
     Import and Export

DataBox can read any text file produced from most Industry standard applications including, but not restricted to MS Access, MS Excel, Oracle, Informix, Sybase, DBBase, FoxPro, Solid, MS Works and most other familiar database applications.

Import

To import a database into DataBox, you must first export the database from its host application as a 'Text delimited' file. In most database applications you can select the menu option "File" and "Save As" to export your database. You need to save the file as type "Ascii", "Text", "Text delimited" or "Tab delimited". You may also use any other field delimiter instead of "Tab", such as comma, vertical bar separator, space, etc.

Each line is then separated with a Return/LineFeed.

Once exported you need to give the file a ".db" extension instead of the default of ".txt" probably supplied by your exporting application.

e.g.	copy mydbase.txt mydbase.db

DataBox only expects to load files with a ".db" extension. Within DataBox, you can click the "DataBase" button on the main form and identify your new exported database. 

DataBox will recognise an export file and present the Import Wizard screen. The Import Wizard will determine the type of field delimiter used by your exporting application and prompt for confirmation of this delimiter.

In addition to confirming [or modifying] the delimiter, you may specify a single field of your data that can be used to "Categorise" each record. For example, If field 7 of each record in your database represented a geographical region such as a "State" or "County", and this was to be used to "Group" your data into published categories, specify field "7" as the Category field number.

If however, you would like to group all imported records into a single user defined Category (e.g. "Products", "Directory", etc.), then enter the Category name in the box provided. DataBox will use this to categorise each record and not one of the fields from your imported database.

The data will be imported based on the following rules:

For each record in the text file:

Field x or a user defined Category will be used for the Category of 
   each record.

Fields 1-20		will be loaded into DataBox fields 1-20 
   excluding the field nominated as the category.
   each field has a maximum length of 100 characters.	 

Fields 21-24	will be read as the names of Image files
    e.g. c:\images\xyz.jpg. If the image files do not exist, the
    data will be loaded into the ScrollBox for each record.
	 
All other fields will be added to the free-format scroll-box for each record (up to a maximum of 5000 characters).

Once loaded, clicking the 'Save' button will rewrite the loaded database in DataBox format over the original file. If you need to retain the original exported file, make sure you retain a copy before clicking 'Save'.

When Saving, DataBox will also create a new ".cfg" file which will hold the details of any preferences you may now specify for this database, e.g. Label names, fonts, colours, sort order, default Image directories, etc.


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For further help, please view the appropriate sections.
If there are any areas not covered sufficiently, or you have comments, please e-mail to documentation@simplewebfx.com.

