Help needed but unsure of what I am talking about

[aonnoa]

OK, we have never used a database before but thought we could figure it out. We were wrong. There is a 'field' that needs to be changed from 7% to 10% - it has to do with sales tax. 'Field' is probably the wrong word for it as it sounds more like a calculation, coming from an excel formula. The owner of the file 'thought' it might be under Global updates. I went in there and it's greek to me. I am not finding anything - records are simple name and address plus Yes and No options for Wool or Mohair, that's about it. Any place I should be looking in? I know it is as basic as you can get as far as a database - we are in the middle of nowhere in Texas :) If anyone can point me in the right direction, that would be great.
Thanks
Jan in Eden Texas

[DaveM]

Being a4 went out some 18+ years ago, my memory is not good.

It should be in a field o9r field rules somewhere, and I can't remember if a4 had field rules or not, but there were calculations possible and it could be in there.

Wish I could tell you more, but been 15 years since I used it.

When I upgrade people from a4 to a5, mostly, I just get the tables and a video of how they use it and rebuild as needed for them.

[CharlesParker]

Yep, your going to HAVE to be more specific! First of all you would do GREAT to post an image of what your talking about, maybe explain what version of Alpha your using and are you trying to edit a desktop application or a web application. You will find some very helpful people once you can give them something concrete to go on!

[DougA]

I'm gonna make a guess with the understanding that it could be completely wrong. It sounds like you are trying to change a sales tax calculation from 7% to 10%. If so, try this.

From the main A4 window, select Database, then Field rules, then Create/edit. Scroll down to the field with the calculation for sales tax. The Value column should say "Calculated." Select that field, then hit F9 to switch to the lower window. Write down the expression before you change anything! You don't want to make a change and then not be able to remember what was there before - just in case. You can then change the value in the calculated expression (probably 0.07) to the new rate. If you want to open a window containing the expression, hit F6. When done, hit F9 to get back to the top window and then F10 to save.

Depending on how the application was written, there may be a field that contain only the value for the current tax rate. If so, you can use the same steps to change the value from 0.07 to 0.1.

Of course, I could be complete wrong. It all depends on how the application was built. Good luck.

Doug

[RobAdmin529]

I'm gonna make a guess with the understanding that it could be completely wrong. It sounds like you are trying to change a sales tax calculation from 7% to 10%. If so, try this.

From the main A4 window, select Database, then Field rules, then Create/edit. Scroll down to the field with the calculation for sales tax. The Value column should say "Calculated." Select that field, then hit F9 to switch to the lower window. Write down the expression before you change anything! You don't want to make a change and then not be able to remember what was there before - just in case. You can then change the value in the calculated expression (probably 0.07) to the new rate. If you want to open a window containing the expression, hit F6. When done, hit F9 to get back to the top window and then F10 to save.

Depending on how the application was written, there may be a field that contain only the value for the current tax rate. If so, you can use the same steps to change the value from 0.07 to 0.1.

Of course, I could be complete wrong. It all depends on how the application was built. Good luck.

Doug

First of all Greetings to ya'll, it has been almost 30 years since I have even used those 2 words in the same sentence "Alpha Software" I had a project I needed to do for work and Clipper and Foxpro were not going to cut it, so flipping thru an old PC Mag Circa 1985 back in the day where every month you gotta a new Dvorak piece of code, (they were considered the MythBusters of the Computer World) one of them I remember was SortDir coded in debug.com in the IBM DOS command set. With that little command and Dvorak we were writing all of our utilities, however when it came to the more complex stuff most would just use Lotus 1-2-3 as a flat file database. However I needed a true Relational Database, the only one aside from the Clippers and FoxBase Pro was dBase III by Ashton Tate, $999.99 and those are the days you got 2 4" manuals hard bound and actual 5.25" Floppy Disks with the install file on it. Copy Protection?? what is that, Oh I forgot Lotus used to drill a 1/16th inch hold at track 001 of a 5.25" floppy right next to the indexing hole, and it would just write right around that little hole but if you went to copy to your own disk and did not have that hole in the blank disk the copy failed. well anyways back to Alpha, so I saw this single 3.5" disk database app called Alpha 3 v3.30 on sale for $19.95 mail order, send a check and in 6 weeks you got your floppy in the mail along with the 3" thick paperback manual and the license key consisted of your zipcode areacode and first 3 alpha of your last name. I had no clue what I was doing and it was probably the 5 red herring I had bought so well 4 or so weeks later here comes a big brown envelope and sure enough there is that jewel we called our lifesaver Alpha 3 v. 3.30 I started getting into it and within about a month I was writing full complex 3 dimensional Fully Relational Databases 1 for a major LA City one for the big blue dumpster company BFI Waste Management and a payroll and asset management app for a major telephone company. all off of that $20.00 app and a little time. Then MS Access came out and thouroughly confused the world. now almost 30 yrs later and full circle databases or tables are being brought back and are a big part of the web now. and once again I am writing code. So if anyone out there has any questions If I can answer them I will

[DaveM]

One confusion?
There was never anything alpha could do in the specified era that could not be done with Clipper, but it did take a bit longer with clipper. I did use both and a bit of FoxPro which was no slouch either.
Of course, when windows 95 became a big thing, they all kind of died off and a4 was replaced by a5.

[TLARbb]

Alpha Four was a huge value in it's day. It's just as useful today, but it's hard to find OS to run it on.

EJ

[DougA]

Back in 2008, I posted suggestions for running A4 in newer operating systems here:

http://msgboard.alphasoftware.com/al...915#post447915

But this link was the resolution for me that I still use occasionally:

https://www.alphasoftware.com/alphaf...l=1#post552881