4D 2004 Standard Edition v2 review

4D, also known as 4th Dimension, has been around almost as long as the Mac itself. The company is based in France, but with an established presence in the UK, US and other major markets.

From the start, 4D has been a relational database aimed primarily at business users, with a strong emphasis on programmability. The original product has grown over the years into a whole family that spans single-user desktop solutions through to enterprise-wide client-server databases. In addition, there are various plug-in modules that provide enhancements ranging from SQL connectivity to an integrated word processor module.

We'll concentrate here on 4D Standard Edition, which is the standalone version, but the fact that this is the base, not the pinnacle, of the 4D range is important because it provides continuity if your needs and abilities expand.

Everything you do in 4D falls into one of three operational modes called Design, User and Custom Menus. The Design mode is where you create the structure and layouts of your database. User mode lets you enter, edit and retrieve data within the context of the 4D application, which means you can easily switch back to Design mode and tweak things if you need to. Finally, the Custom Menus mode hides most of the 4D environment and allows the whole database solution to appear like a self-contained custom application. This is a useful three-way distinction that caters for developers or individuals who want to create, use and modify their own database, as well as those users who don't need to have any involvement in its creation.

At its simplest, 4D makes it easy to create a working database. All you need do is define and name the fields you want, 4D will then automatically offer you two standard layouts - a single-record form for data entry and a tabular list for retrieving that data. These include pre-defined features, such as control buttons, which don't require any programming. Even multi-table relational databases are easily set up using a graphical interface where you drag to draw a line between the key fields in two related tables.

Even the simplest default layouts are good enough to use, making FileMaker's and Panorama's defaults look rather plain by comparison. For more complex forms, including any that need to show related records, there's a Form Wizard that offers a structured approach to adding and defining elements of the design. Overall though, form design is not as intuitive as in FileMaker.

Almost every aspect of 4D can be programmed and customised. Methods (coded sequences of actions) can be attached to forms, fields, buttons or just about anything else and can then be triggered automatically by actions such as opening a form or leaving a field. There's tremendous power and flexibility here, but it pays to plan ahead and be organised as it's easy to create a tangled structure of dependencies that can be difficult to unravel. Previous programming experience will definitely help.

Compared to FileMaker Pro and Panorama, 4D is the serious-minded one - it tends to do things by the book and doesn't let you cut corners. For example, data typing is quite rigourous and relations are properly based on joins between tables - two points on which FileMaker takes a decidedly relaxed approach. Unlike the others, 4D always maintains separate data and structure files, which makes it easier to modify the business logic without risking the data. Such rules can often be broken with impunity, but obeying them never did any harm, and it may avoid serious problems down the road.