Power Strings is an extensive collection of routines and objects to assist in data management when working with strings within development environments. If you are dealing with data, whether internal program data, text files, or data from a database, you are going to need to reference and manipulate data in string format. Power Strings makes that task much easier with a function library and set of objects that goes far beyond the meager string handling and data collection functions of existing development environments.

VPLib20 General Procedure Object Library: Functions, Conversions, Validations

Power Strings comes with a procedure library that when used with Visual Basic, provides functional enhancements directly to the Visual Basic language. All you have to do is add a simple reference to your project and a whole host of subroutines and functions are automatically at your disposal, nothing to declare, just like they were part of the native Visual Basic language. For other development environments the procedure library objects can be instantiated and they make available all the same functions and subroutines. There are routines for validating data, converting data from one format to another, dynamic string array functions, and general string management routines. The Power Strings procedure library includes the following:

VPDsa20 Dynamic String Array Object Library

Power Strings also includes a Dynamic String Array object. Imagine working with arrays of variable length data. Arrays that can have any number of dimensions, containing records, fields, values, and even sub-values, or any architecture that you want. Arrays that are truly dynamic, in that they can easily have elements replaced, inserted, deleted, or even sorted. It can even support XML structures with support for multidimensional elements and attributes.

Now imagine these dynamic arrays as an encapsulated object with an extensive set of properties and methods that make it easy to manage your data. An object that can be persistently saved to disk and restored from disk. An object that can import XML files or ADO record set objects, or export its contents to Tab-delimited or CSV standard text, HTML tables, a valid XML file with optional DTD or XML Schema, or an ADO record set object. An object that can be set for unattended use so that it can be used within remote objects that utilize n-tier programming approaches, taking advantage of COM+/MTS or DCOM.

Imagine an object that easily lets you find its data. You want to locate a particular element within your multidimensional array object, you have powerful search methods that will find what your looking for, with exact matching, partial sub-string matching, or searching with wild card characters. And the methods of a Dynamic String Array object are very efficient.

There is a lot more to a Dynamic Array Object. The following is a list of its properties and methods:

VPDDO20 Data Definition Object Library

In addition, Power Strings has a series of objects that encapsulates complex data types. These are Data Definition Objects or DDO’s and they provide extensive logic in validating data, converting data to a display output format, and converting data into an internal storage format if a persistent state is needed. These objects are great when you want to add field validation and output formatting for User Interface controls such as Text Boxes, Combo Boxes, Labels, and Grid controls. For the COM-based version they can work hand in hand with the DataFormat property and Validation events of controls in Visual Basic 6.0.

As an example, you can use the Validate method of a DDO PhoneData object to verify if data entered into a Text Box control is valid for a US or Canadian phone number. The object can provide an internal or storage format that strips any formatting characters from the data, just leaving the numbers. The object can also be used to convert the data into an output format that includes formatting characters to reload the Text Box with a phone number properly displayed. If a user types the value "801-292-5344" into a Text Box control, the PhoneData object would be used in the control’s Validate event to verify that it was a valid phone number with the proper number of digits, and convert it into an internal or storage format such as "8012925344" , and finally convert the same data to an output display format such as "(801) 292-5344".

DDO objects are useful for all kinds of data management and Power Strings provides a template class for you to develop your own custom Data Definition Objects. The following are the predefined DDOs that come with Power Strings:

Power Strings 2.0 Pricing

Power Strings 2.0 comes with an extensive set of example programs to help you quickly get started. It also includes on-line help and an on-line manual in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.

A single development license is $299.00 and includes free runtime licensing. A site license for an unlimited number of developers is only $1,499.00 and also includes free runtime licensing. There is a discount available for those interested in more than one of the available versions of Power Strings. Power Strings will have three versions, a COM-based version, a .NET version, and a Java-based version. All three versions of Power Strings will be available the 2nd quarter of 2002.

For additional information, please send and E-mail to:

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