HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: charlesa@niwot.scd.ucar.edu (Charles Albrecht)
Subject: Re: Calculating "days" in FileMaker Pro
Organization: Scientific Computing Divison/NCAR Boulder, CO
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 22:06:04 GMT

In article <1992Aug13.180842.26281@nntp.uoregon.edu> srussell@cie.uoregon.edu (Steven Russell) writes:
>I am trying to create a calculated field in FileMaker Pro that will
>return the number of days since a date located in another field.  For
>example, if today is the 13th of August, I want to know how many days
>have passed since (for example) June 27th, 1991.  Is there a simple
>way to do this?  The calculation functions don't seem to lend
>themselves well to this task, but I may not be using them properly. 
>Can anyone help me out with this?
>
>--
>-Steven Russell
>srussell@uoneuro.uoregon.edu

The function you've probably written is:  Today - FromDate
                                          ^^^^^ (Today is a FMPro function)
If you define this as a number, FM Pro will beep at you and give you 
a stern warning that the function will return a value of type "date."  If
you indicate that you do want to define it as a number, FileMaker will
gladly allow you to do it, and should give you what you're looking for.

A WARNING HERE.  If you have a large database, you will find that the Today
function recalculates each time you restart the database (on a new day).
A few years ago, I thought it would be nice to use the Today function to 
age financial accounts, but the time required to recalculate 2000 records
convinced me not to.


Good Luck,


Charles

----
Charles Albrecht                "Nonsense, they only say you can't survive
charlesa@ncar.ucar.edu           The Fire Swamp because no one ever has."
303/497-1828                        - Westley, The Dread Pirate Roberts

NCAR - Scientific Computing Division * P.O. Box 3000 * Boulder, Colorado  80307

The opinions you are about to have read are fictitious...
          ...any similarity to opinions living or dead is purely coincidental.
From: ckeller@mbcr.bcm.tmc.edu (Charles Keller)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.databases
Subject: Importing Fixed Length Text?
Date: 19 Aug 92 20:21:54 GMT
Article-I.D.: gazette.14182
Reply-To: ckeller@mbcr.bcm.tmc.edu (Charles Keller)
Originator: ckeller@mbcr.bcm.tmc.edu


How do you import a fixed length record file into 4D?
(ie. when you have no end of field characters)

Charles Keller
[ckeller@mbcr.bcm.tmc.edu]
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.databases
From: hagstrop@oberon.mathcs.carleton.edu (Paul Hagstrom)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.databases
Subject: Re: Network error with FoxBASE+/Mac
Date: 20 Aug 92 16:22:04 GMT
NNTP-Posting-Host: bbn.com

In article <1992Aug20.141525.17420@midway.uchicago.edu>  
ejw1@kimbark.uchicago.edu (Eric Weidl) writes:
> >USE MacKeegan->FoxVOTE->bc_voter.dbf INDEX  
Mackeegan->FoxVOTE->bc_precinc.dbf
> Am I missing something here?  I've never seen a path use the '->' symbol.  
> Apparently Fox is passing it on to the File Manager, who responds with the 
> -50 error. Try:
>     USE MacKeegan:FoxVOTE:bc_voter.dbf
> 
> >I hope to go multi-user with my application, but if it can't communicate
> >over the Appletalk Network I guess I can save $399 and not buy the
> >multi-user version.
>

Another thing to try would be using the SET VOLUME command, which lets you  
designate a folder as a "drive" and then you can read files out of it in a sort  
of MS-DOS format.  I don't have the manual in front of me, but I believe that  
the format is something like

SET VOLUME C TO "MacKeegan:FoxVOTE"
USE "C:bc_voted.dbf" INDEX "C:bc_precinc.idx"

At any rate, it's close to that, and it should give you enough to go on in a  
manual search.. It sounds approximately like what you want to..
--
schmotsignature.
							Paul Hagstrom
							(hagstrop@carleton.edu)
From: tertium@milton.u.washington.edu (l boyd)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.databases
Subject: Re: Deleting Fields in 4D
Date: 19 Aug 92 22:10:22 GMT
Organization: University of Washington

ckeller@mbcr.bcm.tmc.edu (Charles Keller) writes:


>Once in the structure design mode, how do you eliminate a field?

>Charles Keller
>[ckeller@mbcr.bcm.tmc.edu]

We should run an article every so often with the answer to this question:

No can do.  According to acius, "It's a feature, not a bug."  (-:

Lauren
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.databases
From: zingale@crayxmp.lmsc.lockheed.com (Tom Zingale)
Subject: Do you have filemaker pro examples with neat stuff
Organization: Lockheed Missiles & Spaces Co.
Date: Sat, 22 Aug 92 23:38:34 GMT


Looking for some filemaker pro example files that show off the
capabilities of this program. 
Good examples showing some of the obscure things it can do would be nice!!
Do you know where to find any ?

Tom Z
From: skip@claris.com (Brian Schipper)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.databases
Subject: Re: Any suggestions for setting up Filemaker Pro?
Date: 12 Aug 92 21:28:25 GMT
Organization: Claris Corporation, Santa Clara CA

davids@gardener.lanl.gov (David Simmons) writes:

>Be VERY Careful of setting up a FM Pro database across a network.
>Small abberations in your network can cause catasrophic data losses.
>Claris' suggestion is to have a dedicated server for FM Pro [sic]. I don't
>know about you, but we didn't want to shell out for a Mac *just* for
>FM Pro.  In my experience, and I am only one datapoint, FM Pro is
>NOT very stable over a shared network, especially if multiple users
>are sharing the file simultaneously.

Unfortunately, it's very difficult for a database server on the mac to
be stable when someone is also using the machine to run other applications,
especially since the memory space is unprotected and any other program
running on the machine can write into the server's memory partition.

Unlike some multiuser database programs, FileMaker does not require
that you dedicate a machine to be a server, but doing so can help
improve performance and reliability.

Brian
-- 
Internet: skip@claris.com                 AppleLink: SCHIPPER1
From: peirce@outpost.SF-Bay.org (Michael Peirce)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.databases
Subject: Re: Any suggestions for setting up Filemaker Pro?
Date: 13 Aug 92 06:08:11 GMT
Reply-To: peirce@outpost.SF-Bay.org (Michael Peirce)
Organization: Peirce Software
X-Mailer: uAccess - Macintosh Release: 1.5v4


davids@gardener.lanl.gov (David Simmons) writes:
> 
>Be VERY Careful of setting up a FM Pro database across a network.
>Small abberations in your network can cause catasrophic data losses.
>Claris' suggestion is to have a dedicated server for FM Pro [sic]. I don't
>know about you, but we didn't want to shell out for a Mac *just* for
>FM Pro.  In my experience, and I am only one datapoint, FM Pro is
>NOT very stable over a shared network, especially if multiple users
>are sharing the file simultaneously.

I've used FIleMaker in a networked environment and it worked very
well.  Of course, the server machine wasn't doing much else besides
being a low use File Sharing server too.

Pick up an old SE/30, this makes an excellent server.  Even a new
Classic II does a passable job.

--  Michael Peirce      --   peirce@outpost.SF-Bay.org
--  Peirce Software     --   Suite 301, 719 Hibiscus Place
--                      --   San Jose, California USA 95117
--  Makers of...        --   voice: (408) 244-6554 fax: (408) 244-6882
--            SMOOTHIE  --   AppleLink: peirce & America Online: AFC Peirce
From: Sparky
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.databases
Subject: Re: Excel and Oracle and DAL
Date: 19 Aug 92 16:25:11 GMT
Organization: None Worth Mentioning

In article <8149@sirius.ucs.adelaide.edu.au> ianf@cs.adelaide.edu.au (Ian
Florance) writes:
>Excel Four can apparently do SQL commands to unix databases.
>You need DAL on the mac and a DAL server on the unix host.
>We are running Oracle 6.033 on a sparc 2.
>Presumably you get the DAL server from APDA; is this true?
>Would the Oracle supply it?
>After we get the DAL server will Excel 4 then be able to communicate to
>the Oracle database?
>Whats peoples experiences running this configuration?
>___________________________________________           _--_|\
>Ian Florance         Phone : +6 18 228 5502          /      \ 
>The Univeristy of Adelaide Apple Consortium          \_.--*_/
>University of Adelaide,     South Australia                v
>


I can't offer any input, other than to suggest that you also post to the
comp.apps.spreadsheets group.
--Sparky
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.databases
From: srussell@cie.uoregon.edu (Steven Russell)
Subject: Another FileMaker Pro question
Organization: University of Oregon Campus Information Exchange
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 92 09:09:39 GMT

charlesa@niwot.scd.ucar.edu (Charles Albrecht) writes:
>The function you've probably written is:  Today - FromDate
>                                          ^^^^^ (Today is a FMPro function)
>If you define this as a number, FM Pro will beep at you and give you 
>a stern warning that the function will return a value of type "date."  If
>you indicate that you do want to define it as a number, FileMaker will
>gladly allow you to do it, and should give you what you're looking for.

I'll be darned, you are right.  I took the stern warning too
seriously, and didn't attempt to use the number result.  Charles,
thanks for the help!  Thanks also to Brian Schipper, who suggested the
same solution.

Ok, here's another question:  I want to be able to create a field
that adds values from two other fields.  If field "A" contains the
value 20, and field "B" contains 17, I want my proposed field to
become 37.  So far, this is trivial, but I would like this same field
to be selectable for manual data entry if both fields "A" and "B" are
undefined.  If this is not possible, I will settle for having the
field be selectable for data entry without depending on the values in
fields "A" and "B".  Is this possible, or am I asking too much?  I've
looked through the manual for help with this, but haven't found a way
to make it work.

--
-Steven Russell
srussell@uoneuro.uoregon.edu
From: dewhirst@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu (Rob Dewhirst)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.databases
Subject: Re: New Folder in FB+/Mac
Date: 19 Aug 92 22:48:25 CDT
Organization: KU Museum of Invertebrate Paleontology

> Does anyone know how to create a folder using FoxBase+/Mac?

The first thing you should do is raid the XCMD directories on the
various FTP sites for an XCMD that will do this. I am reasonably sure
there are a couple of them that do exactly this.

-- 
Rob Dewhirst
rob.dewhirst@macrocosm.omahug.org

Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.databases
From: jgeniec@cis.ohio-state.edu (Joseph Geniec)
Subject: Problem with Reflex Plus for Mac
Originator: jgeniec@lilac.cis.ohio-state.edu
Organization: The Ohio State University, Department of Computer and Information Science
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 16:38:43 GMT


	I have a small problem with Reflex Plus. I am trying to convert
a Database to text format so I can upload it to UNIX. Seems simple,
doesn't it? Anyway, It will not allow the DB to text conversion for
some reason. Here is everything I did-

loaded Database
selected file|new
selected table report and gave the report a name
picked the corresponding Database from the Hard Drive
hit "include all" button to select all fields
hit "include all" button to select all fiels for record selection
selected "export data"
clicked on text format

now-- here's the problem. There should be a list of all of the fields on
the left list, but it is completely empty. Why isn't reflex listing all
of the fields from the database? BTW, I'm new with this database stuff,
so If it's simple, go easy on me.

							Joe Geniec
					     jgeniec@cis.ohio-state.edu
From: hades@coos.dartmouth.edu (Hades)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.databases
Subject: Re: Filemaker & Mailmerge
Date: 17 Aug 92 18:41:44 GMT
Reply-To: hades@Dartmouth.Edu
Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
Disclaimer: Personally, I really don't care who you think I speak for.
Moderator: Rec.Arts.Comics.Info

sjb@theory.TC.Cornell.EDU (Stephen J. Bradshaw) writes:

>I am interested in using Filemaker Pro to handle a database of names
>and addresses. Could someone indicate if the current or future versions
>of Filemaker can be used in conjunction with a * SEPARATE * word
>processing package for mail merges. I appreciate that it is possible to
>compose letters from within Filemaker but I am more interested in using
>a dedicated word processor. Has anyone had any success with any specific
>word processors ?

    FileMaker Pro has the ability to export data from a database file to
another file in a number of different formats. One of those formats is
called Merge, and it happens to match the format that MS Word uses for
its merge data files. Have you tried this yet? 

--
-Hades (Brian V. Hughes) Moderator: Rec.Arts.Comics.Info
		   "A clear case of curare poisoning
	       of one of her Majesty's Cold-Cream Guards"
						   -- Durlock Holmes
From: Patrick Parker
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.databases
Subject: Re: Any suggestions for setting up Filemaker Pro?
Date: 14 Aug 92 14:45:06 GMT
Reply-To: pharmacy@epx.cis.umn.edu
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Minnesota

In article <1992Aug11.220902.13383@newshost.lanl.gov> davids@gardener.lanl.gov
(David Simmons) writes:

>Be VERY Careful of setting up a FM Pro database across a network.
>Small abberations in your network can cause catasrophic data losses.
>Claris' suggestion is to have a dedicated server for FM Pro [sic]. I don't
>know about you, but we didn't want to shell out for a Mac *just* for
>FM Pro.  In my experience, and I am only one datapoint, FM Pro is
>NOT very stable over a shared network, especially if multiple users
>are sharing the file simultaneously.

We use FM Pro as well over a network, and I won't even begin to go into the
snail pace responses that occur from running the program over a network, but I
have found one difference between our database hosted by a server as opposed to
by the first user to get to it.

If a user opens QuickMail in our Department while hosting FM Pro (actually, any
dialog box for that matter) it appears to completely stop FM Pro's activity. 
This in turn causes users who have logged onto the database remotely to wait,
and wait, and wait until the individual that has hosted to close these said
windows.

On the whole (althogh you didn't ask for my opinion of the package) FM seems to
be a good starter database program, but if you need versatility, you'll soon
find yourself looking for a replacement as we're doing.  Claris, while the
Windows platform is important, I think it crucial that you refine the
networking ability of FMPro.  Even with an FX as a database server, the remote
user sees no real speed increase from normal operations.

---------
Patrick Parker
LAN Manager - University of Minnesota
pharmacy@epx.cis.umn.edu
From: drg@biomath.mda.uth.tmc.edu (David Gutierrez)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.databases
Subject: Re: Filemaker & Mailmerge
Date: 17 Aug 1992 16:48:42 GMT
Organization: Univ. Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

In article <1992Aug17.152521.19490@tc.cornell.edu> sjb@theory.TC.Cornell.EDU
(Stephen J. Bradshaw) writes:
>I am interested in using Filemaker Pro to handle a database of names
>and addresses. Could someone indicate if the current or future versions
>of Filemaker can be used in conjunction with a * SEPARATE * word
>processing package for mail merges. I appreciate that it is possible to
>compose letters from within Filemaker but I am more interested in using
>a dedicated word processor. Has anyone had any success with any specific
>word processors ?

I send out several hundred announcements a month with addresses from a
FileMaker Pro database. I have FileMaker output a tab-delimited text file with
the data I want, then I switch to FullWrite to print the announcements. I just
click the "Merge with database file" check box in the Print dialog and choose
the tab-delimited text file with the data.

David Gutierrez
drg@biomath.mda.uth.tmc.edu

"Only fools are positive." - Moe Howard
From: ejw1@kimbark.uchicago.edu (Eric Weidl)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.databases
Subject: Re: Network error with FoxBASE+/Mac
Date: 20 Aug 92 14:15:25 GMT
Reply-To: ejw1@midway.uchicago.edu
Organization: Academic and Public Computing

In article <1992Aug19.205210.29904@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu> folse@crs.cl.msu.edu.UUC (Mark Folse) writes:
>Can anyone tell me why the following line returns the error "HFS error" with
>an error number of "-50":

Which is "error in user parameter list".  In other words, the parameters to 
a File Manager call are bogus, ie. you are specifying a volume which does 
not exist.

>SET DEFAULT TO "MacKeegan:FoxVOTE"

If FoxVOTE is a folder, it would be better to indicate that:
    SET DEFAULT TO "MacKeegan:FoxVOTE:"

>USE MacKeegan->FoxVOTE->bc_voter.dbf INDEX Mackeegan->FoxVOTE->bc_precinc.dbf
Am I missing something here?  I've never seen a path use the '->' symbol.  
Apparently Fox is passing it on to the File Manager, who responds with the 
-50 error. Try:
    USE MacKeegan:FoxVOTE:bc_voter.dbf

>I hope to go multi-user with my application, but if it can't communicate
>over the Appletalk Network I guess I can save $399 and not buy the
>multi-user version.

Please let me know if using '->' in a path name normally works, because I 
don't think it should.  I think the reason it's choking is that you're 
feeding it garbage.

Eric

-- 
===================================================================
               Eric Weidl    e-weidl@uchicago.edu
      University of Chicago -- Academic and Public Computing
===================================================================
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.databases
From: charlesa@niwot.scd.ucar.edu (Charles Albrecht)
Subject: Re: Deleting Fields in 4D
Organization: Scientific Computing Divison/NCAR Boulder, CO
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 22:15:33 GMT

In article <14183@gazette.bcm.tmc.edu> ckeller@mbcr.bcm.tmc.edu (Charles Keller) writes:
>
>Once in the structure design mode, how do you eliminate a field?
>
>Charles Keller
>[ckeller@mbcr.bcm.tmc.edu]
>

Aha, you've discovered one of the interesting things about 4D.  You can't.
Someone was explaining this recently and there is supposedly a reason for it.
In FileMaker, for instance, if you try to delete a field that's used in a 
calculation field, it won't let you do it.  4D's procedures can get a whole lot
more complicated, and since the procedures use pointers (of sorts) to the
structure, you could get into big trouble when a long lost procedure needs
to get the field you just deleted.  

Apparently there's a flag you can turn off (or on) with ResEdit that will 
allow you to delete fields, but I haven't tried to find it.  I just call
the empty field "Reserved" and set it to Alpha-2 or boolean.

I'm not sure agree with Aci's reasoning on the matter, but I guess verison
1 or beta of 4D allowed field deletion and it caused so many problems they
took it out.

Charles

---
Charles Albrecht                "Nonsense, they only say you can't survive
charlesa@ncar.ucar.edu           The Fire Swamp because no one ever has."
303/497-1828                        - Westley, The Dread Pirate Roberts

NCAR - Scientific Computing Division * P.O. Box 3000 * Boulder, Colorado  80307

The opinions you are about to have read are fictitious...
          ...any similarity to opinions living or dead is purely coincidental.
From: folse@crs.cl.msu.edu (Mark Folse)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.databases
Subject: Network error with FoxBASE+/Mac
Date: 19 Aug 92 20:52:10 GMT
Reply-To: folse@crs.cl.msu.edu.UUCP (Mark Folse)
Organization: Michigan State University

Can anyone tell me why the following line returns the error "HFS error" with
an error number of "-50":
SET DEFAULT TO "MacKeegan:FoxVOTE"
USE MacKeegan->FoxVOTE->bc_voter.dbf INDEX Mackeegan->FoxVOTE->bc_precinc.dbf
                                                                               
I hope to go multi-user with my application, but if it can't communicate
over the Appletalk Network I guess I can save $399 and not buy the
multi-user version.
From: ckeller@mbcr.bcm.tmc.edu (Charles Keller)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.databases
Subject: Deleting Fields in 4D
Date: 19 Aug 1992 20:23:26 GMT
Reply-To: ckeller@mbcr.bcm.tmc.edu (Charles Keller)
Originator: ckeller@mbcr.bcm.tmc.edu


Once in the structure design mode, how do you eliminate a field?

Charles Keller
[ckeller@mbcr.bcm.tmc.edu]
From: pricec@prism.CS.ORST.EDU (price carl wayne)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.databases
Subject: USPS Barcoding code for 4D
Date: 16 Aug 92 09:46:17 GMT
Article-I.D.: CS.1992Aug16.094617.24505
Organization: Oregon State University, Computer Science Dept.

For all of you who responded to my previous post.  I will get the code
for doing barcodes on 4D up here as soon as possible.  My site is going
down tomorrow, so it will probably be monday before I can post it.
(Hopefully the work will only take the time planned.)

--Carl

PS  I will mail it to those who have already mailed me.

-- 
Carl W. Price		 	*      * Work keeps us from three evils:     * 
Computer Engineering Student	*      * boredom, vice, and need.            *
Oregon State University		*      *                                     *
pricec@prism.cs.orst.edu	*      *       ---Voltaire                   *
From: hades@coos.dartmouth.edu (Hades)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.databases
Subject: Re: Filemaker Pro w/ MacWrite II
Date: 18 Aug 92 18:20:12 GMT
Reply-To: hades@Dartmouth.Edu
Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
Disclaimer: Personally, I really don't care who you think I speak for.
Moderator: Rec.Arts.Comics.Info

eah0065@zeus.tamu.edu (HASKIN, EDWARD ARTHUR) writes:

>Has any one had experience with merging information with filemaker Pro and 
>MacWrite II??

    What do you mean by "merging"? Are you going from FM Pro to MWII or
the other way around?

--
-Hades (Brian V. Hughes) Moderator: Rec.Arts.Comics.Info
		   "A clear case of curare poisoning
	       of one of her Majesty's Cold-Cream Guards"
						   -- Durlock Holmes
From: skip@claris.com (Brian Schipper)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.databases
Subject: Re: Calculating "days" in FileMaker Pro
Date: 13 Aug 92 22:03:15 GMT
Organization: Claris Corporation, Santa Clara CA

srussell@cie.uoregon.edu (Steven Russell) writes:

>I am trying to create a calculated field in FileMaker Pro that will
>return the number of days since a date located in another field.  For
>example, if today is the 13th of August, I want to know how many days
>have passed since (for example) June 27th, 1991.  Is there a simple
>way to do this?  The calculation functions don't seem to lend
>themselves well to this task, but I may not be using them properly. 
>Can anyone help me out with this?

Sure.  Make a calculation field that returns a number result, and make
the calculation "Today - <datefield>", where <datefield> is the name
of the field you are computing the number of days from.

Brian
-- 
Internet: skip@claris.com                 AppleLink: SCHIPPER1
From: face@ccit.arizona.edu (Chris 'Face' Janton)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.databases
Subject: Re: Problem with Reflex Plus for Mac
Date: 22 Aug 92 17:18:25 GMT
Followup-To: comp.sys.mac.databases
Distribution: na
Organization: home


 jgeniec@cis.ohio-state.edu (Joseph Geniec) writes:
> >	I have a small problem with Reflex Plus. I am trying to convert
> >a Database to text format so I can upload it to UNIX. Seems simple,
> >doesn't it? Anyway, It will not allow the DB to text conversion for
> >some reason. Here is everything I did-
> 
> >loaded Database
> >selected file|new
> >selected table report and gave the report a name
> >picked the corresponding Database from the Hard Drive
> >hit "include all" button to select all fields
> >hit "include all" button to select all fiels for record selection
> >selected "export data"
> >clicked on text format
> 

Actually - RTM!  In Chapter 11 (Importing & Exporting Data)

Open the DB.  Select "OPEN UTILITY WINDOW" fron the Overview menu
Make sure there is no qualification in the  top right box (starts blank
anyway)
Choose Export Qualified Records from the Misc Menu
Click Text File button
Include all fields
Name the file
Poof - tab separated fields in a text file

8)
---
Chris 'Face' Janton
Home
(602) 881-6634   Internet: face@arizona.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.databases