Shareware Overload/ShartewareOverload.cdr/windows/wbtrv.zip/READ.ME

Text File | 1990-11-03 | 6KB | 126 lines

Actor 3.0 classes and related files for using Novell's Windows 3.0 version
of the Btrieve 5.10 database manager.

These Actor classes and related files are placed in the public domain by
Silverwood Software and Philip Williams on Novemeber 1, 1990.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In order to use these classes, you must have Novell's Windows 3.0 version
of the Btrieve database manager which has the DLL (Dynamic Link Library)
that is needed to initialize and make calls to the Btrieve database
manager.  You must also be familiar with Btrieve's high level language
interface function call.  That function is a six argument function call
that returns a status code based upon the success or lack of success of
a Btrieve call.  The Windows version adds an additional seventh
argument, called the key buffer length (which is always set to 255).

As of this writing, the Windows version must run as a client based
manager rather than as a server based manager.  The reason is that the
Btrieve Requestor which is needed for server based operations is not yet
available.  What this means is that each workstation on a network must
load the Btrieve manager into its memory.  To the programmer it does not
matter whether Btrieve is client based or server based, or even whether
it is on a network or a single user machine... the calls made to Btrieve
are essentially the same.  A program that has been set up for network
operation will run with no changes on a single user setup.  In fact
Novell has stopped producing the single user version of Btrieve.

I am placing these classes in the public domain.  I have included a
small ACT file that loads the necessary classes and offers some
Workspace operations to initialize the DLL and Btrieve, open a database,
read the first record and close the database.  In order to perform these
operations, you must have an existing Btrieve database and must change
the appropriate text in the ACT file to reflect the characteristics of
your database.  The text areas that need changing are enclosed in < >
type brackets.

I have also created a simple application that uses a customer list type
of database, and displays records in a versatile browse screen window
that is completely Windows aware in terms of resizing, etc.  It is not
included in this package.  However, for a $25 fee I will send you the
application's classes and related files which includes the Btrieve DLL.
I believe the fee is very reasonable.  Being relatively new to Actor,
all of this development has taken a number of weeks of work.

I can be reached by the following means:

   by voice phone at [phone]
   by FAX at [phone]
   by calling the Silverwood BBS at [phone]  (Hayes 9600 baud)
   by calling Compuserve: my CIS number is 71121,2054

   Address:  Philip Williams
             Silverwood Software
             120 E.34th St. #21F
             NY, NY  10016


And now a bit about the files I am placing in the public domain.  If you
have any problems with them or reactions to them or suggestions, please
contact me.


The files:
~~~~~~~~~
If you are a Btrieve user, you know that the entire interface to Btrieve
is through one function call and that the first argument to the function
call is an operation code, i.e. a code telling Btrieve what to do.
Currently, in the Windows version of Btrieve, there are 40 operation
codes.  They are #define'd  and listed in the WBTRV.H file.

The BTRV.CLS file contains a decendant class of Actor's Library class.
The class name in the file is Btrv.  It is necessary to initialize and
uninitialize the Btrieve DDL.  It also contains two methods for opening
and closing Btrieve database files.  Both of these methods use another
very important method in the class: the WBtrv method.  WBtrv is the
method used to make the seven argument call by which all interaction
with Btrieve is accomplished.  With the exception of Actor's "self" and
the additional key buffer length argument, it is virtually the same as
the normal Btrv function call used by other high level languages such as
Pascal and C, etc.

The RECORD.CLS file contains a decendant of the Actor Object class.  It
is called Record.  Its main purpose is to allow for the use of record
fields in an array format.

The BTRVRECO.CLS file contains a decendant of the Record class.  Its
methods are primarily used to create the proper formats for the
arguments that are sent to and received from the Btrieve DLL by way of
the WBtrv method in the Btrv class.

The WBTRV.LOD file is used to load the proper classes into an Actor
image.


Where to put the files:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The WBTRV.H file should be copied into your \ACTOR\RES subdirectory.
The CLS files should go into \ACTOR\CLASSES and the WBTRV.ACT and
WBTRV.LOD files should be in the main \ACTOR directory.  Fianlly,
put your Btrieve WBTRCALL.DLL file in the same directory that contains
your Windows 3.0 files.  The initDLL loading method looks for it there.


Proceed:
~~~~~~~
Probably the best way of proceeding is to import the WBTRV.ACT file,
which was described above, into the Workspace of a fresh Actor image.
The first few lines of the ACT file use WBTRV.LOD to load the
needed classes.  You should also make sure you have an existing Btrieve
database file available (created using any earlier version of Btrieve)
and know what its data buffer length is.  Replace <datBufSz> in the ACT
file with that length number, although the correct value is not entirely
necessary.  If a wrong data buffer length is used, Btrieve simply
returns a #22 status code and goes ahead and gets what it can.  The
<numbFlds> figure is not important for the operations I've used in the
ACT file.  <numbFlds> can be replaced with a 0.  And finally, you'll
need to know how to set the configuration string for the initBtrv
method.  This string should look the same as the string used to
intialize Btrieve when you are opening your database with your normal
procedures.

That's it.  Good luck with it.  Please contact me if you have any
problems or suggestions.

Phil...