Re: SQLFORMS & load vs open?

In article 250_at_almaden.ibm.com, callard_at_vnet.IBM.COM (Claude Allard) writes:
>I am a new user of Oracle and am trying to understand the SQLFORMS tool.
>When I LOAD a form the .INP file is used. When I GENERATE the form the .INP
>and .FRM files are created. If I SAVE the form it is saved in the
>database. If I make changes and generate again only the .INP and .FRM
>are updated. Now the dos files and the database are out of sync. What is
>the point of these two modes of storing the form? Is there a process that
>I should be following to maintain the dos files & database in sync?
>
>Any opinions or suggestions would be appreciated.

Originally ,way back, in version 4 of ORACLE the .INP file was the only way to created forms. you had to run a tool called IAG (Interactive Applications Generator) which asked questions interactively to build a .INP (if one didn't exist) or to build a .FRM by going thru the .INP and compiling it (so to speak). In order to change the form you would have to edit the .INP , make any changes, and run it thru the IAG tool to produce another .FRM. (There were no FORMS tables in those days). Because people got used to this ORACLe decided to keep this way of doing things but to also move toward a data dictionary way of storing forms (in V5,6). Thus the IAP* tables were born .
Today you do not really need to use the .inp if you are using the Form building tool (SQL*FORMS) as long as you keep the data dictionary up to date by saving any changes.

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*  David Crowson        *  "It's a small world but a damn big planet!"      *
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