Calls an ABL procedure. This procedure can be local to or remote from the current session, external from or internal to the current procedure, and either synchronous or asynchronous. When a local or remote procedure is called synchronously, the calling procedure resumes execution only after the called procedure completes execution. When a remote procedure is called asynchronously, the calling procedure resumes execution immediately after the remote request is sent to the application server.

The RUN statement can also call functions or routines that reside in the Windows Dynamic Link Libraries (DLLs) or in UNIX shared libraries. The called routine must first be declared like an ABL internal procedure. The procedure declaration must be in the same file as the RUN statement.

You can also use the RUN statement to create and associate a procedure object with a Web service, and invoke a Web service operation.

Syntax

Use the following syntax to run an external procedure or method:

RUN 
  {   extern-proc-name
    | VALUE ( extern-expression )
    | path-name<<member-name>>
  }
   [ PERSISTENT | SINGLE-RUN | SINGLETON [ SET proc-handle]]
   [ ON [ SERVER ] {server-handle | session-handle }
       [ TRANSACTION DISTINCT ]
       [ ASYNCHRONOUS 
           [ SET async-request-handle]
           [ EVENT-PROCEDURE event-internal-procedure
               [ IN procedure-context]] | 
           [ EVENT-HANDLER event-handler-name 
              [ EVENT-HANDLER-CONTEXT event-handler-context ] ]
       ]
   ]
   [ ( parameter[ , parameter]... ) ]
   [ argument ]...
   [ NO-ERROR ]

Use the following syntax to run an internal procedure or method:

RUN 
  { intern-proc-name | VALUE ( intern-expression) }
  [ IN proc-handle]
  [ ASYNCHRONOUS
       [ SET async-request-handle]
       [ EVENT-PROCEDURE event-internal-procedure
            [ IN procedure-context]]  | 
       [ EVENT-HANDLER event-handler-name 
            [ EVENT-HANDLER-CONTEXT event-handler-context ] ]
   ]
   [ ( parameter[ , parameter]... ) ]
   [ NO-ERROR ]

Use the following syntax to create and associate a procedure object with a Web service:

RUN portTypeName[ SET hPortType ] ON SERVER hWebService[ NO-ERROR ] .

Use the following syntax to invoke a Web service operation:

RUN operationName IN hPortType 
  [ ASYNCHRONOUS
    [ SET async-request-handle]
    [ EVENT-PROCEDURE event-internal-procedure
       [ IN procedure-context]]
    [ EVENT-HANDLER event-handler-name 
            [ EVENT-HANDLER-CONTEXT event-handler-context ] ]
  [ ( parameter[ , parameter]... ) ]
  [ NO-ERROR ].
extern-proc-name
The name of the (local or remote) external procedure to run. On UNIX, external procedure names are case sensitive; in Windows, they are not. If you specify a relative pathname, ABL searches the directories (and libraries, on platforms that support libraries) defined in the PROPATH environment variable. With extern-proc-name, you can specify a local or remote procedure. In Windows, the pathname cannot contain characters outside of the non-Unicode code page. See Internationalize ABL Applications for more information about Unicode and code pages.
VALUE ( extern-expression )
An expression that returns the name of the (local or remote) external procedure you want to run.In Windows, the pathname cannot contain characters outside of the non-Unicode code page.
path-name<<member-name>>
The pathname of an r-code library and the name of an r-code file in that library. To specify an r-code file in a library, you must use the double angle brackets as shown. If you specify a relative library pathname, ABL searches the libraries defined in the PROPATH environment variable. In Windows, the pathname cannot contain characters outside of the non-Unicode code page.
PERSISTENT [SET proc-handle]
Specifies that the external procedure be instantiated and run as a persistent procedure.

You can return the handle to the persistent procedure in proc-handle specified as a field, variable, class property, or output parameter defined with the HANDLE data type. If you do not specify proc-handle, you can find the procedure handle for this procedure using the FIRST-PROCEDURE or LAST-PROCEDURE attributes of the SESSION system handle.

For remote persistent procedures, proc-handle returns the proxy (remote) handle to the persistent procedure. You can also find the proxy handle by using the FIRST-PROCEDURE or LAST-PROCEDURE attributes of the server object handle for the application server specified with the ON SERVER option.

A persistent procedure creates and maintains its context after it returns to the caller. Other external procedures can access this context through procedure triggers and internal procedures or user-defined functions defined in the persistent procedure. A RUN statement that runs and creates a persistent procedure context is referred to as an instantiating RUN statement. Thus, a persistent procedure has the following characteristics:

  • The procedure does not go out of scope when it returns: its context and most of its allocated resources remain active, including input parameters, widgets, variables, buffers, temp-tables, work tables, and triggers created during procedure execution. However, all static dialog boxes, their child widgets, and related triggers created during its execution are destroyed when the procedure returns to the caller. This makes all other windows and dialog boxes in the application available for input.
  • All buffers passed as parameters to a persistent procedure are treated as local buffers in the persistent context. When the procedure instantiation returns, the output value of the buffer parameter is returned, as usual, to the calling procedure. However, any cursor positioning established during execution of the instantiating RUN statement is lost to the persistent context once the procedure returns; the AVM creates a copy of the buffer parameter and resets its cursors as an initially defined local buffer.
  • If the procedure obtains any schema share locks (through database access) while executing, these remain in effect after the procedure returns, until the procedure is deleted.
  • Each time you run a procedure persistently, you create a new instance of its procedure context. All of its data, buffers, and widgets are duplicated and separately managed by the new instantiation until the procedure instance is deleted.
Note:

If you run an application that creates persistent procedures from an ADE tool (for example, the Procedure Editor or AppBuilder), that tool removes all instances of persistent procedures still created when the application terminates.

Transaction scoping is the same whether you run a procedure as persistent or not. Any transaction which begins inside a persistent procedure is scoped to the block that starts the transaction.

The order of the PERSISTENT option and the ON SERVER option is interchangeable.

You can use PERSIST as an abbreviation for PERSISTENT.

If you want to invoke persistent procedures on a session-free Progress Application Server (PAS) for OpenEdge server, use either SINGLE-RUN or SINGLETON as an alternative to the PERSISTENT option.

SINGLE-RUN [SET proc-handle]
Initializes the specified external procedure to run on an application server or on the client (by using a SESSION handle) in single-run mode, but it does not initially run the procedure.

The SINGLE-RUN option is particularly useful for a session-free PAS for OpenEdge instance because it allows you to call internal procedures or user-defined functions in a remote external procedure without binding the client to a single application server session. In addition, network traffic is reduced when you run a procedure as a single-run.

In single-run mode, the external procedure is instantiated only when an internal procedure or user-defined function that it defines is invoked remotely. The single-run procedure is deleted when the internal procedure or user-defined function completes. Compare with the SINGLETON option, where the singleton procedure remains instantiated after the internal procedure or user-defined function completes. See the description under intern-proc-name for more information on how internal procedures and user-defined functions run in SINGLE-RUN mode.

You can return the proxy handle to the single-run procedure in proc-handle specified as a field, variable, class property, or output parameter defined with the HANDLE data type. If you do not specify proc-handle, you can find the proxy handle for this procedure using the FIRST-PROCEDURE and LAST-PROCEDURE attributes of the server object handle for the application server specified using the ON SERVER option.

Each time you call an internal procedure or user-defined function on a single-run procedure, you create a new instance of its procedure context, which only exists during the execution of the internal procedure or user-defined function. All of its data, buffers, and widgets are duplicated and separately managed by the new instantiation until the procedure instance is deleted.

Note:

You must use the ON SERVER option when you use the SINGLE-RUN option.

You cannot use SINGLE-RUN with external procedures that have parameters.

If you attempt to delete a single-run procedure from a client, you only delete the proxy handle. A single-run procedure remains instantiated for an application server session only until its instantiating internal procedure or user-defined function completes execution.

When a single-run procedure is invoked and the procedure is already instantiated as a singleton, the application server or client deletes the singleton procedure. The procedure is re-instantiated as a single-run. When the execution of the internal procedure or user-defined function completes, the application server or client deletes the single-run procedure but does not re-instantiate the procedure as a singleton.

You cannot use the ASYNCHRONOUS option with SINGLE-RUN when instantiating an external procedure. However you can run an internal procedure of a SINGLE-RUN procedure asynchronously using the following syntax: RUN intern_proc-name IN proc-handle. . . ASYNCHRONOUS.

You can use the EXPORT( ) method on the SESSION handle to add a procedure that will be run in single-run mode to the list of authorized remote procedures on the application server.

For single-run procedures, the main block does not run until the internal procedure or user-defined function first runs. Therefore, an ERROR or STOP condition occurring in the main block is raised during the first execution of the internal procedure or user-defined function.

SINGLETON [SET proc-handle]
Initializes the specified external procedure to run on an application server or on the client (by using a SESSION handle) in singleton mode, but it does not initially run the procedure.

The SINGLETON option is particularly useful for a session-free application server session because it allows you to call internal procedures or user-defined functions in a remote external procedure without binding the client to a single application server session. In addition, network traffic is reduced when you run a procedure as a singleton.

In singleton mode, the external procedure is instantiated only when an internal procedure or user-defined-function that it defines is invoked remotely, and only if the singleton procedure is not already instantiated for a previous internal remote invocation.

The external procedure remains instantiated after its internal procedure or user-defined function completes execution. Compare with the single-run mode, where the procedure is deleted after an internal procedure or user-defined function completes execution. With the SINGLETON option, the external procedure remains instantiated and is used the next time one of its internal procedures or user-defined functions is run. See the description under intern-proc-name for more information on how internal procedures and user-defined functions run in singleton mode.

You can return the proxy handle to a singleton procedure in proc-handle specified as a field, variable, class property, or output parameter defined with the HANDLE data type. If you do not specify proc-handle, you can find the proxy handle for this procedure using the FIRST-PROCEDURE and LAST-PROCEDURE attributes of the server object handle for the application server specified using the ON SERVER option.

An external procedure called with the SINGLETON option runs in the same way as other procedures, but with these differences:
  • The procedure does not go out of scope when it returns. Most of its allocated resources remain active, including objects, variables, buffers, temp-tables, work tables, and triggers created during procedure execution. However, you should not keep or rely on any context information maintained for a singleton procedure. Each application server session maintains its own context information independent of (and probably differing from) other application server sessions. Since there is no guarantee which application server session will process a given request, there is no way of knowing what context information will be available.
  • If the procedure obtains any schema share locks (through database access) while executing, these remain in effect after the procedure returns, until the procedure is deleted.
Note:

You must use the ON SERVER option when you use the SINGLETON option.

You cannot use the SINGLETON option with external procedures that have parameters.

Only one instance of a given singleton procedure exists for a given application server session, no matter how many clients initialize the procedure with the SINGLETON option. Therefore, all clients access the same instance of a singleton procedure in requests to the same application server session.

If you attempt to delete a singleton procedure from a client using the DELETE PROCEDURE statement, you only delete the proxy handle. A singleton remains instantiated for an application server session until session code deletes it or the session terminates.

When a single-run procedure is invoked and the procedure is already instantiated as a singleton, the application server or client deletes the singleton procedure. The procedure is re-instantiated as a single-run. When the execution of the internal procedure or user-defined function completes, the application server or client deletes the single-run procedure but does not re-instantiate the procedure as a singleton.

You cannot use the ASYNCHRONOUS option with SINGLETON when instantiating an external procedure. However you can run an internal procedure of a SINGLETON procedure asynchronously using the following syntax: RUN intern-proc-nameINproc-handle. . . ASYNCHRONOUS.

You can use the EXPORT( ) method on the SESSION handle to add a procedure that will be run as a singleton to the list of authorized remote procedures on the application server.

For singleton procedures, the main block does not run until the internal procedure or user-defined function first runs. Therefore, an ERROR or STOP condition occurring in the main block is raised during the first execution of the internal procedure or user-defined function.

ON [SERVER]server-handle
Tells the AVM to run the procedure remotely in the application server that the HANDLE variable, server-handle , refers to.

With the ASYNCHRONOUS option, server-handle causes the called procedure to run asynchronously in the remote session. Control returns immediately to the statement following the RUN statement. Execution of any specified event procedure or method occurs in the context of an input-blocking or PROCESS EVENTS statement.

The order of any PERSISTENT, SINGLE-RUN, or SINGLETON option and the ON SERVER option is interchangeable.

ON [SERVER]session-handle
Tells the AVM to run the procedure locally in the current ABL session, specified by the value of the SESSION system handle (session-handle).

With the ASYNCHRONOUS option, session-handle causes the called procedure to run synchronously in the local session, followed immediately by execution of any specified event-internal-procedure. Only after execution of the specified event-internal-procedure does control return to the statement following the RUN statement.

Note: This order of execution is different than for a remote procedure call using the server-handle.

The order of the PERSISTENT, SINGLE-RUN, or SINGLETON option and the ON SERVER option is interchangeable.

TRANSACTION DISTINCT
Tells the AVM not to propagate the calling procedure's transaction to the application server. Although the current version of ABL does not allow transaction propagation, future versions might. Thus, to accommodate this possibility without breaking current code, the current version of ABL allows you to specify this option with server-handle.
Note: It is an error to specify TRANSACTION DISTINCT with a session-handle.
ASYNCHRONOUS [ SET async-request-handle]
Specifies that the remote procedure is to be called as an asynchronous request. By default, the remote procedure is called synchronously. The handle to the asynchronous request is returned in async-request-handle, which must be a field, variable, or parameter defined with the HANDLE data type. If you specify ASYNCHRONOUS but do not specify SET async-request-handle, you can find the handle for the asynchronous request using the LAST-ASYNC-REQUEST attribute of the server-handle specified by the ON option. You can also locate the asynchronous request handle by walking the chain between the FIRST-ASYNC-REQUEST and LAST-ASYNC-REQUEST attributes of server-handle, searching on the PROCEDURE-NAME attribute of each request handle.

For a Web service operation invoked asynchronously, the handle that is set to the asynchronous request object created for the asynchronous request.

Note: You cannot use the ASYNCHRONOUS option with either the SINGLE-RUN or SINGLETON option when instantiating an external procedure. However you can run an internal procedure of a SINGLETON procedure asynchronously using the following syntax: RUN internal_procedureINproc-handle. . . ASYNCHRONOUS.
EVENT-PROCEDURE event-internal-procedure
Specifies a quoted string or character expression representing the name of an internal procedure that resides within procedure-context. When the response from the asynchronous request is received (that is, a PROCEDURE-COMPLETE event occurs), the specified internal procedure is called during subsequent execution of a PROCESS EVENTS or input-blocking statement (such as WAIT-FOR). The specified event-internal-procedure processes any parameters and errors returned from the asynchronous request. If not specified, no event procedure is executed when the PROCEDURE-COMPLETE event occurs for the asynchronous request.
For information on how the event-internal-procedure handles parameters from the asynchronous request, see the parameter option. For information on how the event-internal-procedure handles errors from the asynchronous request, see the NO-ERROR option.
Note: The EVENT-PROCEDURE and IN keyword syntax are now replaced by the EVENT-HANDLER and the EVENT-HANDLER-CONTEXT keywords. Progress recommends that you use the new syntax that supports both procedures and methods as callback for ASYNCHRONOUS RUN..
IN procedure-context
A handle to an active procedure that contains the internal procedure specified by event-internal-procedure. If not specified, THIS-PROCEDURE is used as the procedure-context value.
Note: The EVENT-PROCEDURE and IN keyword syntax are now replaced by the EVENT-HANDLER and the EVENT-HANDLER-CONTEXT keywords. Progress recommends that you use the new syntax that supports both procedures and methods as callback for ASYNCHRONOUS RUN.
EVENT-HANDLER event-handler-name
A character expression that results in the name of an internal procedure or a method that is specified as a callback handler. When the response from the asynchronous request is received (that is, a PROCEDURE-COMPLETE event occurs), the specified event-handler-name (procedure or method) is called during subsequent execution of PROCESS EVENTS or input-blocking statement (such as WAIT-FOR). The specified event handler procedure or method processes any parameters and errors returned from the asynchronous request. If not specified, no event procedure or method is executed when the PROCEDURE-COMPLETE event occurs for the asynchronous request. For information on how the event procedure or method handles parameters from the asynchronous request, see the parameter option. For information on how the event handler (procedure or method) handles errors from the asynchronous request, see the NO-ERROR option.

When using a method as a callback handler, you can overload the method and the AVM will identify the most appropriate method to run by using the the signature of the method. The signature of the method is determined based on the output and input-output parameters passed to the asynchronous procedure executed by the RUN statement.

EVENT-HANDLER-CONTEXT event-handler-context

The event-handler-context value resolves to either a handle to an active procedure or the object-oriented ABL object containing the method specified by event-handler-name.

  • If the value of event-handler-context is an object-oriented ABL object, then the event-handler-name specified must be a public method.
  • The value of event-handler-context may optionally be THIS-PROCEDURE when the RUN statement is invoked from within a runnable block of a procedure.
  • The value of event-handler-context may optionally be THIS-OBJECT when the RUN statement is invoked from within a runnable block of an object-oriented ABL object.
( parameter [ , parameter ] ... )
Specifies one or more parameters to pass to the called procedure or method.

For the parameter passing syntax, see the Parameter passing syntax reference entry.

Parameters must be defined in the called procedure or method. (See the DEFINE PARAMETER statement reference entry.) They must be passed in the same order as they are defined, and they must have compatible data types. The AVM attempts to convert values for data types that do not match. If the AVM cannot convert the value for a mismatched data type, the RUN statement fails with an error condition.

For OUTPUT parameters of an asynchronous remote procedure call only, you can specify parameter-name AS primitive-type-name as a prototype. The parameter-name is an arbitrary place-holder name and primitive-type-name must specify the ABL data type of the corresponding OUTPUT parameter in the asynchronous remote procedure. You can also specify OUTPUT parameters for an asynchronous remote procedure or method using a local field, variable, TABLE temp-table-name, TABLE-HANDLE temp-table-handle, DATASET dataset-name, or DATASET-HANDLE dataset-handle. However, note that the asynchronous remote procedure or method does not return any values to OUTPUT or INPUT-OUTPUT parameters on the RUN statement. These parameters are place holders only for values returned by the remote procedure to the specified event-handler-name procedure or method.

Any specified event-handler-name procedure or method can define only INPUT parameters and must define one INPUT parameter for each OUTPUT or INPUT-OUTPUT parameter defined in the asynchronous remote procedure. Each INPUT parameter for the event-handler-name procedure or method, must match the corresponding remote procedure OUTPUT or INPUT-OUTPUT parameter in order and data type. (As with other procedures or methods, the AVM attempts to convert the values for data types that do not match.) The asynchronous remote procedure returns the values of these parameters to the INPUT parameters of the event-handler-name procedure or method after the remote procedure completes execution and the client session processes the associated PROCEDURE-COMPLETE event.

If you are running a event-handler-name procedure or method declared as a Windows dynamic link library (DLL) or UNIX shared library routine, you must match any RETURN parameter specified by a DEFINE PARAMETER statement with a corresponding OUTPUT parameter in the RUN statement. If the internal procedure does not specify the RETURN parameter, do not specify the corresponding OUTPUT parameter in the RUN statement.

For external procedures, the parenthesized list of run-time parameters must precede any compile-time arguments.

argument

A constant, field name, variable name, or expression that you want to pass as a compile-time argument to the external procedure you are running.

When you pass arguments to an external procedure, the AVM converts those arguments to character format. ABL recompiles the called procedure, substitutes arguments, and then runs the procedure. You cannot precompile a procedure to which you pass arguments. (If you use shared variables instead of arguments, the procedure can be precompiled. This yields more efficient code.)
Note: You cannot pass compile-time arguments in a call to an internal procedure.
NO-ERROR
The NO-ERROR option is used to prevent the statement from raising ERROR and displaying error messages. This does not mean that all errors produced by the called procedure are suppressed; only errors caused by the RUN statement itself.

If a specified local or synchronous remote procedure throws an error back to the RUN statement, you can check the ERROR-STATUS system handle for information on errors that occurred.

For an asynchronous remote procedure, the result depends on where the errors occur. If the errors occur during the send phase of the asynchronous request, this raises the ERROR condition on the RUN statement in the client which will be handled by the NO-ERROR option. If the errors occur during execution of the remote request and are returned by the application server, the RUN statement completes successfully and you must check for ERROR or STOP conditions in the specified event-handler-name (procedure or method) for the PROCEDURE-COMPLETE event. In the event handler, you check the attributes of the async-request-handle.

If the specified procedure is not found or if an attempted compile of the same fails, the AVM raises the STOP condition (for local procedures) or ERROR condition (for remote procedures). So only in the remote case can NO-ERROR be used to handle these conditions.

intern-proc-name

The name of the (local or remote) internal procedure you want to run. The procedure must be declared in the same procedure file as the RUN statement that calls it unless you specify the IN proc-handle option or use a super procedure.

If you do not specify the IN proc-handle option and there is no internal procedure declared by the specified name, the AVM tries to run an external procedure with the specified name. If the internal procedure is remote, you must specify the IN proc-handle option to identify the remote persistent, single-run, or singleton procedure that defines the internal procedure on an application server.

If an internal procedure or user-defined function is run using the proc-handle associated with a single-run procedure, the application server session or client:

  • Instantiates the single-run procedure.
  • Runs the main block.
  • Runs the internal procedure or user-defined function.
  • Returns any output parameters or return values to the caller.
  • Deletes the single-run procedure.

If an internal procedure or user-defined function is run using the proc-handle associated with a singleton procedure, the application server session or client:

  • Instantiates the singleton procedure if it is not already instantiated by a previous client singleton request.
  • Runs the main block.
  • Runs the internal procedure or user-defined function.
  • Returns any output parameters or return values to the caller.
  • The singleton procedure remains instantiated.
Note: For more information on running remote user-defined functions, see the FUNCTION statement section.
VALUE ( intern-expression )

An expression that evaluates to the name of the internal procedure you want to run.

IN proc-handle

Specifies the handle of the external procedure that declares the internal procedure you want to run. You can specify proc-handle as a field, variable, parameter, or expression that specifies a valid procedure handle or proxy (remote) persistent procedure handle.

portTypeName

The name of a Web service PortType as specified in the WSDL file.

hPortType

A handle to a procedure object that encapsulates a Web service operation.

hWebService

A handle to the server object bound to the Web service.

operationName

The name of a Web service operation specified in a WSDL file.

Examples

The following procedure displays a simple menu. The user's selection is stored in the selection variable. The INDEX function returns an integer value that indicates the position of the user's selection in a string of characters ("12345"). If the value in the selection variable is not in the list of values, the INDEX function returns a 0. The VALIDATE statement ensures that the INDEX function did not return a zero. If it did, VALIDATE displays the message, "Not a valid choice".

r-run.p 

DEFINE VARIABLE selection AS CHARACTER NO-UNDO FORMAT "x(1)"
  LABEL "Enter Program Choice".
DEFINE VARIABLE programs  AS CHARACTER NO-UNDO FORMAT "x(15)" EXTENT 5.

/* Create the procedures custrpt.p, custedit.p, ordrpt.p, and ordedit.p.*/
ASSIGN
  programs[1] = "custrpt.p"
  programs[2] = "custedit.p"
  programs[3] = "ordrpt.p"
  programs[4] = "ordedit.p"
  programs[5] = "r-exit.p".

REPEAT:
  FORM HEADER TODAY "MASTER MENU" AT 35 STRING(TIME,"hh:mm") to 79.
  FORM SKIP(3)
   "1 - Customer Listing"  AT 30
   "2 - Customer Update" AT 30
   "3 - Order Listing"  AT 30
   "4 - Order Update"   AT 30
   "5 - Quit System"    AT 30
   selection COLON 28 AUTO-RETURN WITH SIDE-LABELS NO-BOX 1 DOWN.    
  
UPDATE selection 
    VALIDATE(INDEX("12345",selection) NE 0, "Not a valid choice").
  HIDE ALL.
  RUN VALUE(programs[INDEX("12345",selection)]).
END.

In the RUN statement, the INDEX function returns the position of the user's selection in a character string. Suppose you chose option 2 from the menu. That option occupies the second position in the "12345" character string. Therefore, the INDEX function returns the number two (2). Using this number, the RUN statement reads, RUN VALUE(programs[2]). According to the assignments at the top of the procedure, the value of programs[2] is custedit.p. Now the RUN statement reads, RUN custedit.p, and the r-run.p procedure runs the custedit.p procedure.

The following two external procedures, r-runper.p and r-perprc.p, illustrate the PERSISTENT and IN proc-handle options of the RUN statement. The first procedure, a non-persistent control procedure, sets up a window to run and manage the second procedure as a persistent procedure.

r-runper.p 

DEFINE VARIABLE phand AS HANDLE NO-UNDO.
DEFINE VARIABLE nhand AS HANDLE NO-UNDO.
DEFINE VARIABLE whand AS HANDLE NO-UNDO.

DEFINE BUTTON bStart LABEL "Start Customer Query".
DEFINE BUTTON bRecall LABEL "Recall All Hidden Queries".
DEFINE BUTTON bExit LABEL "Exit".

DEFINE FRAME ControlFrame SKIP(.5) SPACE(2) 
  bStart bRecall bExit SPACE(2) SKIP(.5).

ON CHOOSE OF bStart IN FRAME ControlFrame RUN r-perprc.p PERSISTENT.

ON CHOOSE OF bRecall IN FRAME ControlFrame DO:
  phand = SESSION:FIRST-PROCEDURE.
  DO WHILE VALID-HANDLE(phand):
    IF phand:PRIVATE-DATA = "Customer Browse" THEN
      RUN recall-query IN phand.
    phand = phand:NEXT-SIBLING.
  END.
END.

ON CHOOSE OF bExit IN FRAME ControlFrame DO:
  phand = SESSION:FIRST-PROCEDURE.
  DO WHILE VALID-HANDLE(phand):
    nhand = phand:NEXT-SIBLING.
    IF phand:PRIVATE-DATA = "Customer Browse" THEN
      RUN destroy-query IN phand.
      phand = nhand.
  END.
  APPLY "RETURN" TO THIS-PROCEDURE.
END.

SESSION:SYSTEM-ALERT-BOXES = TRUE.
CREATE WINDOW whand ASSIGN
  TITLE            = "Customer Query Control"
  SCROLL-BARS      = FALSE
  MESSAGE-AREA     = FALSE
  MAX-HEIGHT-CHARS = FRAME ControlFrame:HEIGHT-CHARS
  MAX-WIDTH-CHARS  = FRAME ControlFrame:WIDTH-CHARS.

CURRENT-WINDOW = whand.
ENABLE ALL WITH FRAME ControlFrame.
WAIT-FOR RETURN OF THIS-PROCEDURE.

r-perprc.p 

DEFINE VARIABLE custwin AS HANDLE NO-UNDO.

DEFINE BUTTON bName    LABEL "Query on Name".
DEFINE BUTTON bBalance LABEL "Query on Balance".
DEFINE BUTTON bCredit  LABEL "Query on Credit".
DEFINE BUTTON bHide    LABEL "Hide Query".
DEFINE BUTTON bCancel  LABEL "Cancel".

DEFINE QUERY custq FOR Customer.
DEFINE BROWSE custb QUERY custq
  DISPLAY Customer.Name Customer.Balance Customer.CreditLimit Customer.Phone
    WITH 10 DOWN.

DEFINE FRAME CustFrame custb SKIP
    bName bBalance bCredit bHide bCancel.

ON CHOOSE OF bName IN FRAME CustFrame DO:
  custwin:TITLE = "Customers by Name".
  OPEN QUERY custq FOR EACH Customer BY Customer.Name.
END.        

ON CHOOSE OF bBalance IN FRAME CustFrame DO:
  custwin:TITLE = "Customers by Balance".
  OPEN QUERY custq FOR EACH Customer BY Customer.Balance DESCENDING.
END.
  
ON CHOOSE OF bCredit IN FRAME CustFrame DO:
  custwin:TITLE = "Customers by Credit".
  OPEN QUERY custq FOR EACH Customer BY Customer.CreditLimit DESCENDING.
END.

ON VALUE-CHANGED OF BROWSE custb DO:
  IF Customer.Balance >= (Customer.CreditLimit * 0.75) THEN DO:
    BELL.
    MESSAGE "Evaluate" Customer.Name "for credit increase.".
  END.
END.

IF THIS-PROCEDURE:PERSISTENT THEN DO:
  THIS-PROCEDURE:PRIVATE-DATA = "Customer Browse".
  CREATE WIDGET-POOL.
END.

CREATE WINDOW custwin ASSIGN
  TITLE            = "Customer Browser"
  SCROLL-BARS      = FALSE
  MAX-HEIGHT-CHARS = FRAME CustFrame:HEIGHT-CHARS
  MAX-WIDTH-CHARS  = FRAME CustFrame:WIDTH-CHARS.

THIS-PROCEDURE:CURRENT-WINDOW = custwin.

ENABLE ALL WITH FRAME CustFrame.

IF THIS-PROCEDURE:PERSISTENT THEN DO:
  ON CHOOSE OF bCancel IN FRAME CustFrame DO:
    RUN destroy-query.
  END.
  ON CHOOSE OF bHide IN FRAME CustFrame DO:
    custwin:VISIBLE = FALSE.
  END.
END.
ELSE
  WAIT-FOR CHOOSE OF bHide, bCancel IN FRAME CustFrame.

PROCEDURE recall-query:
  custwin:VISIBLE = TRUE.
END PROCEDURE.

PROCEDURE destroy-query:
  DELETE PROCEDURE THIS-PROCEDURE NO-ERROR.
  DELETE WIDGET-POOL.
END PROCEDURE.

The control procedure, r-runper.p, runs r-perprc.p each time you choose the Start Customer Query button. Each time it runs, r-perprc.p creates (instantiates) an additional context instance for the persistent procedure, including an additional window to open customer queries. When you choose the Recall All Hidden Queries button from the control window, r-runper.p calls the recall-query internal procedure in each instance of r-perprc.p to redisplay its window. Similarly, when you choose the Exit button, r-runper.p calls the destroy-query internal procedure in each instance of r-perprc.p to delete its context instance; r-runper.p then applies the RETURN event to itself to terminate by completing the WAIT-FOR statement.

The r-perprc.p procedure sets up a customer query that you can re-open three different ways: by name, by balance, or by credit. Each instance of r-perprc.p maintains a separate query for its own local customer buffer. Note that by testing and setting attributes of the THIS-PROCEDURE system handle, r-perprc.p can run either persistently or non-persistently. The basic difference is how the procedure maintains its own context. For example, when running persistently, it defines a trigger on the bCancel button to run its own deletion procedure, destroy-query, to terminate; when running non-persistently, it completes a WAIT-FOR statement with the bCancel button to terminate.

The following example shows how you might implement an asynchronous request. The procedure r-async.p runs persistently from a user-interface trigger, perhaps in response to a menu choice. This procedure, in turn, sends a request to run runReport.p on an application server, which provides an inventory report for the specified date.

When r-async.p returns, the user-interface trigger ends and the application returns to its WAIT-FOR state. The user continues to use the application in the normal way while the inventory report runs on the application server.

When runReport.p finishes running, a PROCEDURE-COMPLETE event occurs. This event causes the internal procedure reportDone to run automatically within the context of the application's WAIT-FOR statement. Whatever the user is doing in the application, reportDone displays an alert box indicating whether or not the inventory report completed successfully and the number of lines (numLines) that were output for the report. (The bold ABL statements indicate the code required to support asynchronous requests to run runReport.p.)

DEFINE INPUT PARAMETER invDate AS DATE NO-UNDO.                
DEFINE VARIABLE sh AS HANDLE NO-UNDO. /* Server handle */
DEFINE VARIABLE ah AS HANDLE NO-UNDO. /* Asynchronous request handle */

CREATE SERVER sh.
sh:CONNECT("-URL http://slater:8810/inventory/apsv  -sessionModel Session-free").
RUN runReport.p ON SERVER sh 
  ASYNCHRONOUS SET ah EVENT-HANDLER "reportDone" EVENT-HANDLER-CONTEXT THIS-PROCEDURE
  (invDate, OUTPUT numLines AS INTEGER).
RETURN.

PROCEDURE reportDone:
  DEFINE INPUT PARAMETER numLines AS INTEGER.

  IF ah:ERROR OR ah:STOP THEN
    MESSAGE "An error occurred when running your" SKIP
      "Inventory report for" invDate "." SKIP
      "The error is:" ERROR-STATUS:GET-MESSAGE(1)
      VIEW-AS ALERT-BOX.
  ELSE
    MESSAGE "Your Inventory report for " invDate SKIP
      "has completed successfully." SKIP
      numLines "report lines were generated"
      VIEW-AS ALERT-BOX.
  
sh:DISCONNECT().
  DELETE OBJECT sh.
  DELETE OBJECT THIS-PROCEDURE. /* Persistent proc no longer needed */
END PROCEDURE.

This example shows an asynchronous call that potentially returns an error object through the ERROR-OBJECT attribute of the Asynchronous request object handle. When server-error.p completes, procDone checks the value of ERROR, and if true, it assigns the instance referenced by ERROR-OBJECT to myAppErrorObj via a cast and then displays the information available, including the attributes inherited from Progress.Lang.Error and an ErrorCode attribute from the user-defined UserDefinedAppError class.

r-client-async-error.p 

ROUTINE-LEVEL ON ERROR UNDO, THROW.

DEFINE VARIABLE hRequest AS HANDLE NO-UNDO.
DEFINE VARIABLE hServer AS HANDLE NO-UNDO.
DEFINE VARIABLE lReturn AS LOGICAL NO-UNDO.

CREATE SERVER hServer. 

lReturn = hServer:CONNECT("-pfcspair1.npf").

IF NOT hServer:CONNECTED( ) THEN DO:   
  MESSAGE "Failed to connect to application server".
  RETURN.
END. 

RUN server-error.p ON SERVER hServer
  ASYNCHRONOUS SET hRequest EVENT-HANDLER "procDone" EVENT-HANDLER-CONTEXT THIS-PROCEDURE (OUTPUT numLines AS INTEGER).

WAIT-FOR PROCEDURE-COMPLETE OF hRequest.

DELETE OBJECT hRequest NO-ERROR.
hServer:DISCONNECT().
DELETE OBJECT hServer NO-ERROR.

PROCEDURE procDone:   
  DEFINE INPUT PARAMETER numLines AS INTEGER.
  DEFINE VAR myErrObj AS Progress.Lang.Error.
  DEFINE VAR myAppErrObj AS UserDefinedAppErr.
  DEFINE VAR iTmp AS INTEGER NO-UNDO.
  
  IF hRequest:ERROR THEN DO:
    MESSAGE "An error occurred when running server-error.p".
              
    myErrObj = SELF:ERROR-OBJECT.
    myAppErrObj = CAST (myErrObj, UserDefinedAppErr).
        
    MESSAGE "error object NumMessages: " myErrObj:NumMessages SKIP
      "Severity: " myAppErrObj:Severity SKIP
      "CallStack: " myAppErrObj:CallStack SKIP
      "Error Code: " myAppErrObj:ErrorCode.
      REPEAT iTmp = 1 TO myAppErrObj:NumMessages:
        MESSAGE "ErrorMsg(" iTmp "): " myAppErrObj:GetMessage(iTmp) SKIP 
          "ErrorNum(" iTmp "): " myAppErrObj:GetMessageNum(iTmp).
      END.
    END.        
  ELSE IF NOT hRequest:STOP THEN       
      MESSAGE "server-error.p was has completed successfully." SKIP 
        numLines " was output parameter".
END PROCEDURE.

The example r-singlerun.p illustrates how to run any internal procedure in aproc.p as a single-run. The application server does not become bound to the client and network traffic is minimized when you run a procedure as single-run.

When the client executes the RUN aproc.p statement, a proxy handle to the single-run procedure on the application server is set without sending a message to the application server. When the client sends the request to run internalProcA, the application server runs the main block of aproc.p and then runs the internal procedure internalProcA. After internalProcA completes and ends, the application server deletes the single-run procedure. The final line deletes the proxy handle on the client without sending a message to the application server.

r-singlerun.p 

RUN aproc.p SINGLE-RUN SET procHandle ON SERVER serverHandle.
RUN internalProcA IN procHandle (INPUT argIn1, OUTPUT argout1).
DELETE PROCEDURE procHandle.

Compare r-singlerun.p with r-singleton.p. In both cases, the application server does not become bound to the client and network traffic is minimized. However, after internalProcA runs in r-singleton.p, the singleton procedure aproc.p is not deleted. It remains instantiated and is available when the call is made to run internalProcB.

r-singleton.p 

RUN aproc.p SINGLETON SET procHandle ON SERVER serverHandle.
RUN internalProcA IN procHandle (INPUT argIn1, OUTPUT argout1).
RUN internalProcB IN procHandle (INPUT argIn1, OUTPUT argout1).
DELETE PROCEDURE procHandle.

Notes

  • When you run a procedure and do not indicate that the procedure is external, the AVM first looks for an internal procedure with the specified name. You indicate that a procedure is external in a RUN statement by specifying one or more of these options: path-name<<member-name>>, PERSISTENT, ON SERVER, SINGLE-RUN, SINGLETON. If no internal procedure is found, or if you indicated the procedure is external, the AVM (local or remote) searches all the directories and libraries in its PROPATH for a usable r-code file of the same name. If the AVM cannot find an r-code file and there is a source code file of the same name, the AVM attempts to compile and run the source code file. Note that all searches for procedure names are not case sensitive.
  • ABL procedures can be run recursively (a procedure can run itself).
  • When a RUN statement raises the STOP condition, the AVM displays the resulting messages on the current output device, even if you specify NO-ERROR. The AVM also writes these messages to the ERROR-STATUS system handle, but sets ERROR-STATUS:ERROR to FALSE.
  • You can run an internal procedure that is declared in the current external procedure or in the procedure you specify with the IN proc-handle option. The procedure handle specified by the IN proc-handle option can specify either a valid persistent procedure instance or an external procedure that is active on the procedure call stack. The handle can also specify the current external procedure using the THIS-PROCEDURE system handle. You can check the validity of any procedure handle using the VALID-HANDLE function.
  • A called external procedure uses any arguments passed to it from the calling procedure by referring to those arguments as numbers enclosed in braces { }. The first argument is {1}, the next is {2}, etc. Any arguments the called procedure does not use are ignored, and any missing arguments are treated as null values. (Note that the null is a legal value in a WHERE or WITH clause, but its occurrence can cause an error at other points in a called procedure.)
  • To run an r-code file stored in a library that is not on PROPATH, you must specify the name of the library and the name of the r-code file in the library. Specify these names in the form path-name<<member-name>>, where path-name is the pathname of the library and member-name is the name of the r-code file. For example, if you have an r-code file called appmenu.r in a library whose pathname is /usr/foo/app.pl, you use this command to run it: 
    RUN /usr/foo/app.pl<<appmenu.r>>.
  • When running an external procedure, it is good practice to specify the name of the source file in the RUN statement. For example, to run r-exit.p you specify the following:
    RUN r-exit.p

    When you specify a suffix or file extension (such as .p), the AVM first tries replacing that suffix or extension with .r and searches the first directory on your PROPATH for a file with that name. If the r-code file is not found, then it reverts to the original suffix and searches for a source file with that name. If the source file is not found in the first PROPATH directory, then the AVM searches for an r-code file and then a source file in each subsequent directory on your PROPATH until a file is found.

    If you specify the .r suffix in the RUN statement, then the AVM searches only for an r-code file in each directory on your PROPATH. If you omit the extension, then the AVM first adds a .r to the name you specify and searches the first directory for an r-code file with that name. If none is found, then the AVM searches for a source file with no suffix or extension.

  • You cannot run an internal procedure with the PERSISTENT, SINGLE-RUN, or SINGLETON options.
  • If you run a persistent, single-run, or singleton procedure and a STOP, QUIT, or a RETURN ERROR occurs during execution of the procedure, the procedure is deleted.
  • All shared variables, buffers, temp-tables, ProDataSet objects, work tables, and queries remain in scope as long as a persistent procedure instance remains that accesses them. This is true even if the procedure (persistent or non-persistent) that originally defined the shared data has gone out of scope. Shared data can go out of scope only when no persistent procedure remains that references it.
  • You cannot run a persistent, single-run, or singleton procedure in which you have defined shared streams or shared frame, browse, or menu widgets. Doing so causes the AVM to raise ERROR on the RUN statement.
  • You can remove an instance of a persistent or single-run procedure that you run using the PERSISTENT option using the DELETE PROCEDURE or DELETE OBJECT statement. When you delete the procedure instance, its context goes out of scope and all allocated resources are returned to the system. If the procedure has shared dependencies on the call stack, the delete pends until the dependencies are cleared.
  • To run a Windows DLL routine as an internal procedure, you must reference the DLL in a PROCEDURE statement and define its parameters in the associated internal procedure block. For more information on accessing DLL routines from ABL, see OpenEdge Programming Interfaces.
  • To run a UNIX shared library routine as an internal procedure, you must reference the UNIX shared library in a PROCEDURE statement and define its parameters in the associated internal procedure block. You can declare an internal procedure as a routine in a UNIX shared library in the same manner as declaring a DLL routine. The one exception is that the ORDINAL option is not applicable to UNIX and will be ignored. For example:
    RUN atoi (INPUT in-string, OUTPUT out-int).
  • You can define triggers on procedure handles (procedure triggers). You can apply events to any procedure trigger defined either within a persistent procedure or within any external procedure that is active on the procedure call stack. For example:
    DEFINE VARIABLE phand AS HANDLE NO-UNDO.

RUN persproc.p PERSISTENT SET phand.
. . .
APPLY "RETURN" TO phand.

    This code fragment assumes that a trigger is defined within persproc.p for the RETURN event on the THIS-PROCEDURE handle.

  • If you are using ABL with a DataServer that supports stored procedures, the RUN statement has extensions that allow you to execute a stored procedure. For more information, see the entry for the RUN STORED-PROCEDURE statement and the appropriate OpenEdge DataServer Guides (Use the Microsoft SQL Data Server and Use the Oracle Data Server).

  • If you RUN a procedure multiple times within a session, changing the procedure between runs, you must manually recompile the procedure each time. Otherwise, the procedure's last r-code, which persists for a session, is what is run and the changes do not appear.

  • An asynchronous call to a remote procedure (using the ASYNCHRONOUS option) causes the RUN statement to return control immediately to the following statement in the local context, whether or not the remote procedure has completed execution.

  • If an asynchronous call to a remote procedure does not raise a STOP or ERROR condition, the AVM:
    • Increments the server-handle:ASYNC-REQUEST-COUNT attribute
    • Increments the proc-handle:ASYNC-REQUEST-COUNT attribute, if PERSISTENT is specified for a remote external procedure or IN proc-handle is specified for a remote internal procedure
    • Sets the async-request-handle:COMPLETE attribute to FALSE, indicating that the request has not completed execution
    • Sets the async-request-handle:EVENT-PROCEDURE attribute to the value of event-internal-procedure, if event-internal-procedure is specified
    • Sets the async-request-handle:EVENT-PROCEDURE-CONTEXT attribute to the value of procedure-context, if procedure-context is specified
    • Submits the request for execution by the application server
  • An asynchronous call to a remote procedure can return a class-based error object. The object is returned via the ERROR-OBJECT attribute on the Asynchronous request object handle.
  • The AVM checks the syntax of the ON SERVER option at run time. This allows you to use a single HANDLE variable that you can set either to a server handle value or the value of the current SESSION handle. Thus, you can use the same RUN statement to execute a procedure remotely in an application server or locally depending on application conditions.
  • When you specify the ON SERVER option with the SESSION system handle, the RUN statement is functionally similar to not specifying the ON SERVER option at all. That is, the two RUN statements in the following code perform the same function:
    DEFINE VARIABLE hServer AS HANDLE NO-UNDO.

hServer = SESSION.
RUN foo.p.
RUN foo.p ON SERVER hServer.

    Allowing the same ON SERVER option to specify either a local session or a remote application server session facilitates code generation for applications like the OpenEdge AppBuilder.

    With the ASYNCHRONOUS option, using the ON SERVER SESSION option causes the called procedure to run synchronously in the local session, followed immediately by execution of any specified event-handler-name. Only after execution of the specified event-handler-name does control return to the statement following the RUN statement. This synchronous local execution includes the following differences in error handling from asynchronous execution on an application server using ON SERVER server-handle:

    • If an unhandled ERROR condition occurs during execution of the called local procedure or method, the error message is displayed on the local output device. This is different from remote execution, where any error message is written to the application server log file.
    • If the called local procedure or method causes an ERROR or STOP condition to be raised in the calling procedure (a file not found, mismatched parameters, a compile error, and explicit execution of a RETURN ERROR or STOP statement), the AVM sends the associated message to the standard output device and sets ERROR-STATUS:ERROR appropriately. This is different from remote execution, where the AVM in most cases attaches the associated message to the ERROR-STATUS system handle.
    • Also, if the called local procedure or method causes an ERROR or STOP condition to be raised in the calling procedure (as in the previous note), the AVM raises the condition on the RUN statement, as for a local RUN statement without the ON SERVER option. This is different from remote execution, where the AVM does not raise the condition on the calling RUN statement. You can work around this for the ON SERVER SESSION case by coding each asynchronous RUN statement with the NO-ERROR option and possibly surrounding it with a DO ON STOP UNDO, LEAVE block.

See also

{ } Argument reference, { } Include file reference, APPLY statement, Asynchronous request object handle, CODEBASE-LOCATOR system handle, COMPILE statement, CREATE SERVER statement, DEFINE PARAMETER statement, DELETE PROCEDURE statement, DELETE OBJECT statement, ERROR-OBJECT attribute, ON statement, Parameter passing syntax, PROCEDURE statement, Procedure object handle, RUN STORED-PROCEDURE statement, THIS-PROCEDURE system handle, VALID-HANDLE function, Widget phrase