4D 6.5 Companion FAQ

Q:	I don’t have *Programming 4th Dimension: The Ultimate Guide*. Do I need to buy it before getting The 4D 6.5 Companion?
A:	*Programming 4th Dimension: The Ultimate Guide* and *The 4D 6.5 Companion* do not have any material in common. Each book stands on its own and complements the other. Both books are available from Automated Solutions Group.

Q:	I already have *Programming 4th Dimension: The Ultimate Guide. Do I need The 4D 6.5 Companion*?
A:	*Programming 4th Dimension: The Ultimate Guide* and *The 4D 6.5 Companion* do not have any material in common. Each book stands on its own and complements the other.

Q:	What code is included with *The 4D 6.5 Companion*?
A:	*The 4D 6.5 Companion* includes over 400 methods. Several complete utilities, like a cross-platform resource mover, are included as well. The code description page has more details about the code.

Q:	How much does *The 4D 6.5 Companion* cost, and where can I buy it?
A:	*The 4D 6.5 Companion* costs $79.95 and is available from Automated Solutions Group.

I'm using 4D 6.7, not 4D 6.5. Is there going to be a new edition of The 4D 6.5 Companion?

Programming 4th Dimension: The Ultimate Guide covers 4D through version 6. The 4D 6.5 Companion adds coverage of all new 4D 6.5 features. When 4D, Inc. releases a new version of 4D, I am likely to publish an additional book covering the new features. This will not be a new edition of an existing book. In other words, you will not have to pay for the same material in two different books.

What can I expect to get out of The 4D 6.5 Companion?

If you’re like many 4D developers, you don’t have time to experiment with 4D and dig through the documentation. The 4D 6.5 Companion will save you time. Many developers have told me that they found a 4D 6.5 feature that saves them days on their projects the first day they used the book.

If you are new to 4D or 4D 6.5, The 4D 6.5 Companion will quickly bring you up to speed on the latest version of 4D. The emphasis is on how to apply 4D 6.5’s features will be particularly useful.

Q:	I’m a 4D newbie. Is *The 4D 6.5 Companion* only for experienced 4D developers?
A:	The book and sample code are targeted at a wide audience. They include information for people entirely new to 4D, as well as to people who have been using 4D for more than a decade. Take a look at the table of contents in HTML format, or download a more detailed PDF version (300K).

I’m interested in 4D 6.5’s Web features. Does The 4D 6.5 Companion cover these in detail?

The 4D 6.5 Companion covers 4D 6.5’s Web features in four summary chapters:

Overview of 4D Internet Integration
The 4D 6.5 Web Server
The 4D 6.5 Web Security Options
4D Internet Commands

These chapters discuss security, email, FTP, semi-dynamic pages, and 4D’s contextual-mode Web server. They do not discuss the 4D 6.5 Web server commands in detail. I am currently teaching a course called 4D Internet Integration that covers all of the 4D 6.5 Web features and commands in detail. I am updating this course to include 4D 6.7’s Web features. I may convert these materials into a book in the future, but this is not certain.

Q:	What does *The 4D 6.5 Companion* add to the 4D 6.5 upgrade documentation included with 4D 6.5?
A:	The content of *The 4D 6.5 Companion* goes beyond the manuals provided with 4D 6.5 and explains how to apply 4D 6.5’s features. *The 4D 6.5 Companion* also documents behaviors and features not found in the official documentation.

Q:	Does *The 4D 6.5 Companion* talk about products other than 4D and 4D Server?
A:	Yes, *The 4D 6.5 Companion* talks about roughly a dozen products that are useful to 4D developers. There is detailed coverage of 4D Tools, SanityCheck, DataCheck, and QuickCode Pro.

Last updated June 21, 2000