Joined: Jan 23, 2008 Posts: 98 Location: United States
Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2009 8:24 am Post subject: Base Vers 3 - fields in forms have no length
I have been creating a new database: the first in vers 3. I have a number of tables with a number of memo fields. When I created data entry forms, I never checked for the text length of the field. I expected it to be same as the length of the database field (I seem to remember that was what had happened before.)
Imagine my surprise to see only one letter displayed when the actual data was 10 letters long and the 'space' on the form was more than adequate to hold the data I wanted to display. Accompanied by an error message saying the data was too long.
When I checked the text length - it was 0. Even my memo fields have a text length of 0 in a form. But display at about 2 inches square!
Have I remembered wrongly? Have I always had to set text lengths on a form? Don't think so. Having used the Wizard to create a number of forms in the past, I am fairly certain that the text length in the form, while it may not have displayed at the same length as the field in the database, was of the same length. I'm pretty certain my memo fields were some ridiculous length but displayed at something sensible with navigation bars on the screen.
Is this latest novelty another example of OO Version 3? If so, all the tutorials will have to be re-written to include the extra step of setting the text length for each field. What a bore!! In more ways than one!
Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2009 8:49 am Post subject: Re: Base Vers 3 - fields in forms have no length
LJ-Bettona wrote:
If so, all the tutorials will have to be re-written to include the extra step of setting the text length for each field.
The To Base and Back Again tutorial in the NeoWiki was generously created by one volunteer, Lorinda, with input from other volunteers. It took a lot of time to create a thorough tutorial for the Base component. And you already know two things, first of all Base is not an intuitive component and secondly it has changed quite a bit in NeoOffice 3.0's underlying OpenOffice.org 3.0.1 code.
These two factors mean that updating the To Base and Back Again tutorial will be very time consuming. There is no way to say when, if ever, any volunteers will have the time and knowledge to update the tutorial. It is still a very useful tutorial since many steps and database concepts remain unchanged.
It would be helpful if you could list some of the differences you have discovered when using the To Base and Back Again tutorial with NeoOffice 3.0. We may be able to add a link in the tutorial to point to a forum post with these differences.
Joined: Jan 23, 2008 Posts: 98 Location: United States
Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2009 9:56 am Post subject:
Oh, the problems with the written word.
I was not telling Lorinda that she must rewrite Back to Base. I was commiserating that it (and all the other guides) would *&!!?^ have to be re-written because fundamental differences have been coded into OO 3. And, as you are going to continue supporting 2.2.5 for the foreseeable future, we could end up with guides for 2.2.5 and 3.X.
I can document the differences I have seen, but I am probably going to give up and return to 2.2.5. Every once in a while, I decide I need a database for something I do around the house. Back to Base has been able (on the whole) to help me create everything I needed. I really can't see much point in getting 2/3 of the way through something and then coming up against another brick wall. It's too soul destroying. And time consuming.
I can document the differences I have seen, but I am probably going to give up and return to 2.2.5. Every once in a while, I decide I need a database for something I do around the house. Back to Base has been able (on the whole) to help me create everything I needed. I really can't see much point in getting 2/3 of the way through something and then coming up against another brick wall. It's too soul destroying. And time consuming.
I think your plan is a good one: stick with what works. I am not sure what was driving Sun Microsystems' OpenOffice.org engineers to make so many radical changes to Base, but I suspect some group - either internally within Sun or Sun customers - was pushing for these changes. This is one of the not so good side effects of using open source software: you are subject to the whims of the company that gives away the code.
FYI. In case you or anyone else cannot find the NeoOffice 2.2.5 download page, it is here.
Joined: Jan 23, 2008 Posts: 98 Location: United States
Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2009 10:30 am Post subject:
Thanks, Patrick - have already downloaded it. Now I just have to rebuild the database that started all of this.
BTW - I have now posted the OO forum thread about loading python in Neo as unresolved. Wouldn't want anyone like me to think we had got an answer to this.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum You cannot attach files in this forum You cannot download files in this forum
