Kofax DM API - Manual (Page 25)

T HE DM A RCHITECTURE 5
Types of DM Objects
The DM Object Model consists of Distributed Component Object
Model (DCOM) objects that are exposed via DM. Operations on DM
objects map to operations on tables and typically require several
properties to be set to define the objects. The object properties after
instantiation may differ depending on how the object was created.
When building a DM client application, you will use the PCDClient
type library (pcdclient.dll) and development tools such as C++, Visual
Basic, Java, or Active Server Pages.
Note: Examples in this document show sample code written in Visual Basic.
Similarly, this document refers to API items using Visual Basic nomenclature in
preference to terminology more common to C++, Java, or other programming
language environments. For example, the term “object” is generally used in
preference to “class” or “interface.” Also, “method” is used in place of
“function,” and “property” is used in place of “attribute.”
DM Forms
DM forms include those used as profile forms, query-by-example and
other search forms, results lists, and lookups. These forms are fully
customizable using DM Designer. Using DM Designer, you can also
create your own forms.
With DM, forms are an abstraction layer for the SQL database that
allows your applications to access the library database. DM supports
Search, Query, Lookup, and Profile forms. DM uses a form definition
to mediate client requests for data and read/write access to the database.
The form definition maps the name of a field in the form to a SQL
column in the database. Most client application calls are done using the
name of the field as shown on the form, rather than the name of the
column in the SQL database. DM uses the SQL_INFO call, which is
embedded in the form definition that resides in the SQL database. Each
form must specify a primary table in the database as part of its form
definition.
Types of DM Objects
The DM API defines several types of objects:
• Support (read only), which facilitates the log on process.