received an early build. We expect an extended first release cycle and plan to provide regular monthly updates as we work toward a stable first release.

In the coming preview, you can expect the first hands-on look at the new runtime in action, including the foundations for WebAssembly support and the path toward offline-capable, cross-platform DataFlex applications. We look forward to your feedback, questions, and real-world testing as this work progresses. ]]> DataFlex Technology Stack Testing Harm Wibier https://support.dataaccess.com/Forums/showthread.php?73358-Welcome-to-the-Technology-Stack-testing-forum TechStack - WishList - better array assignement syntax https://support.dataaccess.com/Forums/showthread.php?73355-TechStack-WishList-better-array-assignement-syntax&goto=newpost Wed, 24 Jun 2026 17:12:34 GMT Please, please, please... provide support to have a easier, and more direct way of assigning multiple items to an array... basically,... Please, please, please...

provide support to have a easier, and more direct way of assigning multiple items to an array...

basically, instead of

Code:

Move "A" to sArray[0]

Move "B" to sArray[1]

Move "C" to sArray[2] 

...

Something like

Code:

Move ["A","B","C"] to sArray

It does not need to be necessarily like this. but you got the idea..

I would appreciate it a lot! ]]> DataFlex Technology Stack Testing Samuel Pizarro https://support.dataaccess.com/Forums/showthread.php?73355-TechStack-WishList-better-array-assignement-syntax