SQL Anywhere Feedback - dbisql should remember File

Author

dbisql should remember File - Save As folder for *.XML

Breck Carter [TeamSybase]

2005-09-20, 8:23 pm

Please excuse me if the following is symptomatic of a "senior
moment"... I get confused easily...

In 9.0.2.3124 on XP SP2, dbisql seems to "remember" different folders
for File - Open versus File - Save As operations.

That's OK (I guess), but apparently it only remembers the Save As
folder from the last *.SQL save. If you navigate to a different folder
and use Save As - *.XML instead, it does not remember the new folder;
the next Save As operation starts in the old folder.

This can cause a "Grrrr!" moment, when faced with navigating to a
whole different zipcode on the hard drive, again and again and
again...

There *is* a workaround if you want to establish a "working output
folder context" in dbisql: complete a single dummy Save As - *.SQL
operation to the desired folder.

A smarter person would have thought of that days earlier... sigh.

Breck

--
SQL Anywhere Studio 9 Developer's Guide
Buy the book: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/A...7/risingroad-20
bcarter@risingroad.com
RisingRoad SQL Anywhere and MobiLink Professional Services
www.risingroad.com

Nick Elson

2005-09-22, 8:23 pm

Not to change Breck's point but actually to highlight it as an
issue ... I have submitted the following New Feature Request
[as CR# 404645 ... thanks Breck]

The problem with Save As XML currently is, it is not obvious
to customers how to access that feature. This seem to go as
far as to preventing some of them from investigating their graphical
query plans. Tech support often finds we must help them to navigate
that so we can help with PnT cases. Further Breck's problem is
there is no separate working default directory for XML files.

My recommendation is: We probably need two such dialogues, each
with their own 'last working directory' [as Breck would want].

I can see that happening one of two different ways:

1 - an additional menu pick can be added:
File >>
New Ctrl+N
Open... Ctrl+O
----------------
Save Ctrl+S
Save [SQL] As...
Save [XML] As...
----------------
. . .
or
2 - Make it context sensitive and do a "Save as XML"
for when the "Plan" tab is selected, and a "Save as SQL"
when the "Results" tab is selected; each with their own
default working directory.

A third option would be to also sub-class the File Save dialogues
to track and change according to the file mask selected [which
would extend approach #2 to add symmetry to the whole thing].

I would definitely opt for some more intuitive combination (as in both)
of such changes as well [some explicit like #1 and some implicit like #2]
that way customer will find it more naturally, no matter how they use
the product.

For the File Open you may need to do much the same and pick
up the last 'saved' XML/SQL from context as well. Since that
too could have two menus and you would want to accomplish the
sub-classing mentioned above.

Given that the menus would fatten up significantly, sub-menus could
be required to keep it clean.

"Breck Carter [TeamSybase]" < NOSPAM__bcarter@risi
ngroad.com> wrote in
message news:nf11j1hggtmhjbd
6jrtca6o41g604fuc8h@
4ax.com...
> Please excuse me if the following is symptomatic of a "senior
> moment"... I get confused easily...
>
> In 9.0.2.3124 on XP SP2, dbisql seems to "remember" different folders
> for File - Open versus File - Save As operations.
>
> That's OK (I guess), but apparently it only remembers the Save As
> folder from the last *.SQL save. If you navigate to a different folder
> and use Save As - *.XML instead, it does not remember the new folder;
> the next Save As operation starts in the old folder.
>
> This can cause a "Grrrr!" moment, when faced with navigating to a
> whole different zipcode on the hard drive, again and again and
> again...
>
> There *is* a workaround if you want to establish a "working output
> folder context" in dbisql: complete a single dummy Save As - *.SQL
> operation to the desired folder.
>
> A smarter person would have thought of that days earlier... sigh.
>
> Breck
>
> --
> SQL Anywhere Studio 9 Developer's Guide
> Buy the book:
> http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/A...7/risingroad-20
> bcarter@risingroad.com
> RisingRoad SQL Anywhere and MobiLink Professional Services
> www.risingroad.com

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