field rule for append

[John Cunradi]

I append data from one table to another. There is a field in the Master table that meeds to have a single value for all records. This is to make report header info be consitsent.

But the append transaction table does not contain any data for that field.

How can I get all records to have the same value for a field. And to make this a little more complex, I need it to be automated so that the user isn't aware of it happening (ideally)I don't think the search/replace fiunction would be suited here but I'll listen to any suggestions.

It would be OK to prompt for the single value before or after the append or to simply copy the value in that field for the first record into all records or ???

Or, is there a way to make field rules apply during an append?

Thanks in advance.

[Finian Lennon]

RE: field rule for append

You can enter expression in the transaction field in the append window.

Open the append tables in the append window as you want them. If the field you want to give the explicit value to exists in both tables, the append window will match them up. Just backspace out the @fieldname in the transaction window and type in the value you want to appear in every field of the master. Remember to enclose it in quotes it it's a character. Also remember that this could also be a conditional expression of some kind also.

If the field exists in the master but not the transaction, use the drop down in the master column to select the field name and then enter the value (expression) you want in the transaction column.

Finian

[csda1]

RE: field rule for append

John,

An append (as opposed to an import), can assign fields with any valid expression which can include field values from the Master and Append tables (or just be a constant). You may be able to only do this at the Xbasic level, but I haven't investigated the higher levels.

Regards,

Ira J. Perlow
Computer Systems Design & Associates
[email protected]

[John Cunradi]

RE: field rule for append

Ok, I couldn't get an expression in the append that would work. I kept getting messages indicating that the field types didn't match -beats me why.

What about this idea? After the data is appended, I have XBasic change the value for the records.

The table is editeduploads.dbf and the field that must be have a single value in all records is "Invid". I would like the Invid value for the first record to be the value used in all records.

If I am correct, the XBasic command would start something like this:

:editeduploads.first(Invid)

Then, I would like that value to replace all values for the "Invid" field. That's where I get lost. How do I place that value into all the records?