Clarion

Clarion is a 4GL programming language and database system known for rapid application development. It has been used extensively for business applications, particularly in vertical market software.

What You Can Upload

• .TPS - TopSpeed database files
• .DAT - ISAM data files
• .DCT - Data dictionary files
• .K* - Key/index files
• ZIP archive containing complete file sets

What You Get Out

DataMeans extracts your data into multiple modern formats:

How to Export / Obtain Files

1. Locate your Clarion application's data directory
2. Copy all .TPS data files
3. Include associated .DCT dictionary files if available
4. Include .K* key/index files for relationship mapping
5. Create a ZIP archive with all files
6. Upload the ZIP to DataMeans

Supported Features

• TopSpeed .TPS file extraction
• Dictionary file (.DCT) parsing for field metadata
• Automatic field type conversion
• Key and index preservation
• Memo fields and BLOBs
• Clarion data types to SQL equivalents

Known Limitations

• Some legacy character encodings may need adjustment
• Very large tables (1M+ rows) may take extended processing time
• Encrypted TopSpeed files require decryption first

Overview

Clarion is a fourth-generation programming language and database development environment designed for rapid application development. It includes proprietary ISAM file formats and a file-driver layer that also connects applications to external file formats and SQL databases. Clarion emphasizes visual development with template-driven code generation and centralized data dictionary management.

History and Background

• 1986: Clarion 1.0 released for DOS by Bruce Barrington's Barrington Systems, using the proprietary .DAT ISAM format.
• 1988: Clarion Professional Developer (CPD) 2.0 introduces the Designer, a data dictionary, and model-file code generation.
• 1992: Clarion Software merges with compiler maker Jensen & Partners International (JPI); the combined company becomes TopSpeed Corporation.
• 1993: Clarion Database Developer (CDD) 3.0 replaces model files with extensible templates and compiles to native machine code.
• 1995: Clarion for Windows 1.0 ships in January; the single-file TopSpeed (.TPS) format debuts the same year with Clarion for DOS 3.1.
• 1997: Clarion 4 introduces the Application Builder Classes (ABC) template set and class library.
• 1998: Clarion 5 released, splitting the product into Professional and Enterprise editions.
• 2000: The Clarion product line moves from TopSpeed Corporation to SoftVelocity; Clarion 5.5 adds interfaces to the language's OOP support.
• 2003: Clarion 6.0 adds preemptive multithreading.
• 2009: Clarion 7 ships with a new SharpDevelop-based IDE and an MSBuild-based build system.
• 2011: Clarion 8 released in September, continuing the Clarion 7 series.
• 2014: Clarion 9.1 reaches gold release in August.
• 2015: Clarion 10 released, with the IDE reworked to run on .NET Framework 4.
• 2018: Clarion 11 released with faster builds and touch-input support.
• 2025: Clarion 12 released.

File Format Specifications

Database Files:

• .TPS: TopSpeed database files (primary format; data, keys, and memos in one file)
• .DAT: Clarion DOS data files (original ISAM format)
• .Knn: Index files accompanying .DAT databases (.K01, .K02, etc.)
• .MEM: Memo field storage accompanying .DAT databases

File Structure:

• Single-file design: data records, memo data, key indexes, and table definitions stored together
• File header occupying the first 0x200 bytes, with the tOpS signature at offset 0x0E
• Page-based storage, with pages aligned on 256-byte boundaries and grouped into blocks
• Optional run-length encoding (RLE) compression of pages, applied when a page's stored length differs from its uncompressed length
• Records tagged by type code: 0xF3 for data records, 0xFA for table definitions, 0xFC for memos
• Table-definition records describing each field's offset, length, and data type
• Multi-byte values stored little-endian, except record numbers, which are big-endian
• Optional encryption of file contents

Key Components:

• Data dictionary: Centralized schema management
• Templates: Code generation for common patterns
• Applications: Generated programs compiled to native executables
• Reports: Formatted output definitions
• Forms: User interface designs

Data Types and Structures

Database Objects:

• Tables: Primary data containers with fields and records
• Keys: Indexed fields for fast record access
• Relationships: Parent-child links with referential integrity rules defined in the dictionary
• Queues: In-memory data structures
• Views: Virtual composites of related files supporting join operations

Version Differences

Compatibility Notes:

• Clarion 7 and later are backward compatible with releases back to Clarion for Windows 1.5
• The TopSpeed driver stores data, memos, and all key indexes in a single disk file
• Applications predating the TopSpeed driver use the .DAT/.Knn/.MEM file set
• File drivers also access Btrieve, dBase, FoxPro, and Paradox files, plus SQL databases via ODBC and native drivers
• 16-bit executable targets were dropped with Clarion 6.0; Clarion 6.3 was the final 16-bit IDE
• The four-byte DATE and TIME field types match the corresponding Btrieve Record Manager field formats
• Clarion standard dates count days elapsed since December 28, 1800 (valid range January 1, 1801 to December 31, 9999); standard times count hundredths of a second since midnight, plus one

Technical References

• SoftVelocity Clarion
• Wikipedia: Clarion (programming language)
• Liberating TPS Files: TopSpeed Format Analysis
• A History of the Clarion Language (Sterling Data)
• ClarionHub Community

To learn how to use this format with DataMeans, see the User Guide.