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A5V9 Index Challenge

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    #16
    Re: A5V9 Index Challenge

    I agree. Personally, I don't know why anyone would always want the browse index to revert back to the record number order. In this case, they should have a box to check to make that happen.

    I read here where people are always editing the autoexec file to do different things and thought that might be an option. I also thought that maybe when it asked for the name of the new browse, you could specify the A5 default browse but I don't know what it's name is.

    I submitted a bug report and will post back what happens.
    Last edited by robert; 08-05-2009, 12:12 PM.

    Comment


      #17
      Re: A5V9 Index Challenge

      Maybe this will be of use.

      Code:
      A5_OPEN_DEFAULT_BROWSE( Table_Set_Name as C [, Filter as C [, Order as C [, Description as C [, Options as C [, Show_All as L ]]]]] )
      or the older

      Code:
      Browse.view("default browse for [COLOR="red"]table/set_name[/COLOR]@[COLOR="Red"]table/set_name[/COLOR].dbf")
      There can be only one.

      Comment


        #18
        Re: A5V9 Index Challenge

        The first looks like something in the A5 browse editor file. I actually tried to edit that file to set the last run query but it didn't work. Not surprised since I didn't really know what code to use.

        How would I use your suggestions? Would I have to do that for every table in all the databases I have?

        Comment


          #19
          Re: A5V9 Index Challenge

          I also thought that maybe when it asked for the name of the new browse, you could specify the A5 default browse but I don't know what it's name is.
          Not sure what you wanted or what it is.

          Its name is default browse for table/set_name@table/set_name.dbf/.set
          There can be only one.

          Comment


            #20
            Re: A5V9 Index Challenge

            After you go into the browse layout properties and check the box to use the last run query and then try to close the browse, A5 (it) asks for the name of the new browse.

            Thanks for the name, however I don't want to do that for every table in every database that I have. If the folks at Alpha can't fix it in v9, I'll just stick with V8. I may be "cutting off my nose to spite my face" but I didn't create this problem by messing with success. They did. I'll never understand why software companies do this kind of stuff. It's not an improvement.

            Comment


              #21
              Re: A5V9 Index Challenge

              Originally posted by robert View Post
              I'll never understand why software companies do this kind of stuff. It's not an improvement.
              To all fairness to Alpha, they did a lot of work on browses for version 9 and very possibly broke the feature that you are relying on. Version 9 has been out for some time and I do not remember reading anything about this problem until you brought it up suggesting it is not a feature used by many people. I do hope that you can get the bug fixed in version 9 but being so close to version 10's release I am not sure about that.
              Jeff Ryder

              Comment


                #22
                Re: A5V9 Index Challenge

                Since I started this thread, I have tried the suggestions with no desirable result. Yes I can lock into the last index via the box in Properties, but then I do not have the necessary ability to change to other indexs while working within that Browse. We have 5 different indexs applicable for various record views and reports, and need to change from one sort order to another in the browse frequently, with out having to reset from Record Order every time. We have used the indexs to do this in every version as we updated through from Alpha 4 to A5V8. Surely that flexibility still exists in V9??

                Comment


                  #23
                  Re: A5V9 Index Challenge

                  I don't have that problem in the new browse that one has to create if you don't want to just change the index in the default browse. In the new browse, everything behaves just as in V8 and before. If I'm going to use V9 (and I don't think I will), I'll just set the index whenever I open the default browse. BTW, here's the response from Mr. Rabins to my bug report-

                  "yes - v9 adds new features that v8 does not know about.

                  unfortunately, we have to disagree on whether automatically
                  remembering the last run query automatically is a good thing of a bad thing.
                  we made the decision that it was confusing to users and so we have removed it.
                  the only way to get that behavior is by creating a custom browse.

                  it seems unfortunate that this one issue overshadows all of the
                  wonderful enhancements in v9 for you."

                  In a reply to Mr. Rabins response, I asked if there wasn't some simple code that could be added to the browse editor or the autoexec file to fix this even if a patch isn't issued.

                  I would love for someone else to submit it to Alpha so they realize that I'm not the only one that has a problem. I'm still truly amazed this hasn't caused problems for a whole host of other people.

                  I'm wondering if there's some kind of script that could be written to set the check box and save as the A5 default browse for a table. Something that could be copied from one database to another like a function that could be run from the Interactive Window.

                  Robert

                  Comment


                    #24
                    Re: A5V9 Index Challenge

                    I do intend to send a bug report. Way too much work to create all new Brwse tables, and so I still have to reset from Record order to the correct index at each opening. Thru this process I have developed two more issues:
                    1) I have one Brwse table that has become absolutely locked into 1 index after unchecking every box I can find, the Index Icon is still grayed out and non-responsive.
                    2) My primary database is Ordmain. When I try to pack the table I get a message "Could not pack or rebuild Index's for C:\cdpv5\ordmain.dbf's Dictionary" Perhaps these two issues are related?? Thanks

                    Comment


                      #25
                      Re: A5V9 Index Challenge

                      Well, now Alpha will have two complaints.

                      Can you post the problem table with as little data as necessary to demonstrate the problem?

                      I thought someone would take my challenge concerning writing a script to make this change that we could couple to all databases or write a change to the browse editor. Maybe I'll have to learn how to write code but probably won't because V8 does everything I need.

                      Comment


                        #26
                        Re: A5V9 Index Challenge

                        Make that three. Even though Alpha might not consider it a "bug", it is different behaviour than all previous versions.

                        This also affects those of us that create applications for our customers. It means that we cannot simply upgrade them from a previous version, and expect everything to work. Instead, we must alter the app so V9 will work the same as the previous. Since this is not the only issue that has changed in V9, the prospect of upgrading our customers becomes much more than a trivial task.

                        I wish that whenever Alpha makes a decision like this, they would let us know ahead of time (or, how about asking us in advance??)

                        Comment


                          #27
                          Re: A5V9 Index Challenge

                          Originally posted by robert View Post
                          I would love for someone else to submit it to Alpha so they realize that I'm not the only one that has a problem. I'm still truly amazed this hasn't caused problems for a whole host of other people.
                          I think everyone affected by any bug should report it. Sometimes that seems to be the only way to convince them that it IS an issue for many people.

                          I've had issues with this one and I just got a call from someone else who is having a problem with it. When I got that call, I remembered seeing this post a few days ago.

                          RE: Selwyn's comment:
                          it seems unfortunate that this one issue overshadows all of the wonderful enhancements in v9 for you.
                          Let's see,
                          - A5 browses have been working one way for over a decade
                          - everyone (or at least a whole lot of people) have set up their apps based on it working this way
                          - now they want to change the way browses work without even telling us? (If they did tell us, it's hard to find.)

                          AND, they expect us to consider it a minor thing when we have to take the time to search all of our existing apps for this issue fix them? (No, it wasn't actually called "minor" but that is certainly implied.)

                          I disagree. This is not a minor thing. Things like this waste a LOT of OUR time. When you total up all the A5 CUSTOMER TIME (developer time) wasted fixing things because of a change like this, it's probably far less than the ALPHA SOFTWARE TIME that would have been required to at least give us the option of making it behave the way it used to.

                          This is one of many things that have been more or less arbitrarily changed either because one developer suggested it or someone at Alpha thought it would be a good idea and nobody bothered to survey the rest of us to find out what kind of problems the change would create. (Or, perhaps, Alpha made some other change and found that it would require more of their time to support the old method and didn't want to take that time.)

                          Oh, and the suggestion to use a custom browse is over-simplistic in my opinion. I suspect that, whatever Selwyn meant, most people would just assume this means a browse with a specified filter/order. That works well if you only want one filter/order but it would get ridiculous if you had a lot of optional filter/orders the user might apply. Again it's only my opinion but I don't think that's real world - at least it's not my real world.

                          Suggestion: I tried this - one test on one browse - and it seems to work. Save the current filter to a text file with the OnExit event then read and set the filter from the OnInit event the next time it opens.

                          OnExit:
                          Code:
                          save_to_file( current_filter_expn()+crlf()+current_order_expn(), a5.get_path() + "\browse_filter.txt" )
                          OnInit:
                          Code:
                          IF file.exists( a5.get_path() + "\browse_filter.txt" )
                           fo_text = get_from_file( a5.get_path() + "\browse_filter.txt" )
                           filter = word( fo_text, 1, crlf() )
                           order = word( fo_text, 2, crlf() )
                           this.queryrun( filter, order )
                          END IF

                          Comment


                            #28
                            Re: A5V9 Index Challenge

                            Originally posted by CALocklin View Post
                            I think everyone affected by any bug should report it. Sometimes that seems to be the only way to convince them that it IS an issue for many people.

                            I've had issues with this one and I just got a call from someone else who is having a problem with it. When I got that call, I remembered seeing this post a few days ago.

                            RE: Selwyn's comment:

                            Let's see,
                            - A5 browses have been working one way for over a decade
                            - everyone (or at least a whole lot of people) have set up their apps based on it working this way
                            - now they want to change the way browses work without even telling us? (If they did tell us, it's hard to find.)

                            AND, they expect us to consider it a minor thing when we have to take the time to search all of our existing apps for this issue fix them? (No, it wasn't actually called "minor" but that is certainly implied.)

                            I disagree. This is not a minor thing. Things like this waste a LOT of OUR time. When you total up all the A5 CUSTOMER TIME (developer time) wasted fixing things because of a change like this, it's probably far less than the ALPHA SOFTWARE TIME that would have been required to at least give us the option of making it behave the way it used to.

                            This is one of many things that have been more or less arbitrarily changed either because one developer suggested it or someone at Alpha thought it would be a good idea and nobody bothered to survey the rest of us to find out what kind of problems the change would create. (Or, perhaps, Alpha made some other change and found that it would require more of their time to support the old method and didn't want to take that time.)

                            Oh, and the suggestion to use a custom browse is over-simplistic in my opinion. I suspect that, whatever Selwyn meant, most people would just assume this means a browse with a specified filter/order. That works well if you only want one filter/order but it would get ridiculous if you had a lot of optional filter/orders the user might apply. Again it's only my opinion but I don't think that's real world - at least it's not my real world.

                            Suggestion: I tried this - one test on one browse - and it seems to work. Save the current filter to a text file with the OnExit event then read and set the filter from the OnInit event the next time it opens.

                            OnExit:
                            Code:
                            save_to_file( current_filter_expn()+crlf()+current_order_expn(), a5.get_path() + "\browse_filter.txt" )
                            OnInit:
                            Code:
                            IF file.exists( a5.get_path() + "\browse_filter.txt" )
                             fo_text = get_from_file( a5.get_path() + "\browse_filter.txt" )
                             filter = word( fo_text, 1, crlf() )
                             order = word( fo_text, 2, crlf() )
                             this.queryrun( filter, order )
                            END IF
                            Cal, I see how this would be useful for a custom browse layout, but how do you attach the script to the events in the "default browse" created by Alpha Five?

                            Comment


                              #29
                              Re: A5V9 Index Challenge

                              Originally posted by Tom Cone Jr View Post
                              Cal, I see how this would be useful for a custom browse layout, but how do you attach the script to the events in the "default browse" created by Alpha Five?
                              You can't! This is just based on Selwyn's suggestion to use a custom browse.

                              Comment


                                #30
                                Re: A5V9 Index Challenge

                                Originally posted by CALocklin View Post
                                You can't! This is just based on Selwyn's suggestion to use a custom browse.
                                Right. I just sought clarification since robert's issue is with the behavior of the default browse which Alpha creates.

                                Comment

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