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Vary data paths by installation

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    Vary data paths by installation

    I just ran into a problem I need some help with. I created a small application which has its own database tables and also accesses database tables from another, non-Alpha existing application. Here's the setup...

    Other application database tables folder - C:\LP
    My application and database tables folder - C:\LP\Dashboard


    Everything works fine when I install and run my application on my machine. However, I when I went to the customer's site, he had a slightly different setup, specifically...

    Other application database tables folder - C:\Data\LP
    My application and database tables folder - C:\Data\LP\Dashboard

    Since my application was looking for the other application's tables in C:\LP, it crashed saying it couldn't find the tables it was looking for. What can I do to make the other application's tables variable or installation specific? (Please keep in mind that some of the other application's tables are assigned to sets and reports.) Is there a way to tell Alpha5 to look for specific tables one level up from where the Alpha5 application is installed?

    Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.
    Michael

    #2
    Re: Vary data paths by installation

    Aliases (This is a link)
    There can be only one.

    Comment


      #3
      Re: Vary data paths by installation

      Stan,
      Thanks for the quick reply. I see how I could use aliases when referring to a table in an Xbasic script or function, but how do I use the them to replace the Full Name that appears on the Table/Set tab of the Control Panel when I'm adding a table to the database? Thanks.
      Michael

      Comment


        #4
        Re: Vary data paths by installation

        You shouldn't need to do anything.

        Attached are screenshots of the "standard" AlphaSports installation and a copy of AlphaSports (windows explorer copy whole directory and pasted elsewhere).

        Alpha builds the paths relative to the location of the .adb file.

        Since my application was looking for the other application's tables in C:\LP
        I assumed you meant operations, etc.

        How did you create the installation file for the client installation?
        There can be only one.

        Comment


          #5
          Re: Vary data paths by installation

          Stan,
          I guess I meant tables, operations, etc. The other application uses .dbf tables as well. It just puts them in a totally different location depending on who installed it in the 1st place.

          To create the client installation, I first used Alpha's installation creator. Unfortunately, when testing I ran into a problem, so then I just copied the files to their respective folders. That's when I ran into this problem. How would the Alpha5 installer know the location of the other application's database tables? (It's one folder level up from my Alpha application.) And if you use another installer (I'm very proficient in Wise), how would that know? I'm confused :(.
          Thanks.
          Michael

          Comment


            #6
            Re: Vary data paths by installation

            When you open a data base you open the .adb. That's why the shortcut points to the .adb.

            The Alpha executable looks at the location of the .adb and "adjusts" if necessary the stored locations of the tables referenced in the .adb relative to the path to the .adb.

            Experiment a bit. Create a new database in some directory. Create one table in the database directory and then another table but save it in another directory. Exit Alpha.

            In explorer copy the new database directory to yet some other location. Open Alpha, navigate the the new new database directory and open the database. The database copy control panel will show the local table in the new new database directory but will show the external table in its created location.


            Harder to describe than it is to understand when you perform the above.
            There can be only one.

            Comment


              #7
              Re: Vary data paths by installation

              I suppose since your client installations will have their own paths to the external tables you will have to create that directory structure on a machine of yours, populate the external directory with tables your application needs to reference, and build the installation on that application.

              In other words, since "up one level" has it's own path, you'll have to create it in your application before the install is built.

              I understand that you have limited control of where the other application stores its tables but if you make that one level down rather than one level up, the problem would be solved for you.

              Also if the path to the other application files was fixed and not relative to the Alpha database you would have no problem.
              Last edited by Stan Mathews; 02-03-2011, 01:10 PM.
              There can be only one.

              Comment

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