Change paradox field type at run time

I am almost positive that you won't be able to do this while the first application is accessing the table. What you *could* do, however is to close the first application, create another table with a unique name and the all the field information of the first table, with the exception of this of this one field of course which you'd make a memo (or blob as the case may be). Copy the first table to the second, drop the firt table and rename the second to the first's name. In psusedo code it would be sonething like this:

Close App1.(using Main.DB)

CreateTable Temp.DB (identitical to Main.DB table, except blob field)

Copy Main.DB to Temp.DB


Drop Main Table.


Rename Temp.DB -> Main.DB


Hope this helps.


Good luck!!

from my paq

alpha->tmemo for paradox

so it goes

include in your uses clause the unit bde

and add this code to your unit

//paste from the url

type
 ChangeRec = packed record
   szName: DBINAME;
   iType: word;
   iSubType: word;
   iLength: word;
   iPrecision: byte;
 end;


procedure ChangeField(Table: TTable; Field: TField; Rec: ChangeRec);
var
 Props: CURProps;
 hDb: hDBIDb;
 TableDesc: CRTblDesc;
 pFields: pFLDDesc;
 pOp: pCROpType;
 B: byte;

begin
 // Initialize the pointers...
 pFields := nil; pOp := nil;
 // Make sure the table is open exclusively so we can get the db handle...
 if Table.Active = False then
   raise EDatabaseError.Create('Table must be opened to restructure');
 if Table.Exclusive = False then
   raise EDatabaseError.Create('Table must be opened exclusively to restructure');

 Check(DbiSetProp(hDBIObj(Table.Handle), curxltMODE, integer(xltNONE)));
 // Get the table properties to determine table type...
 Check(DbiGetCursorProps(Table.Handle, Props));
 // Make sure the table is either Paradox or dBASE...
 if (Props.szTableType <> szPARADOX) and (Props.szTableType <> szDBASE) then
   raise EDatabaseError.Create('Field altering can only occur on Paradox' +
               ' or dBASE tables');
 // Allocate memory for the field descriptor...
 pFields := AllocMem(Table.FieldCount * sizeof(FLDDesc));
 // Allocate memory for the operation descriptor...
 pOp := AllocMem(Table.FieldCount * sizeof(CROpType));
 try
   // Set the pointer to the index in the operation descriptor to put
   // crMODIFY (This means a modification to the record is going to happen)...
   Inc(pOp, Field.Index);
   pOp^ := crMODIFY;
   Dec(pOp, Field.Index);
   // Fill the field descriptor with the existing field information...
   Check(DbiGetFieldDescs(Table.Handle, pFields));
   // Set the pointer to the index in the field descriptor to make the
   // midifications to the field
   Inc(pFields, Field.Index);

   // If the szName portion of the ChangeRec has something in it, change it...
   if StrLen(Rec.szName) > 0 then
     pFields^.szName := Rec.szName;
   // If the iType portion of the ChangeRec has something in it, change it...
   if Rec.iType > 0 then
     pFields^.iFldType := Rec.iType;
   // If the iSubType portion of the ChangeRec has something in it, change it...
   if Rec.iSubType > 0 then
     pFields^.iSubType := Rec.iSubType;
   // If the iLength portion of the ChangeRec has something in it, change it...
   if Rec.iLength > 0 then
     pFields^.iUnits1 := Rec.iLength;
   // If the iPrecision portion of the ChangeRec has something in it, change it...
   if Rec.iPrecision > 0 then
     pFields^.iUnits2 := Rec.iPrecision;
   Dec(pFields, Field.Index);

   for B := 1 to Table.FieldCount do begin
     pFields^.iFldNum := B;
     Inc(pFields, 1);
   end;
   Dec(pFields, Table.FieldCount);

   // Blank out the structure...
   FillChar(TableDesc, sizeof(TableDesc), 0);
   //  Get the database handle from the table's cursor handle...
   Check(DbiGetObjFromObj(hDBIObj(Table.Handle), objDATABASE, hDBIObj(hDb)));
   // Put the table name in the table descriptor...
   StrPCopy(TableDesc.szTblName, Table.TableName);
   // Put the table type in the table descriptor...
   StrPCopy(TableDesc.szTblType, Props.szTableType);
   // The following three lines are necessary when doing any field restructure
   // operations on a table...

   // Set the field count for the table
   TableDesc.iFldCount := Table.FieldCount;
   // Link the operation descriptor to the table descriptor...
   TableDesc.pecrFldOp := pOp;
   // Link the field descriptor to the table descriptor...
   TableDesc.pFldDesc := pFields;
   // Close the table so the restructure can complete...
   Table.Close;
   // Call DbiDoRestructure...
   Check(DbiDoRestructure(hDb, 1, @TableDesc, nil, nil, nil, FALSE));
 finally
   if pFields <> nil then
     FreeMem(pFields);
   if pOp <> nil then
     FreeMem(pOp);
 end;
end;

//paste end
//change a field

procedure TForm1.Button4Click(Sender: TObject);
var CR : ChangeRec;
begin
 Table1.Open;
 FillChar(CR,SizeOf(CR),0);
 CR.iType := fldBlob;
 CR.iSubType := fldstMemo;
 ChangeField(Table1,Table1.FieldbyName('F2'),CR);
 Table1.Close;
end;

hope it helps

meikl ;-)

learn more about bde-api
http://www.borland.com/devsupport/bde/bdeapiex/dbidorestructure.html

see third sample

Sorry Dr Delphi I didn't make it clear that I would not be running the db application while using the update application.

Would it be easier to do this through a query?

>Would it be easier to do this through a query?
nope, did not work->type mismatch->Alpha<>memo

Additionally I will be making about 30 changes (I know that sounds bad but the client has asked for some radical changes) and I want the update application to be very stable.

30 changes!
code a migration-app and a empty table with the desired structure, in your app iterate through the records, do your fieldmappings and post the record to your empty table

depending on the complexity of changes you could use the tbatchmove-component

meikl ;-)

Wouldn't just a few SQL statements work?

ALTER TABLE1 add Content2 Memo;

UPDATE TABLE1 set Content2 = Content;

ALTER TABLE1 drop Content;

ALTER TABLE1 add Content Memo;

UPDATE TABLE1 set Content = Content2;

ALTER TABLE1 drop Content2;


That's all there is to it, in my opinion. Just 6 SQL statements would do it quickly, w/o messing with BDE.

If you're working with more changes, they can (in some cases) all be worked on the same query, for example, creating/dropping several temp columns at once, running several updates in the same table at once, and so on.

yours,

Alex

are you sure, alex?

you can't drop columns

ALEX and others,

Below is the code I am using for just one update.

It falls over on Update line  message = "Invalid use of keyword line 2 TOKEN UPDATE"

I am not sure what I am doing wrong.

Additionally do I use BLOB as MEMO is unsupported?

Query1.SQL.Clear;
Query1.SQL.Add('ALTER TABLE "VessInfo.DB" ADD CFTM BLOB');
Query1.SQL.Add('UPDATE TABLE "VessInfo.db" SET CFTM = CFT');
Query1.SQL.Add('ALTER TABLE "VessInfo.DB"');
Query1.SQL.Add('DROP CFT');
Query1.SQL.Add('ALTER TABLE "VessInfo.DB"');
Query1.SQL.Add('ADD CFTM BLOB');
Query1.SQL.Add('UPDATE TABLE "VessInfo.DB"');
Query1.SQL.Add('SET CFT = CFTM');
Query1.SQL.Add('ALTER TABLE "VessInfo.DB"');
Query1.SQL.Add('DROP CFTM');
Query1.ExecSQL

Cheers

Vanessa

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