biology

Visual Objects

Visual Objects is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Visual Objects rather than just read about it. In short: Visual Objects is an object-oriented computer programming language that is used to create computer programs that operate primarily under Windows. Although it can be used as a general-purpose programming tool, it is almost exclusively used to create database programs.

Key takeaways

Visual Objects belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Visual Objects to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Visual Objects from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Visual Objects is an object-oriented computer programming language that is used to create computer programs that operate primarily under Windows. Although it can be used as a general-purpose programming tool, it is almost exclusively used to create database programs. The original Visual Objects project (code-named Aspen) was started as part of Nantucket's attempts to bring the Clipper language to Windows, and move from the procedural to the object-oriented style. It also converted Clipper from a p-code system to being a true native compiler and introduced more elements of the C language (such as typed variables), while including Windows extensions (such as COM, ODBC, and later ADO). With its symbol datatype, it offers the ability to form name-based linkages, which may be used to connect menu events to object methods or form direct linkages between server columns and controls. The Windows version was finally brought to market by Computer Associates. Unfortunately it was released before it was market-ready and in almost head-to-head competition with the first release of the Borland Delphi product. The language is still in use however the last release by GrafX Software was in 2012 of version 2.8 sp4 (version number 2838). GrafX announced that after this no new versions would be released. The next incarnation of the Visual Objects language is Vulcan.NET, written by GrafX from scratch to be both Visual Objects compatible and be a true CLS compliant .NET language, taking full advantage of the .NET framework. The Vulcan.NET project has since been replaced with XSharp (X#) as an open source project which is under active development.

See also XBase Clipper (programming language) Harbour (software) Visual FoxPro

References

External links "Google newsgroup 'comp.lang.clipper.visual-objects'". Retrieved 11 September 2019. "CA-Visual Objects 2.5 Released". 29 June 1999. Retrieved 11 September 2019.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Visual Objects

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Visual Objects claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Visual Objects before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Visual Objects ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Visual Objects

In research: Visual Objects appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Visual Objects in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Visual Objects is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Fourth-generation programming languages, Programming language topic stubs, Table-oriented programming, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Visual Objects outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Visual Objects in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Visual Objects means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Visual Objects out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Visual Objects in simple terms?

Why does Visual Objects matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Visual Objects?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Visual Objects.