What I am missing in absolute database is the use of aliases like in bde.

To overcome this, I wrote a little program to create aliases and some (2) functions to retrieve them.

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The program can create the aliases and can display a help screen, from which the retrieve functions can be cut to paste them into the application, that needs them.

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When you like this, you may use the source and/or program for whatever you want.

For completeness, this is the text of the help:

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? ? __________________

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?  Help for ABS_Alias
?  __________________

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?  Contents:

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? ? ?  1 Info
? ? ?  2 Syntax
? ? ?  3 Buttons
? ? ?  4 Functions source

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?  1 Info:

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? ? ?  This program is used to specify aliases for 'Absolute Database' database
? ? ?  files. An alias is usefull to keep your program independant from the place
? ? ?  of the database.
? ? ?  This program uses function GetABSAliasFilename to retrieve or create
? ? ?  the file that contains the alias information. GetABSAliasFilename
? ? ?  creates an empty file when it did not exist before. Click the 'Cancel'
? ? ?  button and this file will be deleeted.

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? ? ?  The file is created in or retrieved from %Local Settings%\ABS_ALias.txt or
? ? ?  when the registry key for 'Local Settings' (unexpectedly) does not exist the
? ? ?  file is created in or retrieved from C:\ABS_ALias.txt.

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? ? ?  In your program use the function 'GetABSDbByAlias(Alias)' to get the
? ? ?  databasefilename for your alias. Function GetABSDbByAlias also calls
? ? ?  function GetABSAliasFilename to get the right file.
? ? ?  When the alias is not found in this file, this function returns a
? ? ?  question mark (?), on which you can act as desirable.

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? ? ?  The sources of functions GetABSAliasFilename and GetABSDbByAlias are listed
? ? ?  in "4 Functions source" below. You may cut these functions from this
? ? ?  helpfile with +C to the clipboard and paste it into your source file.

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?  2 Syntax:

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? ? ?  The syntax of this file is only inspected by function GetABSDbByAlias
? ? ?  and not by this program. The lines in the file are inspected by
? ? ?  GetABSDbByAlias whith below rules and no errormessage is given !

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? ? ?  Each line in the aliasfile may contain one of the following:
? ? ? ? ?  - No data or only spaces.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  These lines are skipped.
? ? ? ? ?  - Data starting with an asterix '*'.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  These lines are treated as comment and will be skipped.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Spaces before the asterix are allowed.
? ? ? ? ?  - Data without an equal sign.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  These lines are skipped also.
? ? ? ? ?  - A statement in the form alias=databasefilename.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Example: mydb=c:\my dbdir\my db.abs
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  Spaces around alias and databasefilename are trimmed, although
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  the spaces within the databasefilename are kept.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  So ' mydb?  =?  c:\my dbdir\my db.abs?  ' is (without the quotes)
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  a valid substitute for above example.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  First match will be used.

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?  3 Buttons:

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? ? ?  in "File mode":
? ? ? ? ?  Ok:? ? ? ?  - Save this file.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  - If 'file to save' is empty or only contains empty lines,
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  then delete it.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  - Exit program.
? ? ? ? ?  Cancel: - Do not save this file.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  - If the file was initially empty delete it.
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  - Exit program.
? ? ? ? ?  Help:? ?  - Give usefull information. Go to "Help mode"

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? ? ?  in "Help mode":
? ? ? ? ?  Return: - Leave "Help mode" and return to "File mode".

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?  4 Functions source:

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? ? ?  function?  GetABSAliasFilename: string;
? ? ?  var Reg: TRegistry; TS: TStringList;
? ? ?  begin
? ? ? ? ?  Reg? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  := TRegistry.Create;
? ? ? ? ?  Reg.RootKey? ?  := HKEY_CURRENT_USER;
? ? ? ? ?  Reg.OpenKey('Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\'+
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  'Shell Folders',False);
? ? ? ? ?  try
? ? ? ? ? ? ?  result := Reg.ReadString('Local Settings')+'\ABS_ALias.txt';
? ? ? ? ?  except
? ? ? ? ? ? ?  result := 'C:\ABS_ALias.txt';
? ? ? ? ?  end;
? ? ? ? ?  Reg.CloseKey; Reg.Free;
? ? ? ? ?  if not FileExists(result) then
? ? ? ? ? ? ?  begin // Create empty file
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  TS := TStringList.Create; TS.SaveToFile(result); TS.Free;
? ? ? ? ? ? ?  end;
? ? ?  end;

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? ? ?  function?  GetABSDbByAlias(Alias: string): string;
? ? ?  var TS: TStringList; i, p: integer; LineIn, AliasIn, DBIn: string;
? ? ?  begin
? ? ? ? ?  Alias := lowercase(Alias); result := '?';
? ? ? ? ?  TS := TStringList.Create; TS.LoadFromFile(GetABSAliasFilename);
? ? ? ? ?  for i := 0 to TS.Count-1 do
? ? ? ? ?  begin
? ? ? ? ? ? ?  LineIn? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  := lowercase(trim(TS[i]));
? ? ? ? ? ? ?  if LineIn=''? ? ? ? ? ?  then continue;
? ? ? ? ? ? ?  if LineIn[1]='*'? ?  then continue;
? ? ? ? ? ? ?  p? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  := pos('=',LineIn);
? ? ? ? ? ? ?  if p=0? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  then continue;
? ? ? ? ? ? ?  AliasIn? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  := trim(copy(LineIn,1,p-1));
? ? ? ? ? ? ?  DBIn? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?  := trim(copy(LineIn,p+1,255));
? ? ? ? ? ? ?  if Alias=AliasIn? ?  then begin result := DBIn; break; end;
? ? ? ? ?  end;
? ? ? ? ?  TS.Free;
? ? ?  end;

Kind regards,

Johan Keizer

Koedijk

The Netherlands