Copy form from one adb to another?

[Chet Sapino]

Is it possible to copy a form design from one adb to another? I haven't been able to do this and it would be quite valuable to do so. Perhaps I am missing something. The same table exists in both databases.

[Stan Mathews]

Re: Copy form from one adb to another?

I haven't been able to do this

Not sure what you might have tried.

I have found that if you add the destination table to the database containing the source table, the copy process will always succeed. After the copy, drop the destination table.

[Chet Sapino]

Re: Copy form from one adb to another?

I'm not talking about copying a TABLE form one adb to another. I know how to do that. Just do table import.

I'm talking about copying a FORM from one adb to another - both containing the same tables.

I opened up two instances of Alpha and tried to cut and paste a Form. It can't be done that way.

[Al Buchholz]

Re: Copy form from one adb to another?

Is it possible to copy a form design from one adb to another? I haven't been able to do this and it would be quite valuable to do so. Perhaps I am missing something. The same table exists in both databases.

There are a couple of ways to do this.

1. make a table (I call it transfer) and put a single field in the table.

copy the form to the transfer table and then copy the transfer table to the other adb. Then the form can be copied to the desired table.

2. Use Jim Chapman's export object utility to make a .abn of the form and then import it into the target.

You can find the utility in the archive forum.

[Chet Sapino]

Re: Copy form from one adb to another?

Thanks for the info.

[Tim Kiebert]

Re: Copy form from one adb to another?

I'm not talking about copying a TABLE form one adb to another. I know how to do that. Just do table import.

I'm talking about copying a FORM from one adb to another - both containing the same tables.

I opened up two instances of Alpha and tried to cut and paste a Form. It can't be done that way.

I think you have misunderstood Stan's suggestion. He did not say to copy a table. He said to add the table.

You also said "I'm talking about copying a FORM from one adb to another ". Forms are not stored in the adb of the database. Forms are stored in the dictionary (ddd,ddm,ddx) of the table.

To flesh out Stan's suggestion.
Right click the whitespace of the table/set tab of the control panel and choose add table.
Navigate to the destination table(presumably in another folder.) and continue the proces to add the table.
You will probably (unless you have previously turned it off) get a notice about adding tables from 'foriegn' folders. Read it if you want.
Once the table is added you can then go to the Forms tab and right click the form and use 'Copy to...' to copy to the added table.
When finished drop the table from the current database.

While typing this I remembered a short cut to the above procedure.
On the Forms tab right click the form and choose 'Copy to...'.
Scroll to the very bottom of the table list and you will find an entry called, <More...> , choose that.

A dialog will open allowing you to navigate to the destination table. Choose your table and follow the prompts.

[Mike Wilson]

Re: Copy form from one adb to another?

Tim's suggestion is the one I use alot. There is at the top of the copy to dialog <more...> which will get you to browse for other databases. The only problem with this is I have never been able to make this work for a form based upon a set. I posted several help crys years back for this, and have tried it recently and have never personally had it work, or had anyone respond that they have been successful copying forms based on sets. Based on single table, this works like a charm.

[Tim Kiebert]

Re: Copy form from one adb to another?

Mike,

I just tried it in good ol' Alphasports. (I have lots of copies of that). I copied the invoice form which is based on the invoice.set.

When you go through the Copy to and the file dialog opens after choosing <More...> you can at the bottom of the dialog choose Sets (*.set) in the 'Files of type:' field.

Have you perhaps missed that one?

[Chet Sapino]

Re: Copy form from one adb to another?

Got it. Thanks a lot.

[Al Buchholz]

Re: Copy form from one adb to another?

Is it possible to copy a form design from one adb to another? I haven't been able to do this and it would be quite valuable to do so. Perhaps I am missing something. The same table exists in both databases.

Chet

Are you moving to another computer that is not on the network with the original computer? ie a cleint or another developer in a remote location?

[Chet Sapino]

Re: Copy form from one adb to another?

No. On the same computer.

I have it figured out. If I simply do an "Add Table" everything that is associated with that table including it's form is imported. So I end up with two forms. The original and the imported form. I then simple delete the original form and the original table.

[MikeC]

Re: Copy form from one adb to another?

Chet,

I then simple delete the original form and the original table.

Using this method may introduce more problems down the line. If you now look at your tables/sets tab in your control panel using the detail view, you will now have this table referenced from a different folder....portability is just one issue that this will affect.

A better route is as Tim stated--

You will probably (unless you have previously turned it off) get a notice about adding tables from 'foriegn' folders. Read it if you want.
Once the table is added you can then go to the Forms tab and right click the form and use 'Copy to...' to copy to the added table.
When finished drop the table from the current database.

This way the table will still be within your database. If you truly want the new table then follow a similar method by duplicating the new table and then DROPPING (do NOT delete) the referenced table you brought in. If deleted it will be deleted from the other database.

[Chet Sapino]

Re: Copy form from one adb to another?

>Using this method may introduce more problems down the line.


I found this out the hard way!

Thanks for the information. I appreciate it.

[G Gabriel]

Re: Copy form from one adb to another?

Way too many responses to seemingly a simple question so I will allow for the possibility that I am missing something.

Without spending a whole lot of time reading down the thread, is there any reason why you can't right click the form then choose copy to?
You could copy it to any table in any database.
Granted if the destination table has different field names, you will get error messages which is easily corrected.

[Peter.Greulich]

Re: Copy form from one adb to another?

is there any reason why you can't right click the form then choose copy to?
You could copy it to any table in any database.

If I am not mistaken, at least in v8, and/or v7 (can't remember), "copy to" would fail when trying to paste into another adb. Thus, the need to temporarily add the table/set to your current adb, use "copy to" and then drop said table/set.