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Conversion of ALPHA5 V5 Database to ALPHA5 V8 Database

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    Conversion of ALPHA5 V5 Database to ALPHA5 V8 Database

    I have a large Database created with Alpha5 V5 and now want to use it with my Version 8 of Alpha5. It is not clear to me how this can be done and I would appreciate any advice and words of caution that that anyone can give me. I must preserve the integrity of my data. Thanks
    Cyrus Moultrie [email protected]

    #2
    Re: Conversion of ALPHA5 V5 Database to ALPHA5 V8 Database

    Cyrus,

    Besides Back UPS, copy your application to a new folder. You can then open the copy in V8 and check functionality. If all is good, your done, if not, make the needed fixes.

    Hope this helps.

    Scott

    Comment


      #3
      Re: Conversion of ALPHA5 V5 Database to ALPHA5 V8 Database

      The main issue is with arrays. In v5 you could use

      dim somearray(12) as C
      somearray(1) = "jeff"
      somearray(2) = "sue"

      in v8 it must be

      dim somearray[12] as C
      somearray[1] = "jeff"
      somearray[2] = "sue"
      There can be only one.

      Comment


        #4
        Re: Conversion of ALPHA5 V5 Database to ALPHA5 V8 Database

        Thanks Stan .. I forgot about that since i always used [].

        Comment


          #5
          Re: Conversion of ALPHA5 V5 Database to ALPHA5 V8 Database

          If you might have a lot of arrays using the parenthesis, I have a utility that can change them for you.

          Comment


            #6
            Re: Conversion of ALPHA5 V5 Database to ALPHA5 V8 Database

            Many thanks Scott, Sann & Cal for your responding to my request for help on the subject.
            I have V5 installed on an older computer with Windows XP and have V8 intalled on a new computer with Windows Vista.
            As suggested I read my database as created with Alpha5 V5 into Version 8. I create 26 reports from the database and 22 of the reports came out as expected.
            Four of the reports did not execute and I think they all failed for the same reason. When I double click the icon for these 4 reports the message "Variable already typed" appears. When I Single click the DESIGN icon for each of these reports the message "error variable already typed occurred while trying to start application" appears.
            It appears that it will be necessary to recreate these four reports in version 8 because there seems to be no way to edit them to find the problem.
            Your thoughts on this will be appreciated. Also, can you confirm that Alpha5 V5 will not work with Windows VISTA.
            Again, I appreciate your help Cyrus Moultrie

            Comment


              #7
              Re: Conversion of ALPHA5 V5 Database to ALPHA5 V8 Database

              Originally posted by Cyrus View Post
              Also, can you confirm that Alpha5 V5 will not work with Windows VISTA.
              Yes this is correct. A5v5 will not run in VISTA.
              Al Buchholz
              Bookwood Systems, LTD
              Weekly QReportBuilder Webinars Thursday 1 pm CST

              Occam's Razor - KISS
              Normalize till it hurts - De-normalize till it works.
              Advice offered and questions asked in the spirit of learning how to fish is better than someone giving you a fish.
              When we triage a problem it is much easier to read sample systems than to read a mind.
              "Make it as simple as possible, but not simpler."
              Albert Einstein

              http://www.iadn.com/images/media/iadn_member.png

              Comment


                #8
                Re: Conversion of ALPHA5 V5 Database to ALPHA5 V8 Database

                One thing to watch about reports and letters is that in v.5, calculated fields that were built but never used were ignored. In v. 8 bad code in a calculated field will make the report fail, even if the field is never actually used on the report.
                It is easier to get older than wiser

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: Conversion of ALPHA5 V5 Database to ALPHA5 V8 Database

                  I thought the bad calc field in report was fixed - in checking found the following was fixed back in Nov 07

                  Build 1835-3122 2-Nov-07
                  Forms - Memo Fields - If you tried to update the value in a memo field using Xbasic, by setting the .value property of the object to which the memo field was bound, it would fail if the memo field contained a lot of data. (Other techniques for updating the memo field value, such as using <fld>.value_put() worked.)
                  Form Layouts - Pop-up Modal Forms - If you had a button on a form that opened another form as a modal form, then if you moved the pop-up form on the screen, the background did not get properly repainted.

                  Reports - If a calculated field in a report had an error in it, rather than ignoring the field with the error, and printing the report, Alpha Five was not printing the report at all.
                  Just for information

                  Tom B

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: Conversion of ALPHA5 V5 Database to ALPHA5 V8 Database

                    Al, I was under the impression that A5-V4.5 and 5 and 6 and 7 would run under Vista, so long as you doo not install Alpha to Program Files. Although you might have to set it as 'compatible'
                    Cole Custom Programming - Terrell, Texas
                    972 524 8714
                    [email protected]

                    ____________________
                    "A young man who is not liberal has no heart, but an old man who is not conservative has no mind." GB Shaw

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: Conversion of ALPHA5 V5 Database to ALPHA5 V8 Database

                      In Vista (at least 64bit Vista), the program files for 32bit apps go into the "program files (x86)" folder. I had 4.5 when I got the Vista computer and it wouldn't run. The compatibility function in Vista doesn't work well in my experience. Microsoft apparently didn't include enough of the old drivers. It wasn't worth holding on to 4.5 since V8 was only $79.

                      Overall, my 4.5 database files and their operations work well in V8 under Vista with only one exceptions discussed in a different thread..

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: Conversion of ALPHA5 V5 Database to ALPHA5 V8 Database

                        Are you saying they MUST go into the Program Files folder? What happens if you try to put them somewhere else?

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: Conversion of ALPHA5 V5 Database to ALPHA5 V8 Database

                          For clarity, we're talking about A5 program files not the databases and associated files you create.

                          In Vista, there are two folders- "program files" and "program files (x86)". When you install a program, Windows installer will place the program files in "program files (x86)", if the program is 32 bit, unless you specify otherwise when it asks you during installation. In addition, unless you specify otherwise, the databases and associated files you create will also go into the A5 folder in this folder. There's no reason you can't have your program files and database files in any other folder or on another partition if you wish just like in any other OS.

                          Almost all the files in "program files" are system files.

                          Comment

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