Re: Text support in Forms
From: David Bath <dtb_at_otto>
Date: 6 Mar 93 12:17:15 GMT
Message-ID: <dtb.731420235_at_otto>
>2. Use multiple CHAR fields, and deal with coordination. Better than
> LONG, but still does not do word wrap, cut/paste etc.
>3. Use SQL*TextRetrieval - not available on Mac.
>4. Use an interface to a WP package - the users are varied and have no
> single standard.
Date: 6 Mar 93 12:17:15 GMT
Message-ID: <dtb.731420235_at_otto>
jroberts_at_sanjuan (John Roberts) writes:
>Forgive me if this is a repeat, but I think my original post was lost.
>I need to be able to handle large amounts of text, often multiple fields
>per record, with as much "word processing" functionality as possible.
>The application is to be deployed on Unix/dumb term, Mac, and DOS/Windows,
>using Forms 3, DBMS 6.
>1. Use a LONG field, and give up text searching and multiple fields.
As far as I can see, forms 3 STILL does not work with longs properly - only the first 255 bytes of them (at least it issues an annoying complaint when truncating!)
>2. Use multiple CHAR fields, and deal with coordination. Better than
> LONG, but still does not do word wrap, cut/paste etc.
Yep, probably the cheapest reliable option, although you can write triggers to deal with the wrapping, particularly if you can use a user exit to pipe the data from a number of fields out through a formatting process like the unix "fold", "paste" or "fmt".
>3. Use SQL*TextRetrieval - not available on Mac.
>4. Use an interface to a WP package - the users are varied and have no
> single standard.
SQL*TextRetrieval 2 will support WordimPerfect, MeSs-Word, etc even if you are on a UNIX char-based terminal.
>So far, #2 looks like the only workable one. Does anybody have
>experience/suggestions that could help me?
>Thanks,
>--
>John M. Roberts jroberts_at_sanjuan.uvic.ca
>voice: (604) 384-4131 fax: (604) 384-1194
-- David T. Bath | Email:dtb_at_otto.bf.rmit.oz.au (131.170.40.10) Senior Tech Consultant | Phone: +61 3 347-7511 TZ=AEST-10AEDST-11 Global Technology Group | 179 Grattan St, Carlton, Vic, 3153, AUSTRALIA "The robber of your free will does not exist" - EpictetusReceived on Sat Mar 06 1993 - 13:17:15 CET