home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
World of Shareware - Software Farm 2
/
wosw_2.zip
/
wosw_2
/
DATABASE
/
DB4BUGS.ZIP
/
ANOMALY4.TXT
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1989-01-27
|
8KB
|
206 lines
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
In keeping with our commitment to provide you, the user, with
support that will maximize your productivity with the dBASE IV
product, we are continuing our tradition of publishing timely,
detailed anomaly and work-around reports.
The following listing addresses one known anomaly when using
dBASE IV. Use of these techniques will aid you in avoiding
anomalies that have been reported to our Software Support
Center. This report will be supplemented as new information is
received. There are also two Usage Tips that may be used in
order to avoid further problems or misunderstandings when using
the dBASE IV product.
*******************************************************************
ANOMALY
LABEL.GEN Compilation errors
Creating a label that has an un-named calculated field and also
some other field in the same line of the label, will cause
compilation errors when running the label. This error occurs
only when the label's dimension is 2 across.
EXAMPLE:
Design a 2 across label with the following expression on its
first line:
TRIM(first) last
where 'first' & 'last' are the field names and the expression
TRIM(first) is an un-named calculated field. Use the right-arrow
key and insert the field 'last' on the same line.
In this example the generation will complete successfully,
however, running the label using LABEL FORM <filename> command
causes compilation errors.
WORKAROUND:
There are 3 workarounds:
1) Name the calculated field.
2) Create only one calculated field where the expression is:
TRIM(first) + ' ' + last
3) Copy the new LABEL.GEN to the subdirectory where dBASE IV is
installed.
This new LABEL.GEN also incorporates the fixes that were
included in the LABEL.GEN that was uploaded on 1-20-89.
=================================================================
USAGE-TIPS
dBASE IV install Usage-Tip
When installing dBASE IV as a Single or Multi-user version, there
are a few considerations you have to make. Below are descriptions
of some things to look for and try when installing dBASE IV (or
any product for that matter). These are not installation
instructions. These are suggestions of what to do if something
goes wrong.
TSR's and DEVICE Drivers:
When installing any product, it is favorable to remove all
unnecessary* TSR's (Terminate and Stay Resident programs) and/or
Device Drivers. Anything loaded memory-resident may produce
interrupt conflicts while installing any software, damaging the
files created or causing errors, and in some cases it may even
corrupt the memory.
* Some types of hardware may require a device driver in order to
function properly (i.e. when connected and installing to a
network).
dBASE IV Installation from B:
If you are installing dBASE IV from a drive other than the A:
drive, you may need to use the DOS ASSIGN command to prevent
possible installation errors. The most common case is when the
B: drive is a 3.5" and the A: drive is 5.25" and you are
installing the 3.5" version of dBASE IV. The installation may
not recognize System Disk #1 and therefore, the installation
cannot proceed. Issue the following DOS command and start the
install process again:
ASSIGN A=B
(where B is the drive letter from which dBASE IV is to be
installed)
The dBASE IV install process will now act as if it is being
installed from the A: drive.
DISKCOPY to test for possible bad disks:
During the install process you may also encounter disk errors
such as "Read Fault Error ...". If this occurs you can use the
DOS DISKCOPY command to duplicate the offending disk. The
DISKCOPY program will report any unreadable tracks. If however
the DISKCOPY is successful, you should then attempt to reinstall
dBASE IV using the copied disk in place of the original.
If The Disk Needs Replacement:
Should you come to the conclusion that the disk indeed needs
replacing, you can do one of the following:
1. Complete and return the Disk Replacement Order Card at the
back of your Support and Services Guide for dBASE IV.
2. If you wish to verify your suspicion of a disk needing
replacement, contact our Software Support Center at
(213)329-0086.
=================================================================
Using Fonts in dBASE IV
The dBASE IV product allows up to four printers and up to five
fonts for each of those printers to be defined. However, the way
commands are sorted in CONFIG.DB and errors in the documentation
may hinder the implementation of user-defined fonts.
Fonts can be defined by either using the DBSETUP utility or
directly editing the CONFIG.DB file. To set up fonts in DBSETUP,
type DBSETUP and select the CONFIG.DB menu, then select the
appropriate choice to either create or modify the file. Now,
select Output:Printer:Font. This brings up the Font menu which
allows the entering of descriptive text as well as the starting
and ending control codes. Reference the printer manual for
available fonts and their control codes. Once the desired fonts
have been entered, save the CONFIG.DB file and exit the DBSETUP
utility.
After setting up the fonts, use a text editor (or the dBASE
program editor), to modify the CONFIG.DB file and move the
PDRIVER statement after all of the PRINTER statements.
Alternatively, the font definitions can be entered into the
CONFIG.DB file using the PRINTER statement. The PRINTER
statement is described in the Language Reference manual on page
6-7. However, the example given is incorrect. The correct
syntax is
PRINTER 1 FONT 1 = {Esc}(8U, {Esc}(#@ NAME "Roman-8 Symbol Set"
There should not be a comma after the ending control code. The =
sign between the keyword NAME and the descriptive text is
optional.
NOTE: DBSETUP writes the correct syntax into CONFIG.DB.
The FONT will appear on the Words:Style menu as 1. Roman-8 Symbol
Set.
Sound easy? Well, here's the catch! It is not necessarily
obvious which printer is the "active" one. Initially, the
default printer driver is determined by the PDRIVER statement in
the CONFIG.DB file. The only way to change the default printer
driver to a different one is by assigning the desired driver to
the _pdriver system memory variable. So, to use fonts for a
printer that is not designated as the default in the CONFIG.DB
file, a _pdriver command must be issued at the dot prompt to
change to the appropriate driver. This is accomplished with the
following syntax:
_pdriver = "<driver filename>"
as in
_pdriver = "GENERIC.PR2"
When this command is successfully executed at the dot prompt, the
message "Printer driver installed" will appear and the font
definitions in CONFIG.DB that correspond to that printer driver
will load.
The Report design screen assumes that the default driver is
GENERIC.PR2. So, initially it appears that no fonts are
available on the Words:Style menu. To access the fonts, the
Print:Destination:Printer Model option must be changed; the fonts
will then appear on the Words:Style menu.
NOTE: Changing the Print:Destination:Printer Model option does
not load the corresponding printer driver; it merely allows
report formats using these fonts to be created. To print the
report, the appropriate _pdriver must be activated, either by the
PDRIVER statement in CONFIG.DB or setting the variable (_pdriver)
at the dot prompt.
Finally, the desired fonts should be accessible and printable.
=================================================================