Hiring guide for Clarion (programming language) Engineers

Clarion (programming language) Developer Hiring Guide

Clarion is a commercial, proprietary, 4GL (fourth-generation programming language) developed by SoftVelocity. It is used to create database applications and includes an IDE (integrated development environment) with a compiler, debugger, and templates for generating code. Clarion has its own programming language but also supports both procedural and object-oriented programming. Its primary strength lies in its ability to generate Windows-based applications from templates with no coding required. This makes it a suitable choice for developers who need to quickly build complex database applications.

Ask the right questions secure the right Clarion (programming language) talent among an increasingly shrinking pool of talent.

First 20 minutes

General Clarion (programming language) app knowledge and experience

The first 20 minutes of the interview should seek to understand the candidate's general background in Clarion (programming language) application development, including their experience with various programming languages, databases, and their approach to designing scalable and maintainable systems.

What are the basic data types in Clarion?
The basic data types in Clarion include BYTE, SHORT, USHORT, LONG, ULONG, REAL, SREAL, DECIMAL, SDECIMAL, DATE, TIME, STRING, PSTRING, GROUP, and RECORD.
How would you declare a variable in Clarion?
In Clarion, you declare a variable by specifying the data type followed by the variable name. For example, LONG MyVariable.
What is the purpose of the INCLUDE directive in Clarion?
The INCLUDE directive in Clarion is used to include a file in the program. It's similar to the #include directive in C/C++.
How would you create a procedure in Clarion?
In Clarion, you create a procedure using the PROCEDURE keyword followed by the procedure name. For example, PROCEDURE MyProcedure.
What is the difference between a GROUP and a RECORD in Clarion?
In Clarion, a GROUP is a collection of variables that can be of different data types, while a RECORD is a collection of fields that are usually of the same data type.
The hiring guide has been successfully sent to your email address.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

What you’re looking for early on

Does the candidate have a strong understanding of the Clarion programming language?
Has the candidate worked on any projects using Clarion?
Is the candidate able to solve problems and debug in Clarion?
Can the candidate adapt to new technologies and programming languages?

Next 20 minutes

Specific Clarion (programming language) development questions

The next 20 minutes of the interview should focus on the candidate's expertise with specific backend frameworks, their understanding of RESTful APIs, and their experience in handling data storage and retrieval efficiently.

How would you handle errors in Clarion?
In Clarion, you can handle errors using the ERROR directive. You can also use the SYSTEM built-in variable to check for system errors.
What are the different looping structures in Clarion?
Clarion supports several looping structures including LOOP...END, WHILE...END, DO...UNTIL, and FOR...END.
How would you read data from a file in Clarion?
In Clarion, you can read data from a file using the GET directive. For example, GET(File, Record) would read a record from the specified file.
What is the difference between the OPEN and USE directives in Clarion?
In Clarion, the OPEN directive is used to open a file for input/output, while the USE directive is used to declare a file and its structure.
How would you write data to a file in Clarion?
In Clarion, you can write data to a file using the PUT directive. For example, PUT(File, Record) would write a record to the specified file.
The hiring guide has been successfully sent to your email address.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

The ideal back-end app developer

What you’re looking to see on the Clarion (programming language) engineer at this point.

At this point, a skilled Clarion (programming language) engineer should demonstrate strong problem-solving abilities, proficiency in Clarion (programming language) programming language, and knowledge of software development methodologies. Red flags include lack of hands-on experience, inability to articulate complex concepts, or unfamiliarity with standard coding practices.

Digging deeper

Code questions

These will help you see the candidate's real-world development capabilities with Clarion (programming language).

What does the following simple Clarion code do?
PROGRAM
INCLUDE('windows.inc')
MAP
INCLUDE('windows.inc')
END
CODE
MESSAGE('Hello, World!', 'Clarion Message', ICON:Information + BUTTON:Ok)
This code displays a message box with the text 'Hello, World!' and the title 'Clarion Message'. It uses the MESSAGE built-in procedure which is a part of the Windows API.
What does the following Clarion code do?
MyString STRING(20)
CODE
MyString = 'Hello, Clarion!'
DISPLAY(MyString)
This code declares a string variable 'MyString' with a length of 20 characters, assigns the value 'Hello, Clarion!' to it, and then displays this string on the screen.
What will be the output of the following Clarion code that manipulates an array?
MyArray ARRAY[3] OF STRING(10)
CODE
MyArray[1] = 'One'
MyArray[2] = 'Two'
MyArray[3] = 'Three'
DISPLAY(MyArray[1], MyArray[2], MyArray[3])
This code declares an array of strings 'MyArray' with 3 elements, assigns values to these elements, and then displays them. The output will be 'One Two Three'.
What does the following Clarion code do that is related to threading?
MyThread THREAD('MyProcedure')
CODE
START(MyThread)
This code declares a thread 'MyThread' that runs a procedure named 'MyProcedure', and then starts this thread.

Wrap-up questions

Final candidate for Clarion (programming language) Developer role questions

The final few questions should evaluate the candidate's teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills. Additionally, assess their knowledge of microservices architecture, serverless computing, and how they handle Clarion (programming language) application deployments. Inquire about their experience in handling system failures and their approach to debugging and troubleshooting.

What are the different types of arrays in Clarion?
Clarion supports several types of arrays including one-dimensional arrays, multi-dimensional arrays, and dynamic arrays.
How would you create a multi-dimensional array in Clarion?
In Clarion, you can create a multi-dimensional array by specifying the dimensions after the array name. For example, ARRAY[10,20] MyArray.
What is the difference between a procedure and a function in Clarion?
In Clarion, a procedure is a block of code that performs a specific task and does not return a value, while a function is a block of code that performs a specific task and returns a value.

Clarion (programming language) application related

Product Perfect's Clarion (programming language) development capabilities

Beyond hiring for your Clarion (programming language) engineering team, you may be in the market for additional help. Product Perfect provides seasoned expertise in Clarion (programming language) projects, and can engage in multiple capacities.

Clarion (programming language) Consultive assessments

Custom Clarion (programming language) development projects

Hiring guides

Hiring guides at a higher level of coverage

Zooming out above a specific programming language, these other hiring guides may be helpful.

Back-end App Developer

Front-end Web Developer

Full Stack Developer (Java)

Full Stack Developer (.Net)

Full Stack Developer (MEAN)

Full Stack Developer (MERN)

DevOps Engineer

Database Engineer (AzureSQL)

Database Engineer (Oracle)

Database Engineer (General)

Solution Architect (.NET)

Solution Architect (Java)

Solution Architect (Ruby)

Solution Architect (Python)

AI Engineer (Python)

Sr. AI Engineer (Python)

AI Strategist (Python)

Business Intelligence Engineer

Systems Analyst

Mainframe Developer (COBOL)

Mainframe Developer (General)