Migrating from IBM Informix 4GL to Genero BDL

IBM Informix 4GL and Genero BDL products

IBM Informix 4GL (I4GL) and Genero Business Development Language (BDL) are distinct development tools. The goal of Genero BDL is to be as compatible as possible with I4GL, and it is very close. The success of Genero BDL depends on the ability to compile and run legacy code with minimum code changes. For text-mode applications, the migration steps are often reduced to recompile-and-run.

Genero BDL extends the I4GL language with advanced features, such as a Graphical User Interface and SQL access to non-Informix databases. This leads to some differences that you have to handle, but these incompatibilities are minor compared to the added value.

In some rare cases, the Genero BDL team decided to take a different path to implement an I4GL feature, because we considered that the IBM Informix 4GL solution was not adaptable. For example, dynamic arrays in I4GL and Genero BDL have different semantics.

This guide will help you identify the differences and find solutions to make the migration from IBM Informix 4GL easier.

IBM Informix 4GL reference version

Several versions of the IBM Informix 4GL language have been released. It started in the mid-80s with I4GL version 4.x; then came version 6.x in 1996. I4GL version 7.2 was released in 1998; then versions 7.31, 7.32, and finally the version: 7.50 came out.

There have been several bug fixes and enhancements over the life of I4GL, resulting in releases that slightly differ. Supporting strict compatibility with all versions of I4GL is not possible for Genero BDL.

The Genero BDL compatibility level with IBM Informix 4GL is achieved by comparing with the latest version of I4GL, which is version 7.50 at the time of this writing.