What is OpenROAD?
OpenROAD is a database-centric, object-oriented, 4GL rapid application development (RAD) tool that lets you develop and deploy mission-critical, n-tier business applications on Windows and Linux. OpenROAD connects to databases such as Ingres, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, Zen and Actian X and supports additional databases using ODBC.
OpenROAD makes application modernization easy
Application modernization offers exciting opportunities for making a high impact on business agility, user experiences, developer productivity, sustainability, innovation, and more. Yet organizations settle for the status quo because application modernization can be a long, expensive, and risky journey that involves replacing thousands of lines of custom-developed business logic. OpenROAD, solves this issue by allowing you to retain and reuse your investment in existing business logic and offering tools that make it easy to deliver modern user interfaces.
OpenROAD migration tools modernize “green screen” Ingres ABF applications by converting ABF forms into OpenROAD frames. Encapsulating ABF business logic and deploying it in an OpenROAD Server preserves and protects application development investment. You can transform OpenROAD thick-client applications to browser-based equivalents without the cost, resource, effort, and risk associated with rewriting or replacing code. Developers can then extend these applications for web and mobile deployment, using HTML5, JavaScript, and WebView2.
Key benefits
- Easily reuse business logic to preserve and protect your application development investment.
- Deploy OpenROAD Server in the cloud using microservices and containers for portable and scalable business logic, fast communication between distributed systems, and simplified rapid development with Volt MX, .NET, Java, and
OpenROAD. - Modernize server communications, performance, and compatibility with microservices, or containers leveraging OpenROAD’s gRPC architecture.
- Build applications that support Actian databases such as Ingres, Actian X, and Vector.
- Use the Enterprise Access gateway to access popular databases on Windows and Unix. Enterprise Access implements an interface similar in appearance and behavior to each supported database, allowing a single Enterprise Access client application to access these data sources.
Deliver modern user interfaces with minimal effort
OpenROAD simplifies the process of creating modern, visually appealing user interfaces by providing developers with a range of tools:
The abf2or migration utility
The abf2or migration utility modernizes Application-By-Forms (ABF) applications to OpenROAD frames, including form layout, controls, properties, and event handlers. It migrates business logic implemented in ABF scripts to equivalent logic in OpenROAD. The utility also handles the migration of data sources to ensure that data connections and queries function properly and can convert report definitions.
WebGen
WebGen is an OpenROAD utility that lets you quickly generate web and mobile applications in HTML5 and JavaScript from OpenROAD frames, allowing OpenROAD applications to be deployed on-line and on mobile devices.
OpenROAD and Workbench IDE
The OpenROAD Workbench Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is a comprehensive toolset for software development, particularly for creating and maintaining applications built using the OpenROAD framework. It provides tools specifically designed to migrate partitioned ABF applications to OpenROAD frames.
Visual development environment
OpenROAD provides a visual development environment where developers can design user interface components using drag-and-drop tools, visual editors, and wizards. This makes it easier for developers to create complex user interface layouts without writing extensive code manually.
