Filename dialog

[mronck]

A5 has a nice function to implement a filename dialog in your app so the user can specify an external file.

I would like to implement this filename dialog in an import function but that seems not to be possible, because the import screen only accepts a pre-determined file as an import source and not the or a variable that is created by the filename dialog function.

Does anybody know how it can be done anyway ?

Regards,

Marcel

[Vince McGinnis]

RE: Filename dialog

Marcel,

You'll have to convert the import operation to xbasic and then modify the code to prompt the user for the filename.

[mronck]

RE: Filename dialog

Hi Vince,

I was afraid of this.
It does not match the spirit of Alpha that the goal can not be reached using wizards or genies or action scripting.

Okay. If it can not be done elseway..

Thanks Vince.

Regards,

Marcel

[David Boomer]

RE: Filename dialog

One way to get you a little closer is to use an Action Script to get a filename... put the name in a variable eg 'FileNameVAR'.

Then follow this with a small Xbasic InLine script to change the filename to a standard name that you use as the name specified in the import op: eg 'ImportFile'.

'ImportFile' never changes. It is always the name of the script that you import.

Lookup the File.Rename() statement in the XBasic manual... File.Copy() & File.Remove() may also interest you.

After the Inline Xbasic script simply follow up with the Action Script to run your Import Opperation (using the 'standard' filename eg 'ImportFile'.

I'm not sure that this gets the job done the way you want... but it is (mostly) done with Action Scripting.

David Boomer

[mronck]

RE: Filename dialog

Hmm. That is smart thinking !
Use the best of both worlds....
Compliments !

[CALocklin]

RE: Filename dialog

"It does not match the spirit of Alpha"

Alpha never said you could do everything with Action Scripting. In fact, I have an app I've been working on for about 2 years - I bet you couldn't do 20% of it with action scripting. And, if you could you would probably go crazy trying to make any sense out of it.

[Al Buchholz]

RE: Filename dialog

Cal

I think what Marcel is refering to is the 'database without programming' that Alpha promotes.

In fact this line is out of the corporate slide show from the Alpha website

Action Sripting �This means custom applications w/o programming

But whether or not that means that all can be done without xbasic is too much to ask, but where is the line of what action scripting could or should do?



Have a great Turkey day!

[Tom Cone Jr]

RE: Filename dialog

Al,

I think Alpha has struck the right balance with pre-programmed action scripts. Sure there are some gaps and there will always be. Instead of criticizing these I think we should spend our time reporting them and explaining why additional or extended action scripting would be useful. A feature request, with explanation, is much more likely to result in improvement than broad criticisms based solely on personal opinion. Marcel's comment rubbed me the wrong way, and I don't even work for Alpha. -- tom

[mronck]

RE: Filename dialog

Hi Tom,

And it wasn't even meant to rub you -or anywone else- anyway !

I think that there are phases before feature requests.
One of them is discussing it with colleagues.
That's why there is a forum.
I am sorry if you see that as broad criticism.
what is wrong with a personal opinion ?
Don't you have them ?
Tom, you really have to lighten up here.
It probably will be my lack of knowledge of English, but I feel a rather tense atmosphere in your answer.
That does not need to be among colleagues I think.

I do not see the spirit of this forum to be one where you just attack someone because he has an opinion that differs from the one you might have. Discuss it in a friendly way.

Alpha does promote its product this way:

"Action Script: Power Without Programming
Action Scripting is one of the most exciting new features of Version 5. Action Scripting allows non-programmers to build custom applications as if you were a programmer."

And it is an almost perfect product for me to work with.
I work with it full-time daily for 8-10 hours a day so after doing that for half a year I have something to say about that. It is probably this good that it more or less disappoints me to see some things cannot be done.

At this moment I do not have serious critics on the product. But that does not mean you can not discuss certain experiences. I am not hired as a promotion point by or for Alpha. (But I must say it has earned this attitude of me thinking it is a great product anyway by itself.)

Regards,

Marcel

[Tom Cone Jr]

RE: Filename dialog

Marcel,

I agree that this forum needs to have room for personal opinion. (And even room for opinions about opinions.) However, I hope you would agree that there are some limits that must be observed. In this case I think I over-reacted, and will go check my medicine! I did not mean to offend or attack you and regret that you perceive it that way. I apologize.

One of the VERY best characteristics of this forum is that we manage (for the most part) to discuss things without personal attacks or flames. Believe me, I do not want to ever see that change. We all need to make an effort to respect different points of view. We also need to cut each other some slack when foreign languages make communication even more difficult. Your English was (is) so good that I was uncertain whether it was your native tongue.

As for the marketing pitch to non-programmers I think most people recognize that a bit of hyperbole is to be expected. In this case it is no exaggeration to claim that custom applications can be built entirely with action scripting. This does not mean that EVERY possible application can be built using ONLY action scripting.

-- tom

[mronck]

RE: Filename dialog

Tom,

You're not a bad guy and I am working on my English....
so future looks bright.

Your last remark is right.
First things first: personally I do not know of ANY product that comes so close to doing just that except for Alpha Five. The power it gives to non-programmer users is enormous.

That being said you also must see, that users/customers do not order or want to build an application that is made with Alpha Five. They order an or want to build an application that takes care of certain tasks or has certain functions.

The user or programmer who purchased Alpha Five because it "allows non-programmers to build custom applications as if you were a programmer" has to be able to meet the requirements that accomplish the tasks set without having to program. That what the marketing says, and that is what it should do.

In practice, things can become somewhat more difficult then that......
But, I do not have a problem with that as I have a huge respect for the product already being able to deliver what it does right now.

Regards,

Marcel

[Peter.Greulich]

RE: Filename dialog

Marcel,

I agree with Tom. We don't want to engage in flame wars. You are not guilty of that, neither is Tom. I think some people identify so closely with A5 they take offence at any criticism. Others seem like they are unwilling to acknowledge that A5 has certain bugs, shortcomings, etc. On the other hand, it seems to me at least, that there are relatively few harsh or nasty criticisms of A5 on this forum. Most of us on this board think A5 is a great product and that's why we use it. But it is far from perfect. It has bugs and limitations. Sure, many times what someone calls a "bug" is just a lack of understanding on how to do something (I have been guilty of that more on than a few occasions). Yet there are plenty of bugs to go around. In years past, sometimes (not all the time by any means) I used to be hard on Alpha. These days I tend to go light for two main reasons: 1)A5 has gotten sooooo much better and has far far fewer bugs than in previous versions; and 2)I know for a fact (based upon personal observation at the Development Conferences as one example) that the Alpha staff is completely 100% dedicated to producing the best product that they can (and they are a talented lot at that). That is the beauty of a small company as verses a large corporation. The big corp. by its nature primarily cares about the bottom line; the small company primarily cares about quality. A5 is such a great product because the owners and developers of Alpha are passionate about their product. Lucky us!

Therefore, my bottom line on all this is that I always applaud constructive criticism of any kind. It is good for people to report bugs, real or imagined, so those issues can be addressed one way or another. And if all we ever did was constantly praise and oohh and aahh Alpha, this board would become hopelessly lame and sound like a high school cheerleading squad. Actually, if you really want to see criticism, do a search on those �price wars� when A5 first came out. An awful lot of people went ballistic. But even though I didn�t agree with most of those complaints, I liked the fact that this board is not censored and people can say things that might make Alpha angry or embarrassed. That is in the nature of free speech, free expression, free enterprise and is the essence of the American Way. Ok, I�ll get off my soapbox for now.

Peter

[Peter.Greulich]

RE: Filename dialog

P.S. By the way Marcel, your English is impeccable!

[Doug Page]

RE: Filename dialog

As a new user, I love questions like this - a challenge!

I think David was right there with his suggestion. But rather than looking up the code, continue the idea of scripting by using the "script recorder". Go to the table tab, invoke the script recorder, manually change the name and -voila- there is the code for the inline xbasic command in Action Scripting. Copy and paste!

Alpha wins again - all was done in "scripting" for you.

Doug

[Tom Cone Jr]

RE: Filename dialog

Marcel,

>>The user or programmer who purchased Alpha Five because it "allows non-programmers to build custom applications as if you were a programmer" has to be able to meet the requirements that accomplish the tasks set without having to program. That what the marketing says, and that is what it should do.


To the extent you state this in absolute, unqualified, terms I do not agree. A measure of reasonableness is required of vendor and purchaser, or so it seems to me. I think you're misconstruing the marketing to arrive at an opinion that goes beyond reasonableness if you mean, literally, what you are saying. Using your reasoning the French telephone company would be justified in purchasing a copy of Alpha Five, firing all their professional programmers, and building their back-office accounting and customer tracking databases entirely with Action Scripting and the services of non-programmers.

To me the marketing pitch means simply that non-programmers can build useful custom applications entirely with Action Scripting. Applications that they cannot otherwise build at all using other similarly priced database programs. It does not mean that every customer should be able to build every conceivable application using only Action Scripting. In my opinion such a view is unreasonable and unrealistic.

Moreover, Action Scripting itself is a form of programming even though it's largely menu driven. The plain hard truth is that the user must bring a certain level of experience to the table if they hope to build something useful. I think most customer know this before they ever consider Alpha Five. Still, Alpha Five does a wonderful job of moving the user further and faster up the learning curve, far better than other packages. For those who are disappointed the trial version and then the money back guarantee seem immenently reasonable to me.

-- tom