Most companies tend to overlook 10 critical (and somewhat hidden) factors when they start project planning to convert their Magic Software application themselves. These factors are most often overlooked when organizations consider doing a free conversion of Magic Software Applications. However, "free" is not always as beneficial (nor as free) as it first seems, especially when realizing that these 10 important factors can end up creating significant unforeseen expenses.
Having successfully converted over 5,000 Magic applications to Xpa, our Go Up engineering team assembled a list of the top 10 most costly & forgotten factors organizations tend to neglect (or discover too late) when embarking upon their conversion project. This list is by no means exhaustive. But it represents the factors we've observed tend to cost organizations the greatest expense in rework. Planning conversion of Magic Software Applications must consider these factors.
Trying to convert your Magic Software application yourself?
What you should know before trying to convert your Magic Software application yourself: The free Import/Export of Magic Software will not always run on big, complex applications, and the RM converter will only partially work. Importing and Exporting your application will not improve your code. But actually will just highlight the real investment such a conversion requires.
Consider doing a free conversion of Magic Software Applications?
Some V9 compatible objects, which the free tools merge into the code, can cause quite a few problems. These objects will disable some xpa features and will stay in your application forever.
The Record Main Converter will handle basic operations. But if the operations are complex or Record Main is combined with error or warning messages, block groups, or parking conditions, it probably will not keep the functionality in your converted application. As a result, there could be quite a few problems.
Xpa is known to provide a new Subform control. But if you are using the free tool, you should know that Subform Controls will not be generated. After conversion, you will most likely need time to fix all the child windows and implement the sub-forms. This involves a lot of manual effort. But unless you do so, the child windows in the application are not going to work.
At times, the fields or controls inherit Select program from the model. In the event this happens, you need to track down the duplicate select program and delete one of the calls.
If your application works with an SQL database, you will find that the gateway in Xpa works differently from the old Magic and uniPaaS gateways. You may discover a lot of errors or problems after the import, and you'll have to find and address each one of them individually.
There might be some errors in the Tab Order, and/or a wrong Tab Order overall, which alters the behavior of the application. Moreover, the free tool will generate new, often meaningless names for the controls, making future maintenance more difficult.
The native compatible V9 table which the free tool implements, will not allow you to enjoy all the new capabilities of Xpa. For example, using the free tool will not allow you to leverage the native column header sort without massive manual rework.
The Import and Export tool doesn't work with some unsupported features. For example, it doesn't handle ActiveX and BLOB/OLE, and doesn't replace the Get.dll with native Xpa and Windows API. Your code will not be improved! And you will simply have your old Magic 9 (or older) code recycled without any real benefit.
The free tool will not prepare the application for a future migration to RIA or Mobile. And there might be some features which are not supported at all. Again, manual rework will be needed.
There are many enhanced features of Xpa, but none of them will be implemented by using the free tool. There will be no built-in pdf printer, GUI Models, Unicode support, raise event operation, parameters sign, standard Windows appearance, GUI Face lifting and enhanced GUI appearance and so on.
These are just a few of the errors and issues you will encounter with a free Magic Software conversion tool. If you are ready to convert or upgrade your Magic Software application. And if you want to get it right the first time, you can always contact us at Go Up Technology.
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