Programming with dBASE - dBASE 5.7 Woes

Author

dBASE 5.7 Woes

Steve Case

2005-04-10, 8:23 pm

I am trying to convert a multiuser system currently based on dBASE 5.0 on Novell 4.2, to update to run on dBASE 5.7 on Windows 2000 Server, with Windows 2000 Pro or XP clients.

I am having a few problems and would appreciate any help.

My problems are:

1) There are FMT files created by Codegen, which in turn rely on Procedure files for validation.
The initialisation code in the FMT files is not working correctly, producing an error on this line at runtime:

DEFINE WINDOW _err_box FROM 9, ((76 - ln_width) + .5) / 2 ;
TO 15, (ln_width + 83) / 2 DOUBLE

The error is "Variable undefined: LN_WIDTH", but the variable is defined, has a value and the program works with dBASE 5.0

Changing the statement to use plain numbers for the coordinates works, numeric variables always give errors.
Simplifying the statement and changing variable and window names makes no difference.

I have taken the code out of the FMT, where it brackets the @say and @gets and put it into PRG two routines, which I run before and after the read, which works but is pretty messy. Is a better way to convert these FMT files?

2) The validation routines which are invoked by the edit using the above FMT fail - can't be found although they are in the procedure file pointed to by the FMT script.

Again, they work correctly when the code from the FMT which contains the SET PROCEDURE is moved out into a regular PRG and called before the read.

3) Each module of the program has it's own PRG, FMT and FRM files, which are located in separate subfolders of a root folder, and the same file names are used repeatedly in each module, with set directory commands used to switch between modules, so I can'
t combine the programs into a single directory without a rewrite.

However, the executable builder won't combine them either unless they are in a single directory, so I can't build an executable.

On top of all this dBASE keeps falling over with warnings about going unstable and running out of memory.

TIA, Steve

*Lysander*

2005-04-11, 7:23 am

In article <H8z1U2hPFHA.1528@news-server>, adam.neave@hemscott.net=20
says...
> I am trying to convert a multiuser system currently based on dBASE 5.0 on=
Novell 4.2, to update to run on dBASE 5.7 on Windows 2000 Server, with Win=
dows 2000 Pro or XP clients.
>=20
> I am having a few problems and would appreciate any help.

This is not a real help, at least not the one you would wish for, but I=20
can only strongly advise you -depending on the size of the project - to=20
not invest any time in converting, but to rewrite it. Best to use 32-Bit=20
technology by dBI.

In total it does NOT cost more time, it is just another approach.
But the outcome will be much more efficient.=20

If your application is already based somehow on modules, you should talk=20
to your customers and suggest a bit-by-bit restructuring; thus, you can=20
use the same tables, but bit-by-bit switch off one old module and=20
replace it with a new one.
Your customer would have to handle to different starting .exe.

--=20
ciao,
Andr=E9
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