Re: Forms Documentation tools

Oh K.

I was was thinking about really editing the form, not just search and replace. Point well taken.

Unfortunatly, my forms are broken. I'm using Dev 2k 2.0 and came up with the not so bright idea of using the new "feature" Object Libraries.

With out considering how many bugs might exist in a new "feature" I delved right in. That was a mistake. Literal file paths are/were saved to objects referenced in the object library.

It is also a bad idea to subclass Property Classes from an Object library.

A few months after I started, knee deep in development I found these poor judegment calls were major problems.

Converting my froms from.fmb to .fmt and back fails. There *was* no way to remove literal paths. But I swear I never had "save paths" selected in options. Once there there, there is no getting rid of them.

I ended up writing a C program that would do a binary search & replace to remove the paths. Now my forms can be compiled on other machines, but I don't think I can convert from .fmb to .fmt and back again.

In article <717mrd$hda$1_at_newsreader2.core.theplanet.net>, Pete Hawdon <pete_at_hawdon.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:
>Don't know what your problem is but we have no trouble in using the fmt's
>for editing. (We
>have approximately 250 forms and I would bet that every one of them has been
>converted
>to a .fmt for easy editing). Try doing a global search/replace in Ed for
>Windows in a .fmt file
>and then do the same thing in Dev2000. I know which one I'd rather do!
>
>The top (approximately 10%) of the .fmt file is the interesting stuff.
>
>On a side issue, any changes/additions/deletions you make to a form are
>stored as part of
>the form. By converting to a .fmt and then back to a .fmb, you compress the
>form and can
>make hefty savings in the size of the file (and in turn the executable).
>
>
>
>Joe Brown wrote in message <713ce0$cmg$1_at_apache.dtcc.edu>...
>>You have got to be kidding...
>>
>>I've exported to .fmt files, but have not been able to make any sense
>>of the .fmt files. Counter documentation maybe... :-)
>>
>>Another thing... Oracle doesn't support editing the .fmt files. If
>>your form quits working, oracle support doesn't like to support you
>>then.
>>
>>My understanding is that .fmt files are only useful for platform
>>migration. (They do trim the fat out of .fmt files too though.)
>>
>>In article <712vsc$924$1_at_newsreader1.core.theplanet.net>,
>>Pete Hawdon <pete_at_hawdon.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:
>>>Have you tried Forms/Administration/Convert menu option?
>>>
>>>This allows conversion between text (eg formname.fmt) and binary (eg
>>>formname.fmb) and vice versa.
>>>
>>>The nice thing is you can edit the test version as well as the form.
>
>
>

--
(: Joe Brown :)				      joe_at_apache.dtcc.edu
I believe Wine is going to be great if it ever gets finished. . .
I believe Linux _is_ great even though it's not finished! ! !
I believe you have my address.  :-)