bat file

[juhlar]

I am having trouble passing commands from a .bat file into foxcmd8.exe. I can get foxcmd8 to open but then I get an error - no PARAMETER statement is found.

I just need to know how to get the .bat file to pass the commands to the command line in foxcmd8.

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[TamarGranor]

I'll offer another way to get documentation. In VFP 9's Command window, type:

DO (home() + "DataExplorer")

A tool called the Data Explorer will open up. Do the following:

1) Right-click on Connections and choose Add Connection.
2) Choose FoxPro Database.
3) Navigate to the DBC file.
4) You should see your database (DBC) in the Connections group. Now right-click on it and choose Document Database.

That'll create an HTML document showing all the tables, indexes and fields.

Tamar

 

[juhlar]

Tamar,

I followed the steps that you indicated, but when I right-click on the database I do not have an option to Document Database. I only have:

Rename Connection
Remove Connection
Run Query
Properties
Refresh

Everything up until that last step worked as indicated.

Thanks,

Juhlar

 

[Olaf Doschke]

You may need a newer version of the tool Tamar mentions. I think it is updated with Sedna, which you find at codeplex, in the VFPX project:

http://vfpx.codeplex.com/releases/view/10225

Bye, Olaf.

 

[Mike Lewis]

There are also dozens of free tools available that will create the type of documentation you need.

Try searching for DBC2Word, by Andy Kramek and Jacci Adams. Or DBCDocument, by Simon Arnold. These are just examples. There are many others.

Mike


__________________________________
Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

Visual FoxPro articles, tips, training, consultancy

 

[TamarGranor]

I thought that was in the original release of VFP 9, but maybe it was added with SP2.

Tamar

 

[Olaf Doschke]

With SP2? Actually it's a download of VFPX including Source code, s it's part of xsource. And, well, that may also have updated with SP2, but indeed is open sourced part of VFPX and may even have been improved from then. I haven't checked.

For sure

http://vfpx.codeplex.com/releases/view/10225

points directly to the DataExplorer.zip Download of VFPX.

Bye, Olaf.

 

[TamarGranor]

I'm pretty sure that SP2 did include some updates to Xbase tools. Nonetheless, I thought the document thing was in VFP9 RTM, not only SP2.

Tamar

 

[Olaf Doschke]

I downloaded it now, and it still does not have that menu item. I think you added an add-in in options, Tamar. Maybe even wrote that one yourself?

Bye, Olaf.

 

[TamarGranor]

No, Rick Schummer wrote it. Looks like it's in the Sedna/SP2 changes.

Tamar

 

[TamarGranor]

One more thought. Make sure you're actually using the new one. Installing it as part of Sedna doesn't change what version of the Data Explorer you're running. You have to copy it into the right place.

Tamar

 

[Olaf Doschke]

I just started the downloaded unzipped app, that surely does start that new version.

I also didn't find an Add-In from Rick Schummer other than a Data Explorer Add-In Manager.

Bye, Olaf.

 

[TamarGranor]

I'm using DataExplorer.APP dated 8-Jun-2007. I see Document Database when I right-click on a VFP database in the Connections list.

Also, it's not in Add-ins, but in Menus:

Options
Manage Menus

It's in the last group.

Tamar

 

[Olaf Doschke]

I have the sp2 dataexplorer from 15th October 2007 and the one from VFPX, which is dated 8th June 2007 actually older.

Both Dataexplorers have the same menu, and if I go into the Menu Manager the last items are "Filter...", "Object Level... ORACLE" and "Properties", so seems like a menu item you added yourself.

You could perhaps post your "Skript to run" of that menu item, but I think juhlar already has enough alternatives to document the database and to me the mystery is solved.

Bye, Olaf.

 

[TamarGranor]

The mystery is definitely not solved. This was one of the items introduced in the SP2/Sedna version, and we wrote about in the Sedna book. Rick was contracted by Microsoft to provide it.

Ooh, I wonder if virtualization is why you're not seeing the updated data that drives the menus?

Tamar

 

[Olaf Doschke]

Okay, I'm with you, if you want to know. I'll look into the source code and see what data is used to drive the menu and if and why it's not containing that item.

I'll report back then.

Bye, Olaf.

 

[Olaf Doschke]

I finally had the time to find out what needs to be done to get the new menu items:

Besides using the new DataExplorer.app you need to know it takes some meta data from Home(7), which wasn't updated by me. I just downloaded and unzipped DataExplorer.zip, the Readme.txt also tells Sedna setup would put it into a /Sedna/ subfolder and then you start Dataexplorer.app from there.

Looking at source code I see the menu items are taken from DataExplorer.dbf in Home(7), to be precise the source code says:

	* Note: this is just the default -- it's not hardcoded here
	DataTable       = ADDBS(HOME(7)) + "DataExplorer.dbf"

I wonder where else I could set the file location to a dataexplorere.dbf.

In the download comes a DataexplorereDefault.dbf and I renamed it to DataExplorer.dbf and moved it into the HOME(7) folder, which is in my profile in appdata...roaming, I can write to it and the data is not virtualised, but it also doesn't go there on it's own.

I double checked, because using the new menu item works and a newly added dbc connection is saved in that dbf and so the file at that position updated, no copy within virtualstore.

So, if you just download this seperate zip, unzip and follow Reademe.txt you're not fully instructed how it will really update the IDE. That's all there is to it, too less documentation. The only instructions are:

This is an update to the Visual FoxPro 9.0 SP2 Data Explorer. Setup will install the Database Explorer to the "Microsoft Visual FoxPro 9\Sedna\DataExplorer" folder under Program Files. To launch the new wizard run the 'DataExplorer.app' from this location.

First of all that is the text coming from Sedna, while I downloaded DataExplorer.zip only in this case. And I assumed launching the app for the first time would add data.

Now take into account I am a versed VFP user and still needed to dig into sourcecode to find out it depends on data, and I was just guesssing the dbf included is meant to be renamed and replacing the old DataExplorer.dbf (if you don't care to lose all connectons stored in there). There is no setup routine adding meta data on it's own.

I can understand, if juhlar didn't managed to get at the new features.

I assume a download of the full Sedna update with it's installer will do more, but the seperate download is merely ok, if you are familiar and want the source code update.

Is VFPX Thor perhaps a solution to get the IDE updated properly? including DataExplorer? Just wondering, I could also answer that myself.

Bye, Olaf.

 

[Olaf Doschke]

To stress out once more:

Setup will install the Database Explorer

There is no setup in the seperate DataExplorer.zip, so this Readme is simply inappropriate.

It would perhaps be nice to have such a setup with every separate VFPX project, if it applies, eg if it contributes to the IDE.

Finally: The menu item to document a DBC and the code doing that both is in that DataExplorerDefault.DBF and works fine, it just creates a HTML page it displays.

Bye, Olaf.

 

[TamarGranor]

Glad you figured it out. I'm sure you wouldn't be turned down if you want to write something up to go with the Data Explorer project on VFPX. As you know, things happen there only when someone volunteers to do them.

FWIW, we did a little better in the Sedna book because we mention the data that's stored in HOME(7) right on the first page of the chapter.

Now that I think about it, I don't remember actually touching the meta-data file when I updated. In fact, since I'm on a fairly new machine, I'm sure I didn't have to do that when I installed Sedna. Maybe that's the difference; maybe the Sedna install handles it.

Tamar