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Source Code — FAQ's
What is provided by the different 4th Quarter® source code licenses?
Does a source code license provide full access to all areas of the program?
How are 4Q updates installed in a customized version of 4th Quarter?
What kind of help can we get from Braided Matrix in our efforts to create a customized application?
Do we need to understand accounting in order to customize the application?
Do we have to pay a license fee if we want to resell our customized application?
— What is provided by the different 4th Quarter® source code licenses?
Three source code packages are currently available: 4Q Core, 4Q Full, Job Costing. The single source code application is compatible with both Mac and PC systems.
4Q Core provides full source code for all accounting functions. It does not include the code for handling inventory, customers, vendors, sales or purchases.
4Q Full provides all the code of the 4Q Core product plus the additional code for handling inventory, customers, vendors, sales or purchases. If you already have the source code license for the 4Q Core product, then obtaining source code for 4Q Full requires payment of the difference.
Job Costing source code requires that you already license either the 4Q Core or 4Q Full source code products. Job Costing can be used in conjunction with either the Core of Full systems. It cannot be used independently. If you already have the license for the Core or Full systems, then obtaining the code for Job Costing only requires payment of the addition fee for the Job Costing module.
Source code licenses do not entitle you to resell your product. To to that requires an OEM resellers license also available from Braided Matrix.
— Does a source code license provide full access to all areas of the program? |
Yes. When you license the source code you gain access to all areas of the program with the following two exceptions:
The source code for our user license algorithms is removed in source code versions of the product. These products are configured to operate without this portion of the code.
4th Quarter uses the 4Q plug-in package that is designed to work in conjunction with our user license scheme. This plug-in is not written in the 4th Dimension language and source code to it is not provided.
— How are 4Q updates installed in a customized version of 4th Quarter? |
4Q was designed to limit and localized the changes needed to build a customized product. This means that there are few areas of the program that will be changed in a customized version. When new versions of 4Q are released all except the few modified areas of the program can be updated without any loss of your changes.
When changes are made, they must be carefully recorded and updates to these areas must be done manually.
4th Quarter supports the following built-in tools that limit the effect of changes, aid in the control of new versions, and facilitate the process of updating custom applications.
Procedure patching: This is a method in which you can change the execution of any 4Q method without modifying the code in that method. Patching operates by creating a centralized list of exceptions and providing the code that is to run when these exceptions occur. 4th Quarter's built-in patch manager monitors this table and executes the patching code whenever appropriate. Patching makes it extremely easy to implement and maintain changes to 4th Quarter.
Version Numbering: Each method, each menu, and each page of every form in 4th Quarter is assigned a version number. These numbers can be extracted automatically from the 4th Quarter source code using 4D Insider.
Version Tracking: Object version numbers can also be extracted from the symbol table that's generated by 4D Compiler. Using our Version Tracker™ application to process the symbol table generated by two versions of 4th Quarter enables you to obtain a full list of all of the differences between the two versions of 4th Quarter. The Version Tracker software will tell you exactly which objects need to be updated, which objects are new and need to be added, and which objects are obsolete and need to be removed.
These tools, in combination with 4th Quarter's modular design, provide a safe means of maintaining customized 4th Quarter applications.
— What kind of help can we get from Braided Matrix in our efforts to create a customized application? |
Braided Matrix offers a full range of developer and source code support that includes:
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Developer technical notes covers most of the internal mechanisms employed in the 4Q application.
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Source code training.
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Needs analysis.
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Development of specifications.
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Project consultation and project management.
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Limited program customization performed in those areas where we have special expertise.
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General program customization performed for users who would like us to provide a complete customization service.
If you have a special need please call us. Custom system often present unusual requirements. We are here to support your efforts.
— Do we need to understand accounting in order to customize the application? |
Not in detail, but some understanding of general accounting would be wise.
4th Quarter is built with many "black box" methods that aid you in passing data in to the accounting engine. You do not need to know accounting in order to learn how to use these methods, but you do need to understand what you're doing in order to use these calls correctly.
For the most part a developer only needs to understand those particular areas of accounting that apply to the data being passed to the accounting engine, or the analysis that is performed on data drawn from the engine. You do not need to know accounting in order for the 4Q engine to perform its accounting functions.
— Do we have to pay a license fee if we want to resell our customized application?
Yes.
Braided Matrix can provide you with an OEM reseller licenses if you want to resell custom application that includes the 4th Quarter accounting engine as a vertical market application. Reseller licenses require the payment to Braided Matrix of a royalty for each application that you sell. The royalty is based on the number of products you sell, the number of users supported by each product, and the price of your product.
Each reseller license must be crafted to suit the market and the product. Contact us if you have specific questions.
If you have a question that has not been answered, please contact us.
