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Deleting scratch tables

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    Deleting scratch tables

    I made an application that creates scratch tables (does a couple of cross tabs and combines them, etc.) The code I use for this is:
    Code:
    '----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    'THE CODE BELOW REMOVES THE SCRATCH TABLES FROM
    'THE DATABASE. THEY MUST BE ERASED AND THEN REMOVED FROM THE LISTING
    '----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    'xtabcost
    'xtabunit
    'xtabcostunit
    'xtabcostunitar
    'error_costwithoutar
    '
    'Designating the file names with exact locations.
    	fileremname1 = dbfdir+"xtabcost"+".dbf"
    	fileremname2 = dbfdir+"xtabunit"+".dbf"
    	fileremname3 = dbfdir+"xtabcostunit"+".dbf"
    	fileremname4 = dbfdir+"xtabcostunitar"+".dbf"	
    	fileremname5 = dbfdir+"error_costwithoutar"+".dbf"	
    
    'The code stops running if for some reason the first file name doesn't exist
    	if fileremname1 = "" then
    	    end
    	end if
    'Erase the first file
    	table.erase(fileremname1, .T.)
    'Sets a variable to see if the erase of costxtab was successful
    	result = file.exists(fileremname1)
    'If the was erased successfully then the table is dropped from the database.
    'If not then an error pops up.
    	if result = .F. then
    	    FILE_DROP_FROM_DB(fileremname1)
    	else
    	    ui_msg_box("Erase:Error", fileremname1 + "Erase failed.")
    	end if
    'The code stops running if for some reason the second file does not exist
    	if fileremname2 = "" then
    	    end
    	end if
    'Erase the second file
    	table.erase(fileremname2, .T.)
    'Sets a variable to see if the erase of lbrxtab was successful
    	result = file.exists(fileremname2)
    'If the was erased successfully then the table is dropped from the database.
    'If not then an error pops up.
    	if result = .F. then
    	    FILE_DROP_FROM_DB(fileremname2)
    	else
    	    ui_msg_box("Erase:Error", fileremname2 + "Erase failed.")
    	end if
    'Erase the third file
    	table.erase(fileremname3, .T.)
    'Sets a variable to see if the erase of lbrxtab was successful
    	result = file.exists(fileremname3)
    'If the was erased successfully then the table is dropped from the database.
    'If not then an error pops up.
    	if result = .F. then
    	    FILE_DROP_FROM_DB(fileremname3)
    	else
    	    ui_msg_box("Erase:Error", fileremname3 + "Erase failed.")
    	end if
    'Erase the fourth file
    	table.erase(fileremname4, .T.)
    'Sets a variable to see if the erase of lbrxtab was successful
    	result = file.exists(fileremname4)
    'If the was erased successfully then the table is dropped from the database.
    'If not then an error pops up.
    	if result = .F. then
    	    FILE_DROP_FROM_DB(fileremname4)
    	else
    	    ui_msg_box("Erase:Error", fileremname4 + "Erase failed.")
    	end if
    'Erase the fifth file
    	table.erase(fileremname5, .T.)
    'Sets a variable to see if the erase of lbrxtab was successful
    	result = file.exists(fileremname5)
    'If the was erased successfully then the table is dropped from the database.
    'If not then an error pops up.
    	if result = .F. then
    	    FILE_DROP_FROM_DB(fileremname5)
    	else
    	    ui_msg_box("Erase:Error", fileremname5 + "Erase failed.")
    	end if
    
    ui_dlg_box("Files erased and dropped from the database",fileremname1+crlf()+fileremname2+crlf()+fileremname3+crlf()+fileremname4+crlf()+fileremname5+crlf(2)+"Browse the data to make sure you've done it correct"+crlf()+"Please backup this data!")
    The tables are erased and dropped from the database when I run this from the developer version but when I run it from the runtime I get a strange thing happening. The tables seem to be erased but still show up with an error (apparently not dropped.) It looks like this (see attachment):

    You can't delete tables while accessing the database from the runtime. Is this the problem? Is there some workaround that I can do to make these tables disappear?

    Thanks,
    Larry

    #2
    Re: Deleting scratch tables

    I think I would avoid adding these scratch tables to the database. Any operations accessing them can be converted to xbasic and any xbasic referencing them can reference them by full path.

    I think you are right that FILE_DROP_FROM_DB(fileremname1) is not a valid command in the runtime.
    There can be only one.

    Comment


      #3
      Re: Deleting scratch tables

      How can I use them if they aren't added to the database? As you see above, I already reference them from xbasic. Should I just create them in a scratch sub directory by changing the variable "dbfdir"? I didn't realize that if you created a table outside the directory where the database is located then it isn't a part of the database. If I'm not mistaken, I believe this is impossible in Access. Another reason to love Alpha 5.

      BTW I know my "if..else..end if" routine could be more compact and cleaner but I had to finish this thing in a matter of hours.
      Thanks,
      Larry

      Comment


        #4
        Re: Deleting scratch tables

        I didn't realize that if you created a table outside the directory where the database is located then it isn't a part of the database.
        You can create a table anywhere that Alpha can reference including the database directory, drop that table from the database, then reference it via xbasic. The only need for a table to be part of a database is if the database definition needs to know its location. This would be for such things as tables in a set, tables used in saved operations, etc.

        If you create a summarize operation, for instance, the summarization genie assumes that the result table should be generally accessible to the database and adds it. If you look at the raw xbasic behind a summarize operation you will note that you have to supply the current table name and there is no code to add the table to the database. If you look at the processed xbasic all the "finer" points are filled in and the file_add_to_db() line is included.

        So long as your subsequent xbasic references the result table explicitly, that line is not necessary.

        Table.Open("sometablename") is shorthand which you can use if Alpha knows where sometablename is.

        Table.Open("d:\somedirectory\anotherdirectory\sometablename") is just as valid whether or not Alpha knows that sometablename resides in d:\somedirectory\anotherdirectory so long as it does.
        There can be only one.

        Comment


          #5
          Re: Deleting scratch tables

          Attachment is a rather simplistic example of a database with no tables in the controlpanel. An autoexec script asks which of two forms to open (ages or names). Cancelling or choosing an invalid form name drops the user to the controlpanel. There are two tables in the directory with the adb but they are not part of the database.

          Since the autoexec has to refer to the tables by explicit path, to examine this you must place the files in

          c:\tempdb\tableless\
          There can be only one.

          Comment


            #6
            Re: Deleting scratch tables

            These scratch tables are the result of crosstab operations and joins. All of that is done in xbasic as well. Does this make a difference?

            Comment


              #7
              Re: Deleting scratch tables

              <<I think you are right that FILE_DROP_FROM_DB(fileremname1) is not a valid command in the runtime.>>

              Perhaps there's a bug in V9 (I don't have the V9 runtime to check it) but you've got to be able to add and drop files programatically with xbasic.

              If the file_drop_from_db command doesn't work in the runtime, there will be a lot of broken applications out there.
              Finian

              Comment


                #8
                Re: Deleting scratch tables

                Finian,

                I took the poster's word for the behavior and did not confirm it. I have neither v9 or its runtime to test. Just suggesting a workaround.
                There can be only one.

                Comment

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