Continuous Integration for PowerBuilder
PowerBuilder Legacy Compiler (2017-2022)
PowerBuilder 2021-2022: Introduction of PBAutoBuild
PowerBuilder 2021 introduced the PBAutoBuild tool, replacing the old "PowerBuilder Compiler" (PBC) used in previous versions. PowerBuilder 2022 includes PBAutoBuild220.exe. This tool allows compiling and deploying PowerBuilder projects using DOS commands on Windows.
PBAutoBuild Characteristics (PB 2021–2022)
- Standalone tool: Can automate the entire build and deployment process
- Free to use: no PowerBuilder IDE or license required on the build machine
- Dependency: Requires PowerBuilder Runtime installed (and PowerServer Toolkit for PowerServer projects)
Supported Project Types
PBAutoBuild220.exe can compile:
- Client/server applications (Application projects)
- PowerClient applications
- PowerServer applications
Installation
To install PBAutoBuild220.exe, run the PowerBuilder installer and select "PowerBuilder Utilities" in the Programs tab.
PowerBuilder 2017-2019: PowerBuilder Compiler (PBC)
PowerBuilder 2017 introduced a new standalone tool "PowerBuilder Compiler" (including OrcaScript). It has been designed to significantly facilitate build scripts, and allows the entire build and deployment process to be automated outside of PowerBuilder.
The PowerBuilder standalone compiler can compile or deploy PB projects using DOS commands on Windows.
PBC can also be used with PB2019 projects, but Appeon recommendedusing PBAutoBuild for newer versions. In PowerBuilder 2025, PBC is included in PBAutoBuild.
Automated Build Generation with Jenkins and PBC
You can configure a Jenkins Job to use the PowerBuilder Standalone Compiler with the ORCAScript language.
PowerBuilder 2017-2019 Tools & Resources:
- PB Standalone Compiler: PB 2017, PB 2019
- PB Orcascript Language: PB 2017, PB 2019
- Using GIT with PowerBuilder: PB 2017, PB 2019
- Using SVN with PowerBuilder: PB 2017, PB 2019
- Jenkins plugin to Pull code from GIT
- Jenkins plugin to Pull code from SVN
- Jenkins Git plugin to pull code from Azure Repos (Azure DevOps)
- Jenkins plugin to compile PB 2017/2019 code
- Building project with Jenkins for PB 2017/2019 (Bruce Armstrong Article)
Migration to PowerBuilder 2025
For new CI/CD implementations, it is recommended to migrate to PowerBuilder 2025 R2, which brings:
- High-performance compiler (2-3x faster with "Solution" projects)
- Plain text source code (better Git/SVN integration)
- PBAutoBuild250.exe with integrated PBC, no license required
- Git Fetch/Rebase and source control history preservation
This version offers a modern and efficient approach for continuous integration with PowerBuilder.
Note: The "Solution" format is available in the CloudPro and Professional editions.