Re: File transfer through the database

"Eric de Redelijkheid" <ericdere_at_xs4all.nl> wrote in message news:43b2b12f$0$24373$e4fe514c_at_news.xs4all.nl...
> Anno Domini 24-12-2005 12:33, Frank van Bortel sprak aldus:
>
>>Eric de Redelijkheid wrote:
>>
>>>Hello,
>>>
>>>Oracle 9iR2 Enterprise edition on Tru64 5.1B
>>>
>>>We currently have a database application that creates RTF-documents on
>>>an UNIX-directory. For Windows-clients to read those documents, we have
>>>to transfer these files, either by ftp or, as I currently do, by HTTP
>>>(Internet Explorer starts with MS-WORD; the document is loaded). We do
>>>this in a single script with the document name as parameter.
>>>
>>>The HTTP-server is a different machine, wich has to be retired from
>>>service, so I would like a different option.
>>>
>>>I am thinking of two possibilities:
>>>
>>> 1. load the file line by line in a table with UTL_FILE, spool those
>>> lines to a RTF-file on a Windows directory and load this file in
>>> Word.
>>> 2. insert a pointer to this file in a BFILE column in a table,
>>> dowload this file to Windows and start Word.
>>>
>>>The first seems straightforward, but only works for textfiles and I
>>>don't get the entire file at once. I'd rather have something more
>>>generic.
>>>
>>>I don't know how to get about the second option. I can create the table.
>>>When using TOAD, I can doubleclick on a field in that BFILE column and a
>>>Window appears asking me if I want to run the associated program. The
>>>document is then loaded in MS Word.
>>>
>>>Since normal users do not have TOAD, I need another way to run a single
>>>script with only the document name as parameter, which does the trick
>>>for me. I am not a programmer, but a DBA. What do I use best? PL/SQL,
>>>Java, Forms? Has anyone got example-code?
>>>
>>>I do not have the possibility to install any additional software on the
>>>clients. They normally access the database using Forms 6.
>>>
>>
>>Don't generate the documents to an external directory, but feed them to
>>the client directly, using an ms-word mime type.
>>Or define the directory used as an Oracle directory, and use external
>>tables; I'd think a line does not exceed 4k characters, so varchar2
>>should do the trick. Less intrusive on the application: the files
>>are still where they used to be.
>>Performance on external tables is quite acceptable - I've used this
>>for Dutch Postal codes verification.
>>
> The problem I still have is: how do I make this BFILE feed to the client
> in MS Word?
>
> Is there a way for instance in Forms (6i by the way; not 6) to fetch the
> BFILE field and automaticly start MS Word as you would by doubleclicking
> on a RTF-file in explorer or by giving the command "start document.rtf" on
> the Windows command line? Example code would be helpfull. I have a hard
> time finding any usefull documentation.

In forms6i you can program the functionality in client-server mode, I believe you have to go to forms9i to get the add-in that supports client-side funtionality like this.

Can you install HTML DB and have the users download the documents from the database via that? They you get your mime-type functionality back and MS-Word automatically loads from the browser.

++ mcs Received on Wed Dec 28 2005 - 10:02:09 CST