XBasic Field Rules

[Evan Dembskey]

Hi again,

Is it possible to set Field Rules in Xbasic?


Regards,

Evan

[whanigsberg]

RE: XBasic Field Rules

Don't think so.
Bill

[CALocklin]

RE: XBasic Field Rules

You can create your own field rules via xbasic but, like Bill, I don't think you can 'set' the built-in field rules with xbasic.

Nonsense EXAMPLE of 'build your own': If you wanted to warn the user whenever a record with customer_ID > 2000 was saved, you would add this to the OnSave record event: (assume the customer_id is a character value as it should be)

IF val(table.current().customer_ID) > 2000
ui_msg_box( "WARNING", "Cust. ID > 2000" )
END IF

or, if the table name is HEADER, then:
IF val(header->customer_ID) > 2000
ui_msg_box( "WARNING", "Cust. ID > 2000" )
END IF

[Evan Dembskey]

RE: XBasic Field Rules

Thanks.

What I am trying to do is create a number of different tables, all with identical field names and field rules, particularly lookup rules.

I have tried creating a master table and duplicating it with .duplicate, but the field rules do not duplicate.

Is this a dead end?

[CALocklin]

RE: XBasic Field Rules

When you duplicate the table (Tables/Sets tab, right click the table, choose Duplicate), make sure the "Dictionary" box is checked because the field rules and layouts (forms, reports, etc.) are stored in the Data Dictionary files.

However, I would seriously question the purpose of building "a number of different tables, all with identical field names and field rules..." Although there may be a very good reason for it, I would first try adding another field that you could use to select the specific group of data for viewing or reporting. Having the data in separate but identical tables is very likely to cause problems in the future. For example, if you have 10 tables all the same and decide to add a new report, you will need to add it to 9 other tables AND remember to update all 10 copies every time you make a change. Or, what happens if you decide you need a summary report of all the data?

If you would like to tell us why you want to do it this way, people on this board can probably suggest some alternatives if it's appropriate.

[Evan Dembskey]

RE: XBasic Field Rules

Thanks Carl.

I want to duplicate using XBasic, with no manual intervention.

It looks like I will have to use an extra field, which I hoped to avoid. In this case, there will be no reporting, and using a seperate table just makes life easier in the long run.

Oh well. :-)

[CALocklin]

RE: XBasic Field Rules

Don't give up. I have something to do but will tell you how in a couple hours when I get back.

[CALocklin]

RE: XBasic Field Rules

I knew the option existed but I had to look it up.

Use the construction:
TablePointer.duplicate( "new_filename", 7 )
to duplicate everything or, if you don't want to duplicate the data itself, use option 3 to get just the Data Dictionary files (layouts and field rules) and the indexes.

From the help files (with slight modifications):

Syntax:

"Tbl>.duplicate( Filename[, Flags] )

Description:

Makes a duplicate copy of the table referenced by the pointer ("Tbl>). You must specify the resulting table's path, filename and extension (.dbf) in the Filename parameter.
The Flags parameter allows you to control the options to the duplication. If you omit the Flags parameter, a flag of 0 is assumed.

Flag  Records  Dictionary  Indexes
 0      No        No         No
 1      No        No         Yes 
 2      No        Yes        No 
 3      No        Yes        Yes 
 4      Yes       No         No 
 5      Yes       No         Yes 
 6      Yes       Yes        No 
 7      Yes       Yes        Yes

NOTE: If you select a flag of 0, the dictionary is not copied. However, any fields in the source "Tbl> that are defined as auto-increment in field rules are kept as auto-increment fields in Filename.

[Evan Dembskey]

RE: XBasic Field Rules

Thanks Cal!

I'll start experimenting right away.