Hi Dennis ,
Even if Sundial systems is down , if you have used the DBExpert software for ten years ,you must be quite knowledgeble about this software. Why do you want to move to another software when DBExpert runs fine on Ecomstation ?
Yes, Paul, I have used dbExpert for 10 years, but I still have problems figuring out how to use various functions both separately and in combination with other functions. I also still have problems getting multi-table queries to rrun, using functions/strings/statements, etc. within queries, and using REXX and/or OS/2 strings/functions, etc. My poor old mind just doesn't seem to get it. I've even tried to learn REXX and found it very confusing.
Dennis
The easiest way to learn REXX is to find some useful REXX utilities, hope they are commented, and play with them. Look up anything you dont understand, and then learn the difference in calling conventions (which the REXX manual that comes with OS/2 somewhat explains). That's how I started, and I REXX entire web based databases that handle hundreds of thousands of records, do various reports, accept web based data entry and more. (Sadly, as a side note, I ran into Igor Pool's excellent RxWeb package after I had it written - and realized I just reinvented the wheel).
As an example, I use a more function based calling method:
SomeReturnCode=MyFunction(Variable1,Variable2)
Which runs MyFunction with those 2 variables, and returns the results directly to SomeReturnCode...
But I could do (which is often the default notation in REXX docs):
Call MyFunction Variable1, Variable2
and then read the return code from rc
I like the first method better - and it will always work with any function call that returns anything. (but either work)
Regardless, REXX isnt as daunting as it may first seem... my entire program, including 30 or so reports, handling of 9 tables (databases in the DBExpert/dBase world), over 30 web based entry
and edit forms, etc... is only about 6,000 lines (much of which is redundant till the next big revision when I consolidate things).
As for DBExpert... I used to have it, never got to play with it, and sadly couldnt help you unless I had a copy. If it runs REXX code, it should be easy to do the date functions and data retrieval related to those dates - either by writing a little REXX date code, or grabbing rxdate21 from Hobbes (which can tell you when any Sunday falls in a certain week, or tell you that 3/24/2008 is a Monday, or add and subtract dates to tell you how many days elapsed, and a lot more).
The only problem I have had with certain things in handlng dates, is that they do not sort them properly (not a problem with "newer" databases), but out of habit, because of that, I got in the habit of putting dates (like today's for instance) into the database as 20080314 - that way their characters were always in sorted order. If DBExpert does not have a date field (that is indexable in the correct order), then part of your difficulties may lie there (as mentioned in another thread you recently posted in). If that is the case, then formatting your dates as YYYYMMDD and saving them that way (and your times in military time, trailing zeros and all - such as 01:00:30) would allow your program to do very easy queries:
Select from MyDB when DB_Date>="20080301"
Not valid code, but an idea of what I mean... basically, if DBExpert does not allow a sortable/properly indexed date field, then things like this happen in a sorted data set:
01/03/2008
01/05/2007 <--- wrong place because it is in alphanumeric order
02/01/2008
Start with some simple (pre written) REXX scripts, play with them, then pick up Rexx Tips and Tricks (latest version from Hobbes) and check it out. Note that some of the stuff in RT&T require add-on DLLs... most are on Hobbes.
Otherwise, if I ever run into a copy of DBExpert, and the time, I will see what I can pick up on it...
-Robert