Table value/closed database question

[milesjg]

Is it possible to get a value from a table (or determine if a table is empty)
under these conditions;
1.) The table is in a database that is not open.
2.) Without closing the current, open database.
3.) Without openning the database that the table is in.

Thanks

[Stan Mathews]

Re: Table value/closed database question

I believe you can pass the entire location of a table to the table functions such as tablesum() and table.external_record_content_get(). This would allow you to access tables wherever they reside.

By entire location I mean the drive-path-tablename-extension.

[MikeC]

Re: Table value/closed database question

I just did what ends up how Stan mentioned to do it. The database was closed, never opened and the function works as advertised!

 
dim lst as c
lst=TABLE.EXTERNAL_RECORD_CONTENT_GET("E:\_Programming\_Interchange\part_num.dbf","part_num")
?lst
= M111222             
M111333             
M333999......and on and on

I don't think that tablesum is even needed as if the list = "" then it is empty....IF you choose a field that has to have an entry to become a record that is.

[milesjg]

Re: Table value/closed database question

Thanks Stan, Mike.

I guess it's a question of me doing the research before I ask. The lookup() function under record functions is exactly, to a T, what I need.
EVERY time I think I have a problem that seems to take a "inordinate" amount of code/work, after asking I find, or am pointed to, a simple, more elegant method. I'm still have a problem with (I'll use the term very liberal)
A5's help system. The amount of info is just so huge, and so "disjointed."
(for a beginner) (I'm not going to define disjointed) I loaded all the functions (over 2000) into a table. Not much good without the defs. Some sort of search engine on topics for these guys would be nice.

Thanks Again