Objects are the basic building blocks for building software using object-oriented methodologies. Objects might contain data (attributes) and logic (methods). In System Modeler, many object characteristics are specified as properties on the object. AB Suite framework objects consist of built-in:
Classes– Is the blueprint of an object. It is an abstract definition for creating other identical objects. Classes are abstract descriptions of objects. An object can inherit its definition from a class. Each element in a Class can be defined to be visible:
Only within its Class (private).
Within its Class and any class inheriting from it (protected).
Outside its Class (public).
Methods – A method is a sequence of logic statements that apply to an object. It specifies the algorithm or procedure that affects the outcome of an operation. That is, it defines a behavior of the object to which it belongs. The model allows you to define the logic in a range of different languages. In Agile Business Suite this can be LDL+ or a dialect of SQL (as used in SQL scripts).
The Agile Business Suite framework includes some built-in methods that form part of its processing cycles.
Attribute – Is a member of an object that holds the state of a class. It is a specification that defines a property of an object, element, or a file. An attribute of an object usually consists of name and value of an element, type or class name of a file, and name and extension. Data used by an ispec, or other class, are called attributes. Attributes are specialized variables and can be persistent. The characteristics of an attribute are; it becomes output by virtue of being persistent, and input by virtue of appearing in a user interface, or the combination of the two.
The properties of an attribute describe its role and the type of data that it needs to store. An attribute has properties such as Name, Caption, Description, and Direction. Direction property Indicate the direction that values can be passed between the attribute in memory and its presentation that is input or output type.
Note: You must not use C# reserved words for attribute names if you want to generate ASP.NET Web Service views (C# projects) for the application. This is because the attributes are generated as fields in a C# class. If you use C# reserved words for attribute names, syntax errors could occur when compiling the C# project.
Variable – Is a temporary storage for information that is required during the lifespan of the application. Variables are a specialization of a Type, and they can be used anywhere a Type is used. This implements the same as relationship, where another Variable acts as a Type.
Variables can act as:
Local variables in a Method.
Attributes of a Class.
Parameters to a Method.
An object can have member variables added to it. The members of a class are ordered, like the parameters of a Method.
Parameter – Is a special variable used to pass data into and/or out of a method call.