Software Protection for 4D Databases

We provide a special 4D plug-in so that you can protect your 4D database from illegal copying. The plug-in is compatible with Windows and macOS - both 32-bit and 64-bit are supported. The plug-in is compatible with 4D version 11 and higher.

You can call the plug-in from your 4D database to check for the presence of the correct Dinkey Pro dongle. You can also use the plug-in to implement more advanced protection techniques. We provide a 4D sample database that contains code that demonstrates how to do this.

The 4D plug-in is implemented as a series of directories and files. Under macOS this structure is recognised as a single bundle file. You can explore the contents of the bundle with Show Package Contents.

For the sample database to work properly you need to have a Plugins directory (located in the same place as the sample database) and include the whole plug-in structure in that directory.

You need to lock the plug-in (and not your database) using the API method of protection. Because your database is dependent on the protected plug-in then it is itself protected. You lock the plug-in by locking each of the files in Contents\<OS Name> directory in the plug-in for each operating system that you want to support.

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