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Network problems ...

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    #16
    RE: Network problems ...

    I haven't had occasion to 'roll my own' yet. The field rule automatic lookups work great for me. BTW, *none* of my field rule lookups have any pathing information embedded in them whatsoever. Just the name of the table to lookup. This works because the lookup tables, my data tables, *and* my database files are all in the same folder.

    However, in my app they're only 'open' a brief while during data entry to individual fields. It's a big help to be able to 'fill in' more than one field with a single selection of the lookup list. If you are popping them up on every single field you could speed things up and reduce the number of times the lookup is opened by defining the lookup rule to handle more than one field in your table... assuming of course that the necessary values are present in the lookup table to begin with...

    -- tom

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      #17
      RE: Network problems ...

      Tom:

      Thanks for your reply. I like the field rule lookups too. I have used them liberally throughout my application and frequently have them fill in mutliple fields. They work well in many respects but I have run into several limitations with them. Here are a few:

      1. I have found that if the user is too quick in typing a letter and then {enter}, the lookup won't highlight the correct name. For example, if they type g {ENTER} very fast, the lookup might open in the s's or t's or whatever.

      2. There is no way to control the title bar contents. For example, a lookup based on the refsrc.dbf table, automatically has the title: Refsrc.dbf: Lookup

      3. The buttons available to the user cannot be changed (though some can be eliminated in field rules). I do not particularly care for the Find and Locate buttons, and I have created my own Find button which I like better. But having one kind in the lookup tables and another everywhere else in the application is somewhat confusing to the user.

      4. The column titles cannot be changed (except by changing the name of the field in the original table).

      5. The user does not know that the field has a lookup associated with it until the field has focus. It would be nicer if the lookup button were visible at all times, and it would be even better if we could control the actual appearance of the lookup button.

      6. Lookups do not work well when they are several layers deep. For example, if the patients form has a lookup for the referrer field, and the referrer field has a lookup for the city field, then when you try to enter a new city, it does not work.

      7. Lookups are not available for variables, just field values.

      8. And in my case, I am running into problems on a network.

      For these reasons, I have written my own lookup tables (with the help of what I learned on this amazing board). As far as I can tell, they do not have the problems discussed above. They all access the same form that I offer the user through the setup process. However, it is a lot of work and extra code to do this, and it would be great if version 5 could address these. If not, I'm still a happy camper as far as Alpha 5 is concerned. I am amazed at what I have been able to accomplish. Programming is a hobby for me, and Alpha has enabled me to create things that I would not have been able to do with any other product that I know of.

      Gary
      Gary S. Traub, Ph.D.

      Comment

        #18
        RE: Network problems ...

        Gary, Tom, et al,

        Two issues:

        1. I mention the this one since there may be a similar issue in that Gary is encountering a "Table not open" and I am encountering a "Table not in change or enter mode". Both of us are using lookup fields. I have to wonder if there isn't something with the lookup field that gets "setoff" by whatever? (See my post "Table not in change or enter mode" for details.)

        2. I realize that Networks know more about me than I know of networks but I am concerned about the network problems which I've observed on this board and leads me to the following:

        A. What if I don't have access to the network, i.e. it's in another state?
        B. How would I ever handle issues such as Gary's?
        C. If all they have is my app, how would they ever resolve issues other than mapping, etc.?
        D. When I deliver an app, will they need A5 installed to run it and basically my app is protected by pasworods, encryption, etc.?

        I realize there is probably more than one way to set things up. However, I find all the network issues somewhat confusing based on my experience at work. My app is located on the server and (Access) is installed on each computer (3). (Yah, I know I said the naught word, please forgive me) There has never been a problem, none, nada. I can keep a user from having accessibility to my app structure via "user security levels". Apparently, A5 is set up a differently.

        I guess I always thought that if I delivered an app, that's what I delivered, an app that would run by itself w/o A5 having to be installed. (Yes, I know my situation at work isn't like that but the county won't spring for the runtime version and so far I'm not flush enough to donate $550 to the county)

        See, I told you Networks knew more about me.

        Gary, I hope your issue is solved since it could become an issue for any one of us.

        kenn

        P.S. I all the literature I've seen over the years sent to me by Alpha, I've never read anything which explains how A5 is suppose dto act with a stand alone app. Example, when v5 came out, the form said the runtime was $$$ and a5 by itself was $$. Perhaps I missed it but I didn't read anything which said you must purchase both A5 and Runtime. I guess it's a matter of packaging but an explanation by Alpha of how it all works would be "somewhat handy", don't ya think?
        TYVM :) kenn

        Knowing what you can achieve will not become reality until you imagine and explore.

        Comment

          #19
          RE: Network problems ...

          Sorry, I got the name of the post wrong, it should be "Field Rules vs Calc fields" which has no bearing on the actual post. I started with the topic name, switched topics and forgot to switch the topic name to correspond with the topic.

          Hope this isn't too confusing?

          kenn
          TYVM :) kenn

          Knowing what you can achieve will not become reality until you imagine and explore.

          Comment

            #20
            RE: Network problems ...

            Ken,
            As far as I know, you would need the Runtime modules or full A5 to run aly app that you develop. The "database engine" is contained in the A5 program, not your app. Your app just calls the modules to do the "database magic". If you can get an application working withour runtime or A5, then Selwyn might just get a little mad. Our county agency runs 250 or more workstations on a network with a large NT server for A5. the server is just a file server during the day. There is no porcessing being done. At night, we run our "batch" jobs. Although we are still running ver1.02, theis system has worked flawlessly for years now. Every workstation has a copy of the runtime modules n it, and a pointer to the shared apps (A5.go). Once in a while, we run into issues where people will lock themselves up, but all-in-all, Alpha has been teriffic.

            Tom

            Comment

              #21
              RE: Network problems ...

              I agree that it is best to check your network paths. Every time I have run intoe a problem like yours it has always led to one table or another not being in the correct folder. I usually then "drop each table" from the database and then readd each table. This has always fixed these problems. You can't just look in the folder to see if the table exists because that table may not be adressed by the database. For example you modify your application on C:drive on your computer and then copy to say F:drive on your network. The application may be looking for tabel1 on c:drive even though you have table1 on f:drive.
              Dedicated server or peer to peer whenever I change the application on one computer and transfer to the server I suspect the location pointers to each table.

              Bob Sullivan

              Comment

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