Understanding front calls

Front calls execute a native function on the front-end platform.

In your Genero program, use the ui.Interface.frontCall() class method to invoke front-end functions. When calling a user function from programs, specify a module name and a function name. Input and output parameters can be passed/returned in order to transmit/receive values to/from the front-end. A typical example is an "open file" dialog window that allows you to select a file from the front-end workstation file system.

Important: Front calls can be specific to the platform or front-end technology and may not be supported. For example, it is not possible to execute a shell command (shellexec) with the Web Browser front-end.

A set of front-end functions is built-in by default in front-ends. However, it is possible to write your own functions in order to extend the front-end possibilities.

Note: The front calls using Microsoft™ DDE/COM/Mail technologies are deprecated. To manipulate Microsoft Office documents, use freeware alternatives such as the Apache POI Java library. For an example, see Java Interface: Example 2.