Data Based Advisor articles from July 1991

Data Based Advisor archives from July 1991

Edit with memory variables. ( Mac Rubel's Power Tools) (tutorial)
July 1, 1991... Problem: How do you ensure speed and security when changing the contents Of fields, especially in multi-user applications? Solution: Edit with memory variables to prevent having to lock the file from other users, enable closing the file while...

Swatches of color. (adding color to Clipper 5.0 browse objects) ( Hardcore Clipper) (tutorial)
July 1, 1991... Problem: is there an easy way to add color to Your browses? Solution., Try thcolurmys defColor instance variable to define default colors for columns, and use colorBlock instance variables to define colors for rows. This article shows...

Dataline.
July 1, 1991... WASHINGTON, D.C. - To unlock the mysteries of computer security (including the latest in virus info), Dataline recommends a membership in the National Computer Security Association. With your $45 membership, you'll get a bi-monthly newsletter...

Not the same old show. (a visit to Comdex Spring 1991) (editorial)
July 1, 1991... I went to Atlanta and Comdex was there. But it wasn't the same old Comdex. For one thing, it was smaller. The Interface Group claims attendance was the highest ever for Comdex/Spring. Maybe so, but the exhibit space shrunk, since other sites...

Feedback. (letter to the editor)
July 1, 1991... Send your "Feedback" letter to Data Based Advisor, "Feedback," 4010 Morena Blvd., Suite 200, San Diego, Calif. 92117. If your letter includes code, please send it on disk. Letters will be edited for brevity. * Better Living through Macros...

So what's RaSQL/X? (NetWare SQL add-on software) (Product Announcement)
July 1, 1991... RaSQL/X adds the ability to send SQL statements to Novell's NetWare SQL database server. NetWare SQL is a database server; it receives and performs SQL queries. Like RaSQL/B, it sends back only the results to the workstation. Since the querY is...

RaSQL/B links Clipper to Btrieve files. (program development software from Communications Horizons) (product announcement)
July 1, 1991... RaSQLIB is a cute moniker but Communication Horizon's product has nothing to do with SQL. It's a set of functions for Clipper Summer'87 and 5.0 that lets you use Novell's Btrieve record manager. Using Btrieve reduces network traffic some since...

Stage talkback. (readers respond to May 1991 review of Stage software)
July 1, 1991... Editor's note: Rarely does a review raise the kind of ruckus among readers as our article, "Applications on Stage," in the May issue of Data Based Advisor. Most users agreed with reviewer Jim Powell that IS Technology's Stage is a complex,...

Can't FoxPro's report writer already do that? (Platinum Software International debuts FRX2PRG 1.04 report-writing software) (product announcement)
July 1, 1991... If you read my "Flex Reports" series in the March and April issues of Data Based Advisor, you know I firmly believe there's nothing the FoxPro Report Writer can't do. But every once in a while even a die-hard Report Writer fan comes up against...

FoxPro 2.0: even better the second time around. (includes a related article detailing FoxPro's enhancements, pricing) (new version of data base management system) (Cover Story)
July 1, 1991... Here are details on five programming walls FoxPro 2.0 lets you bulldoze through: 1. Index file limits 2. Slow FORs 3. Sluggish filters 4. Parent BROWSEs 5. Data file confines FoxPro 2.0 offers a multitude of...

FYI. (various statistics on sales)
July 1, 1991... Percentage of large, end-user companies that adopt client/server systems to improve productivity: 75 Percentage that adopt it to lower operating costs: 57 Percentage that already have a specific budget for a client/server system: 63 ...

Tooling around with PCX images. (Genus Microprogramming debuts the PCX Programmer's Toolkit) (product announcement)
July 1, 1991... The PCX file format is recognized as a graphics image standard, but working with PCS files can really try your patience. If you need to incorporate PCX images into your Clipper or C programs, look no further. The PCX Programmer's Toolkit can...

A template programming how-to. ('An Introduction to Template Programming' from Template Garden Press)
July 1, 1991... The concept of template programming is to create code that creates code. Sounds easy enough, but like many things that sound easy, it can be difficult when put into practice. An Introduction to Template Programming, by Martin L. Rinehart, a...

Improve software quality. (tutorial)
July 1, 1991... Problem: How do you make sure your software works the way it should especially when you're in a time-crunch? Solution: Always remember that quality costs less up front than later on. We all want to build quality products, but when...

Find your target. (binary search routine for Paradox data base management software)
July 1, 1991... Suppose you have the number 3013.176 and want the next smaller number in a table. How do you do a "fuzzy search?" LOCATE only works with exact matches in a numeric field. SCAN is a brute force approach. Here's an easier way. If your table is...

Database confidential.
July 1, 1991... It's been talked about for months, but the rumors won't die that Microsoft wanted-or still wants-Fox Software. The latest figure I've heard is $75 million. If it's true, it's not clear whether Fox rejected the offer, or whether it's still being...

Advice from the pros. (advice on getting started on FoxPro 2.0 data base management system) (Cover Story)
July 1, 1991... When you receive FoxPro 2.0 what should you do first? Install it and begin coding? Spend a month studying the documentation? Convert that dBASE application over? To find the answer, we invited top FoxPro developers (and contributors to this...

Divide and conquer: SBT pushes the programming envelope. (Software Business Technology Corp. develops new software ) (Cover Story)
July 1, 1991... SBT's business applications run under DBASE IV, FoxBASE+, Clipper Summer 87, and Recital. Although this means a larger number of SBT's customers (programmers) can use its source code with their language of choice, it also means the software...

Work with data processing and win! (consultancy's experience in helping develop sales management system)
July 1, 1991... Project.- To work with the data procesing department at the country's largest direct-mall advertiser in developing a sales management system. Players: OPUS ALTUS, a consulting firm specializing in productivity improvement 32 Cathedral...

What DOS 5.0 offers you! (MSDOS 5.0 improvements) (First Look) (column)
July 1, 1991... You should replace your old DOS with Microsoft's latest release if only because it gives you access to more precious momory On June 11, after the most extensive beta-test in software history, MS-DOS 5.0 is expected to have arrived-and not a...

Design your database right the first time. (Database Design) (tutorial)
July 1, 1991... Problem: How do you represent real-world data with your database management system? Solution: Use normalization" to help modularize your detabase table design. Despite billions of years of research and tons of books on the subject,...

C++ - What's the object?
July 1, 1991... C++ is C with object-oriented extensions, right? C is a language much loved by folks who write compilers and operating systems, right? Writing normal business programs in C is like going squirrel hunting in a tank, right? Well, two out of...

Cold snippets. (data base advertising specialist Hal Pawluk's attitudes)
July 1, 1991... This month I digress from my normal single-subject format to bring you a couple of items on various top"Cold Snippets" is either the name of a post-punk country fusion band or a new breakfast sausage-I can't remember which. Cold Snippet...

You can't go home again. (Nantucket's history of introducing language extensions)
July 1, 1991... Nantucket has a track record of introducing language extensions which, once seen, programming is impossible without. The absence of those extensions in other languages makes other flavors seem primitive. Who can imagine programming without...

Secrets of Novell's NetWare requestor and Microsoft's SQL server. (includes related articles on SQL Server tuning tips, questions and answers, problems with manuals and user opinions) (tutorial)
July 1, 1991... Confused about really have to do Server to work NetWare, especially if you want to run Windows front-end applications from DOS workstations? Data Based Advisor's new Technical Director has rolled up his sleeves to show you how. Save yourself...

Gateways to opportunity: the third annual IDUG conference. ( International DB2 Users Group)
July 1, 1991... San Francisco, CA--"DB2? Isn't that a mainframe program?" Yes, it is. DB2 is IBM's flagship relational DBMS, licensed to some 6,000 sites worldwide and the hub of IBM's Systems Application Architecture (SAA) strategy. Over 1,500 users,...

CASE by CASE: EasyCASE vs. MicroSTEP. (EasyCASE Plus from Evergreen CASE Tools and MicroSTEP from Syscorp International)(computer aided software engineering) (Software Review) (includes related articles on using EasyCASE with Wallsoft's UI2 and a beta version of EasyCASE 3.0) (evaluation)
July 1, 1991... Problem: if you want to automate the software development process, what tools should you consider buying? Solution: Two CASE and MicroSTEP, automate different parts of the software engineering process. One may be the solution, depending on...

Array and GET tricks. (tricks to using Clipper 5.01) ( Clipper Developer) (tutorial)
July 1, 1991... Here are some undocumented tips we discovered from looking at STD.CH: * You can pass arrays by reference to code blocks * You can build a message system that's like the one you'd get with @..PROMPT by using a GET In our January...

Consulting tip.
July 1, 1991... CONSULTING TIP In compiled applications, on the first line of code, I declare a text variable that includes my name and phone number. It looks something like this: Prgmrs_nam = "Tom Schiff and Assoc. (415) 383-2844" The...

Filling in the blanks. (charts explaining the Change Program configuration options for DESQview) (illustration)
July 1, 1991... Puzzled by DESQview's set-up windows ? Ellen Sander, Senior Technical Writer at Quarterdeck Office offers these charts as a concise explanation of the Change Program configure options. The charts aren't meant to replace the documentation but to...

Trap those keystrokes. (Hands-on dBASE IV)(user-defined functions for dBASE IV) (tutorial)
July 1, 1991... Many processes in DBASE IV involve nothing more than waiting for keypresses from users, then evaluating those keypresses to determine actions. While keystroke trapping techniques can provide a powerful means for controlling the application flow...

Showdown at the DB corral. (DB Connections)(humor) (column)
July 1, 1991... I suppose it had to happen. Just when we thought it was safe to 90 outside, there they were-the CodeSlingers. Rip-roarin', rootin', tootin' (their own horns), and riding into the DBA Forum like wranglers on a Saturday night. Braggin', fussin',...

Put on a new face. (creating a better user interface for Paradox applications) (Hands-on Paradox) (tutorial)
July 1, 1991... Problem: What's a simple way to got users with your application? Solution: Make sure the interface works for the user. As a Paradox developer, the majority of my work involves writing business applications for major corporations in...

SofDesign International Inc. (introduces Overlay 3.5)
July 1, 1991... SofDesign International, Inc. announced Overlay() 3.5, a library that gives Clipper and C developers control over memory swapping from within applications. 3.5 includes: Windows compativility, RTLink/plus support, new documentation and a Norton...

Sophco Inc. (introduces SuperMAKE)
July 1, 1991... Skophco, Inc. announced SuperMAKE, a MAKE utility that helps distribute building applications over a network Users on workstations can create diggerent parts of an application. Using SuperMAKE, the programmer creates makes files containing...

Western Wares. (introduces C++ Rider)
July 1, 1991... Western Wares released their C++ RIDER source-code analyzer and on-line held for C and C++. C++ RIDER consists of a pop-up source code browsing utility and a detailed source- code analyzer. C++ RIDER is compatible with ANSI C and the proposed...

XDB Systems. (releases XBD-Windows Software Development Kit)
July 1, 1991... XDB Systems released the XDB-Windows Software Developers it (SDK). The SDK consists of XDB's SOL engine version 2.4, a Windows redirector, a C API, and a C precompiler for embedded SOL. XDB's Windows engine performs the 'server" function in...

Symantec Corp. (announces Q&A 4.0)
July 1, 1991... Symantec Corp. announced version 4.0 of Q&A, their @5 database manager and word processor. Version 4.0 adds table views, field templates, and can link databases. Q&A 4.0's link to SOL lets users retrieve and merge data into a Q&A database. Q&A...

Contributors.
July 1, 1991... * Lea C. Curtis is a Programmer/Analyst for the A. M. Best Company in Oldwick, New Jersey. You can reach her at Data Based Advisor. Jim Powell is manager of credit card and human resource systems for Security Pacific Automation Company...

Consulting tip. (planning applications to allow for the turn of the century)
July 1, 1991... CONSULTING TIP It's time to start planning for the year 2000. Applications being designed now have a distinct chance of still being in use at the turn of the cnetury. If your application assumes that the year is always 19??, then recoding...

Consulting tip. (keep the customer satisfied)
July 1, 1991... CONSULTING TIP I'm never happy with an application until the client is. There may be clients that are so unreasonable that it isn't possible to please them, but I haven't run across one yet. I go to great lengths to satisfy a client, even...

Consulting tip. (leveraging past work)
July 1, 1991... CONSULTING TIP Look for opportunities to leverage what you've learned or done on past jobs. You might do that by re-using your code or by spinning off presentations, articles, or training. And strive to exceed clients' expectations....