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Naming conventions

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    #1

    Naming conventions

    I've searched the message board and the online documentation as well as the printed documentation. I can't find the rules for naming tables, layouts, and fields. Can anyone push me in the right direction?
    Tags: None
    #2
    RE: Naming conventions

    Hi there,

    Cal has written something on this and many of our friend from the board swear by _Access 97: Expert Solutions_ by Steve Leszynski which I have also found impressive. But my favorite book in this area is _Code Complete_ by Steve McConnell (Microsoft Press). It is a treatment of overall design principles (including systematic nameing). The fact that it is still in print 10 years after being published tells you something. I've gone through it twice.

    Bill
    Bill Hanigsberg

    Comment

      #3
      RE: Naming conventions

      Hi Bill,
      Thanks for the reply, but my question is even simpler than that.

      I think Alpha has rules like "A table name must start with a letter and contain only letters, numerals, spaces and underlines." (Don't really know if that's correct, but I seem to recall something like that.) There are similar rules for fields and layouts, but I can't find them in the documentation.

      Comment

        #4
        RE: Naming conventions

        Ohlen,

        Here is just one point of view - - I'm sure there are MANY more.

        1) No spaces in names! No spaces in names!
        2) Names should be meaningful AND discriptive.
        3) Personal preference: all my tables start with 'tbl', data entry forms with 'frm', menus with 'mnu', reports with 'rpt', scripts with 'scp', etc., etc. This makes it a lot easier for me to tell what something is just by the name.
        4) For fields, I do use numbers (address1, address2, etc.), although if the field is a billing address, I would probably name it 'bill_addr1', 'bill_addr2'.

        After you read all the suggestions/comments/guidelines that you are sure to get, come up with a naming convention that works for you.

        Dave
        Dave Jampole
        www.customalpha.com

        Women and cats will do whatever they want. The sooner men and dogs realize that, the happier they will be.

        Comment

          #5
          RE: Naming conventions

          I am with you Dave I do the same thing.

          -Ray

          Comment

            #6
            RE: Naming conventions

            FWIW: http://newsletter.alphasoftware.com/0020611.htm
            Peter
            AlphaBase Solutions, LLC

             [email protected]
            https://www.alphabasesolutions.com

            Comment

              #7
              RE: Naming conventions

              http://support.alphasoftware.com/AlphaFiveHelp/Xbasic/Basic_Concepts_and_Terminology.htm

              Alpha Five recommends that table and field names start with a letter (A-Z or a-z) and be composed of letters, numbers (0-9), and underscore (_) characters.
              Cheryl
              #1 Designs By Pagecrazy
              http://pagecrazy.com/

              Comment

                #8
                RE: Naming conventions

                Cheryl,

                Thanks. Believe it or not, I just found the following in the user guide book.

                ""Start by entering a field name, which can be up to 32 characters. The field name must start with a
                letter, and can contain the characters A-Z, 0-9, and the underscore character (_). If you use a
                space in the field name, Alpha Five automatically inserts an underscore in place of the space."

                I assume this would be a good guied for layouts as well. Do you know of a similar statement that specifically applies to layouts?

                Comment

                  #9
                  RE: Naming conventions

                  Hi Ohlen,

                  DO NOT get in the habit of putting a space in any object name always use an underscore instead of a space if you don�t this will cause you headraces.

                  -Ray

                  Comment

                    #10
                    RE: Naming conventions

                    I am not sure what you mean by layouts? Table/set structure? Forms or reports design?
                    Cheryl
                    #1 Designs By Pagecrazy
                    http://pagecrazy.com/

                    Comment

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