[Kexi] Re: Calculated fields in kexi

[Neil Winchurst]

On Tue, 07 Dec 2010 21:27:47 +0800
msjs08 <msjs08 at gmail.com> wrote:

> 
> > I am not sure about adding it as a bug in kde.org. It is not really a
> > bug, it is a missing, essential facility. It was available and easy to
> > set up in Paradox as long ago as 1992. For me it should have been
> > included in Kexi right from the start. By the way,  OO Base does not
> > have it either.
> >
> > If you really think that I ought to put it on a wish list I will do so.
> >
> > Neil Winchurst
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Kexi mailing list
> > Kexi at kde.org
> > https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/kexi
> >    
> Hi Neil
> Yes I'm finding it frustrating on Linux too.
> I have not made many databases.
> I've spent a good bit of time looking for an Access replacement
> My beef is that you can't have more than one field as a primary key, 
> something I could do with a 13 yr old copy of Access. If Access would 
> run under wine, I would use my old piece of software.
> 
If Paradox would run under Wine I would use it, but it seems rather
iffy. I did try Access, just the once thank you!!

As I said, having a simple method of setting up calculations in a form
was absolutely vital in all but one of the databases I wrote. This is
the one big gap in Linux, the lack of a database like Paradox. I am not
yet sure what is available in Kexi, but Paradox has its own scripting
language which can be used to set up calculations etc behind fields and
buttons etc. It was easy, for example, to have a button to add up the
sales for the day and to open up a message window with the result.

And yes, Paradox also allowed the primary key to include more than one
field if needed. The only restriction was that those fields had to come
at the beginning of the table.

> I spent a week solid looking and downloading and playing and dumping.
> 
> I've looked at
> kexi
> base
> glom.sourceforge.net
> http://www.zwartberg.com/cave.html
> http://xataface.com/
> http://www.sqlpower.ca/
> http://www.webyog.com/en/sqlyog_feature_matrix.php
> http://www.radicore.org/
> 
> The last one seemed by far the most powerful but I don't have any money 
> right now so I'm at a point where I will have to make the time to learn 
> php and SQL.
> Your situation could also be fixed with javascript, php and MySQL or 
> Postgres.
> 
I have spent a lot of time searching, and you have found some items
that I have missed. Thanks for that, I will do some more research. Two
you don't mention are Rekall and Knoda. So some more ideas for you.

If the developers get it right, Kexi could be a super program and one
that is desperately needed in Linux.

> Databases on Linux seem to be pretty basic if you want one that requires 
> little learning.
> Serious database writers learn to do it from the command line.
> There appears to be nothing in between.  ... yet!
> 
That is right. It was the same when Windows starting taking over from
DOS. Databases were the last to appear, long after word processors etc.
The poor relation!!

> Hope I can save you some time in your search.
> 
> Cheers
> Max
> 
Thanks for the help and interest,

Regards

Neil