Accessing form definitions in a compiled and built application.md

How to Access form definitions in a compiled and built application

As you know, the build phase of an application generates a .4Z file in which the source code of methods and classes is removed. But the form definition is still present.

Some developments require loading the definition of a form to modify it on the fly before presenting it to the user.

• A commonly used solution is to create the form in the structure, then copy its definition to the resources folder. Don't forget to update it after each modification.
• Another method is to use the ZIP Read archive command to read/extract the file(s) from the .4DZ archive. But this way cannot be used if the archive is protected with the buildApp key UseStandardZipFormat set to False.

There is an easier way

The thing to know is that the File and Folder commands are able to operate on a .4DZ file if it is open in memory.
And this is necessarily the case since the application is loaded even if the .4DZ file is protected.

So the access path for the Form1 definition is:

	$file:=File(“/SOURCES/Forms/Form1/form.4DForm”)