VFP FoxPro to Alpha5 Questions

[stanlyn]

Re: VFP FoxPro to Alpha5 Questions

Hi DaveM

Please see thumbnail of Dialog I created to Filter a report for the selected letter in a date range. Each Radio button is a variable to select which value the report is based on and the Dates also filter even further.
Is this what you were asking, what can Alpha do?

OK, I need to see the code that makes this dialog work, as that is where the magic is... I can make an identical looking form in VFP, and while the form looks identical, the underlying code is very very different, and I'm studing the difference between the two. Thanks...

Quote:
Remeber, most users are not as smart as you!!

I really don't think I that smart, but I do have a lot of experience writing code and dealing with all the issues of software development. I started writing unix applications 25 years ago, while doing VFP for 99% of my development since 1998. The applications I've created are imaging and accounting applications used in a lot of Kentucky courthouses managing their deedrooms with public viewer stations that the public can search millions of public records and instantly see an image of the deed or marriage record that was queried, or etc... Enough about me...

[Peter.Greulich]

Re: VFP FoxPro to Alpha5 Questions

In evaluating a language, the language needs to be able to do everything (100%)via code with no execptions. Does A5 fit here?

Almost 100%. You can't create a form w. xbasic. But you can create xdialog forms w. code. As a matter of fact xdialog forms can only be created w. code. I ran into something recently that could not be done by code. For the life of me I can't remember what it is. But that was a rare exception.

2. Also you can also easily protect, hide, and secure a sql database so that anyone with notepad or a hex editor cannot even get to it to perform their magic.

A5 Platinum supports backend SQLs (but you already knew that).

Can a 2nd instance of A5 be opened on the same database with the only thing locked being the executing task on instance 1?

Each running instance of A5 can have only one database (adb) running at one time. You can open as many instances of A5 as your memory will support. BUT, you can only have one cope of a particular dataabse running at one time, unless you have more that one license (developer or runtime).

Your attachment shows all fields being searched via the UI, I was specifically wanting to see the code that allows me to search several fields at once for a value. Is that possible?

As Cal stated, you can use the <>.locate cmmand.

This code I'm asking for may not even be on a form, but may be used to filter data for a report?

No problem

With code you should be able to do most anything...

Yes.

[CALocklin]

Re: VFP FoxPro to Alpha5 Questions

Avoid using one name 'inside' another like Zipcode and Zipcode4. Better to use Zipcode and Zip4 or Zip_code4. Or, applying rule 1 above, Zipcodef is already unique from Zipcode4f. Another advantage in this case is that you could easily run a search for "zipcode" if you wanted to find all references to either Zipcodef or Zipcode4f. If you ran a search on just "zip" you might also find, for example, references to zip files used for backup routines.

Are you saying that if I have 3 fields in a table named zipcode1, zipcode2, and zipcode3, and I searched for "12345" that the system can search all 3 fields for the occurance of "12345"...

Yes and no.

My original statement, the one at the top here, actually refers to a developer running text searches on the code itself. These searches are very useful when making changes to existing applications. For example, let's assume a customer asks for something that requires modifying an index. Running a search to find every place that the index is used may reveal that the current index cannot be changed and a new index will be required. Without the search capability it's highly unlikely that you will remember every place that the index was used.

A5 itself has a built-in routine for running searches on global scripts/functions (as long as they aren't password protected) but there are two 3rd party addins that search the entire application to extract all the scripts, functions, expressions, etc. that are used within the database and these "extraction lists" can be searched for specific phrases. One of those 3rd party addins is A5 Doc which is available from Alpha and was originally intended primarily to create printed documentation about the application but also has the ability to search for specific text. The other is my own AIMS App Analyzer that is designed specifically for running text searches, automates the common ones, and saves the results in a text file for immediate access. The reason I developed the App Analyzer is that earlier versions of A5 Doc had very weak search capabilities that were very time consuming. If you want to create printed documentation of your app, A5 Doc is the only choice. If you want to run text searches on your code the App Analyzer is the better choice - in my somewhat biased opinion.

Now, to your specific question. There is a pair of <tbl>.Locate_next/prev() commands that will search all fields (or a specific field) for any text. Each command only finds the next/prev record but these commands could be used in a script to search the whole table if that is what you need.

By the way, you may be seeing now why the original comment was made about posting questions on separate threads. People on this board are very good about helping. You often get multiple responses within an hour of posting a question - even late at night. The result is that this thread is beginning to get rather confusing due to all the different topics being discussed.

[DaveM]

Re: VFP FoxPro to Alpha5 Questions

Stanlyn,'

I came from clipper where there was no gui, no formsw and no report generator. Everything was coded. About all we had was some great database connectivity and a good base of functions. All indexes had to be written in code. Like I said, there was no GUI. I purchased an optimised text editor and a gui built by a clipper programmer to help my efforts. Alpha includes it.

Our code was written in a text editor and used in an exe generator. Alpha has a GUI and many places you can put your code(field rules, form, script, udf, etc. Alpha lets you do action scripting, then convert to xbasic that you can study and/or change to your own liking, then put it in a script or udf if it makes more sense). You have a choice of form/xdialog. You have a built in browse on a table or a set of tables. Same thing for the VERY POWERFUL report generator. Only Crystal Reports has a better report writer(and that is debateable due to ease of use). You have operations that can also be saved as xbasic in a script. When you define and operation, action script, etc, alpha converts to xbasic to run. When you convert it to xbasic, you learn and can better optimize it. That is a pretty good deal for learning.

I have been with alpha products for nearly 20 years and still find action scripting and operations VERY helpful. I think you will to.

A person with no programming skill can make a database in alpha and use it. The programmer can expand it to no limit of ends.


.

[DaveM]

Re: VFP FoxPro to Alpha5 Questions

Stanlyn,

According to the User Manual, an A5 database is similar to a VFP project and not a VFP database and only one database can be opened at a time.

What a bummer, as there are times where lots of things needs to be copied from one A5 database to another A5 database, like side by side on a dual monitor system, until all coping is done, then close one

I suggest you reread this post. You are asking questions that were answered fo the second time. This is one example.

.

[Tom Cone Jr]

Re: VFP FoxPro to Alpha5 Questions

Stanley said:
I need to master the code, and with the code I can create the search form or dialog the user will use, as I never use the canned stuff that comes with these apps as they are usually so generic they are useless except for the simplest requests

"Never" is a long time.

I recommend you get familiar with what's available before discarding it wholesale.

'Query By Form' for example is quite powerful and flexible.

All Alpha Five forms are automatically bound to their supporting tables. Objects you place in the layout to display table data are automatically bound to the underlying record buffers. It's possible to craft custom dialogs (Alpha calls them xdialogs) which are not bound to tables. There are times when the xdialog approach works best, but there are many many times when Alpha Five forms will do just fine with a lot less effort on the developer's part. There is tremendous functionality built in to the default forms already. Discarding it without looking at it would be foolish.

[Keith Hubert]

Re: VFP FoxPro to Alpha5 Questions

Hi Stanley,

This code I'm asking for may not even be on a form, but may be used to filter data for a report?

Please see thumbnail of Dialog I created to Filter a report for the selected letter in a date range. Each Radio button is a variable to select which value the report is based on and the Dates also filter even further.

Is this what you were asking, what can Alpha do?

they are useless except for the simplest requests

Remeber, most users are not as smart as you!!

[Tim Kiebert]

Re: VFP FoxPro to Alpha5 Questions

According to the User Manual, an A5 database is similar to a VFP project and not a VFP database and only one database can be opened at a time.

What a bummer, as there are times where lots of things needs to be copied from one A5 database to another A5 database, like side by side on a dual monitor system, until all coping is done, then close one.

Stanley,

I forgot to mention that in many instances you can CopyTo (often found on the rightclick menu) to another database with out having that database open. As far as reusing code, you can compile scripts into an .aex file and then add them to a database or even add them to a5 as an addin. You can also, in the database properties, specify another databases's dictionary and then all the functions therein are available to the current one.

[Doug Page]

Re: VFP FoxPro to Alpha5 Questions

In reference to Keiths post above, he was alluding to the fact that many of us have learned a very powerful way to learn XBasic is to create an Action Script and then you can convert it to XBasic. You now have the guts of what you are looking for and the codebase to edit to make your own. The beauty of the "canned stuff", as you put it, is that you are able to change it into code that you can use to learn from. Many of the better developers here have used this is the beginning as a great starting point until they have a great collection of UDF's and code snippits.

Don't overlook the so called "simple" things as they can make your learning and coding much quicker.

[stanlyn]

Re: VFP FoxPro to Alpha5 Questions

Hi Tim,

I tried opening 2 databases in the same instance and it always closes the previous one before opening the selected one.

You are saying that it must be done in multiple instances, then OK, I can live with that...

[Tim Kiebert]

Re: VFP FoxPro to Alpha5 Questions

According to the User Manual, an A5 database is similar to a VFP project and not a VFP database and only one database can be opened at a time.

What a bummer, as there are times where lots of things needs to be copied from one A5 database to another A5 database, like side by side on a dual monitor system, until all coping is done, then close one.

Where in the manual did you see that? You can definately have multiple instances of A5 open at once with a different database/app in each. Even the same database open more than once if you have mutiple licences. Maybe what was meant is you can only open one database per instance of A5.

[stanlyn]

Re: VFP FoxPro to Alpha5 Questions

According to the User Manual, an A5 database is similar to a VFP project and not a VFP database and only one database can be opened at a time.

What a bummer, as there are times where lots of things needs to be copied from one A5 database to another A5 database, like side by side on a dual monitor system, until all coping is done, then close one.

[stanlyn]

Re: VFP FoxPro to Alpha5 Questions

Hi Keith,

I'm responsible for creating the app that the user will use, so I need to master the code, and with the code I can create the search form or dialog the user will use, as I never use the canned stuff that comes with these apps as they are usually so generic they are useless except for the simplest requests.

This code I'm asking for may not even be on a form, but may be used to filter data for a report?

With code you should be able to do most anything...

Thanks

[Keith Hubert]

Re: VFP FoxPro to Alpha5 Questions

Hi Stanley,

I was specifically wanting to see the code that allows me to search several fields at once for a value. Is that possible?

Yes, but you are still going to need a UI for the user to enter "Find Data", this can be got from AS and converted to code and then edited to how you want it.

[stanlyn]

Re: VFP FoxPro to Alpha5 Questions

I saw the Scapbook feature and think it a great feature, but cannot replace the persistant automatic feature and history that I am accustomed to in VFP.