SET UNIQUE

Posted on February 17, 2014 by vivaclipper

SET UNIQUE*

Toggle inclusion of non-unique keys into an index

Syntax

      SET UNIQUE on | OFF | <xlToggle>

Arguments

ON causes index files to be created with a uniqueness attribute.

OFF causes index files to be created without a uniqueness attribute.

<xlToggle> is a logical expression that must be enclosed in parentheses. A value of true (.T.) is the same as ON, and a value of false (.F.) is the same as OFF.

Description

SET UNIQUE is a database command that controls whether indexes are created with uniqueness as an attribute. With UNIQUE ON, new indexes are created including only unique keys. This is the same as creating an index with the INDEX…UNIQUE command.

If, during the creation or update of an unique index, two or more records are encountered with the same key value, only the first record is included in the index. When the unique index is updated, REINDEXed, or PACKed, only unique records are maintained, without regard to the current SET UNIQUE value.

Changing key values in a unique index has important implications. First, if a unique key is changed to the value of a key already in the index, the changed record is lost from the index. Second, if there is more than one instance of a key value in a database file, changing the visible key value does not bring forward another record with the same key until the index is rebuilt with REINDEX, PACK, or INDEX…UNIQUE.

With UNIQUE OFF, indexes are created with all records in the index. Subsequent updates to the database files add all key values to the index independent of the current UNIQUE SETting.

SET UNIQUE is a compatibility command not recommended. It is superseded by the UNIQUE clause of the INDEX command.

Seealso

DBCREATEIND(), INDEX, PACK, REINDEX, SEEK

C5DG-7 DBFNTX Driver

Posted on July 29, 2013 by vivaclipper

Clipper 5.x – Drivers Guide

Chapter 7

DBFNTX Driver Installation and Usage

DBFNTX is the default RDD for Clipper. This new database driver replaces the DBFNTX database driver supplied with earlier versions of Clipper and adds a number of new indexing features. With DBFNTX, you can:

. Create conditional indexes by specifying a FOR condition

. Create indexes using a record scope or WHILE condition, allowing you to INDEX based on the order of another index

. Create both ascending and descending order indexes

. Specify an expression that is evaluated periodically during indexing in order to display an index progress indicator

In This Chapter

This chapter explains how to install DBFNTX and how to use it in your applications. The following major topics are discussed:

. Overview of the DBFNTX RDD

. New Locking Scheme

. Conditional Indexing

. Installing DBFNTX Driver Files

. Linking the DBFNTX Driver

. Using the DBFNTX Driver

. Compatibility with dBASE III

Overview of the DBFNTX RDD

As an update of the default database driver, DBFNTX is linked into and used automatically by your application unless you compile using the /R option.

New Features

The replaceable driver lets you create and maintain (.ntx) files using features above and beyond those supplied with the previous DBFNTX driver. The new indexing features are supplied in the form of several syntactical additions to the INDEX and REINDEX commands. Specifically you can:

. Specify full record scoping and conditional filtering using the standard ALL, FOR, WHILE, NEXT, REST, and RECORD clauses

. Create an index while another controlling index is still active

. Monitor indexing as each record (or a specified record number interval) is processed using the EVAL and EVERY clauses

. Eliminate separate coding for descending order keys using the DESCENDING clause

Compatibility

Index files (.ntx) created with the original DBFNTX driver are compatible with DBFNTX and can be used in new applications without reindexing. Index files (.ntx) created with this version of DBFNTX will also work with previous Clipper applications provided that you use no FOR, WHILE, <scope>, or DESCENDING clauses.

Important! Indexes produced with DBFNTX using FOR or DESCENDING are incompatible with earlier version (.ntx) files. If you attempt to access them with the original DBFNTX database driver or programs compiled with versions earlier than Clipper 5.2, you will get an unrecoverable runtime error. In Clipper, this generates an “index corrupted” error message, causing the application to terminate.

New Locking Scheme

The DBFNTX database driver implements a new locking scheme to resolve several problems identified in previous versions of Clipper and to prevent potential problems that might arise when running Clipper applications in a network environment. This section discusses these changes and their implications, including compatibility issues.

Lock Time-outs

Problem: Index locking in previous versions of Clipper was handled automatically by the database driver, and had no time-out provision. This created the potential for problems in network environments if a workstation died while holding a lock. If this situation occurred all other workstations waiting for an index lock would appear to freeze while waiting to obtain their lock. This could also happen if a user placed a Clipper application in the background on a multitasking system without sufficient processing time allocated to it. Eventually, most network operation systems would clear a connection that had no activity for a specified period of time. This would free the lock and everything would resume as normal, but frustrated users may have rebooted their machines possibly causing file corruption.

Solution: In Clipper 5.2 the NTX driver will generate a recoverable runtime error if it fails to lock the index after a predetermined number of retries. The default error handler for this system simply returns (.T.) to retry the operation. This emulates the behavior of previous Clipper versions.

Error Handling

Time out handling: The handling of this error is problematic because the lock is issued from various internal index routines. Therefore the only safe recoveries are to retry or quit. Choosing to default from the error or issuing a break will more than likely leave the index in a corrupted state. If either of the options is employed, the application should immediately recreate the index. The preferred way to handle a time out such as this is to alert the user of the situation so they don’t think their machine has hung, and then have the network administrator determine what workstation is causing the problem. When the problem workstation is cleared, the users that have timed out can select retry and continue processing.

NTXERR.PRG: The file NTXERR.PRG contains the source code for the default error handler INIT procedure. This error handler can be modified to allow user-defined error handling for index lock time-outs. Care should be exercised when modifying the error handler as detailed above.

Compatibility: The lock time-out capability when used in conjunction with the default error handler is totally compatibility with previous versions of Clipper. No changes are made to the NTX file structure and no action is required by the developer to activate the time-out functionality.

New Lock Offset

Problem: Index locking, which is transparent to the developer, uses a single-byte semaphore locking system. This semaphore was placed at a virtual offset (beyond the physical end of file) in the index file. In previous versions of Clipper, this offset was located at one billion (1,000,000,000) which was adequate at the time. But many systems today are capable of producing indexes that are large enough to cause the actual data present at the lock offset to become physically locked. This leads to problems when trying to read or write to the data at that offset.

Solution: The solution is to move the offset where locking occurs to a location at a greater offset. We have chosen FFFFFFFF hex, which is the largest offset possible under the DOS operating system. The problem with this solution is that new applications using the index will be locking this new byte while old applications using the same index will lock the old position. Clearly this would cause both applications to fail because each could have a lock on the file at the same time.

To avoid this, the signature of the index (in the index header) is modified to prevent pre-Clipper 5.2 applications from being able to open the index. Clipper 5.2 applications can detect the correct offset to use by the flag in the header and will automatically use the correct one. In Figure 7-1 below, each bit represents a flag:

BIT  7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

FLAG R R R O P I I C

R Reserved

I Index type - both bits set (NTX)

C Index created with a Condition, condition in header

T Created as a Temporary index

O New Offset for exclusive (semaphore) lock

Figure 7-1: Bit Field for the Signature Byte of a -Clipper 5.2 NTX File

Activation

If Clipper 5.2 automatically modified the signature in the header when it created indexes, programs with automatic reindexing routines would be creating indexes that appeared corrupt to pre-Clipper 5.2 applications. This has an obvious problem with backward compatibility. Therefore, in order to create indexes with the new signature, the developer must link in the module NTXLOCK2.OBJ with the full knowledge that this will create indexes that older applications will not be able to access.

Header Changes

The signature byte of a .NTX file is 6 for an unenhanced NTX index. The inclusion of the NTXLOCK2.OBJ will cause the signature to become 26 hex. (6 hex ORed with 20 hex). See Figure 7-1 for an illustration of all the possible values for the signature byte.

Error Handling

Clipper 5.2 applications will automatically recognize the signature byte of the header, and depending on the signature value, will use the correct index lock location. Applications built with previous versions of Clipper, however, do not have the capability to detect the optional new information in the signature byte. Therefore, when an order application tries to open a file that has been created with the NTXLOCK2.OBJ linked in it will produce a Corruption Detected error.

Compatibility

The new locking location, if used, is not backward compatible with applications compiled with previous versions of Clipper.

Indexes created by applications built with a previous version of Clipper can be used by Clipper 5.2 using the new location and will not be modified unless the index is recreated in application.

Since older applications have no knowledge of the new index locking scheme nor of the significance of the header signature, these applications will assume the index is corrupt and will produce an Index Corrupted error.

Conditional Indexing

Conditional indexes are a feature of the DBFNTX driver. This section discusses this feature of the DBFNTX driver in some detail, giving you specific information about the implementation of conditional indexes. Compatibility issues are also discussed.

Conditional Indexes

Conditional indexes are produced by using a FOR condition in the index creation process. These indexes are made fully maintainable by storing the FOR condition in the index header. This condition is subsequently retrieved and compiled each time the index in opened. During updates, items are added to the index only if they meet the criteria of the condition.

Since older applications do not have the ability to recognize and use the condition stored in the header, they must be prevented from opening the index since they corrupt the index. This is accomplished by modifying the signature of the index (in the index header) preventing pre-Clipper 5.2 applications from being able to open the index. Clipper 5.2 applications can detect the flag in the header and will automatically use the stored FOR condition correctly.

Temporary Indexes

Temporary indexes are produced by using any scoping clause other than the FOR condition in the index creation process. These indexes are not automatically maintainable because the condition is not stored for later use. These indexes can be made maintainable if the condition can be expressed as a FOR condition and is added using the FOR clause. But the main use of temporary indexes is for fast creation of indexes for read- only browses or reports that operate on a subset of the database.

Since older applications would not operate properly with indexes that do not contain all the keys in a given database, they must be prevented from using them. This is accomplished by modifying the index signature to prevent pre-Clipper 5.2 applications from being able to open the index.

Activation

Conditional Indexes

The developer need only specify the FOR condition when creating the index. In doing so he must be fully aware the index will no longer be accessible to pre–Clipper 5.2 applications.

Temporary Indexes

The developer need only specify a scope other than FOR when creating the index. In doing so he must be fully aware the index will no longer be accessible to pre-Clipper 5.2 applications and that the index created is not maintainable.

Header Changes

The signature byte of a .NTX file is 6 for a unenhanced NTX index. If the index is created as a conditional index it will have a signature of 7 hex (6 hex ORed with 1 hex). If the index is created as a temporary index it will have a signature of E hex. (6 hex ORed with 8 hex). See Figure 7-1 for an illustration of all the possible values for the signature byte.

Error Handling

Corruption Detected

Since older applications have no knowledge of the new index features nor how to interpret the additional flags in the header signature, these applications will assume the index is corrupt and will produce an Index Corrupted error.

EOF()

If an index is created with a FOR condition and an attempt is made to update the index with a key that does not match the condition, the update is suppressed and the index is placed at EOF(). This is consistent with the current behavior for indexes created with the unique flag when an update is attempted with a non-unique key.

Also if a navigational action is attempted (SKIP) and the current record is not found in the index, the index will place the record pointer at EOF(). This is true for both conditional and temporary indexes.

Compatibility

Backward Compatibility

If the conditional or temporary indexing features are used the index produced will not be backward compatible with applications compiled with previous versions of Clipper. Indexes that do not use the features, however, will be 100% compatible.

Forward Compatibility

Indexes created by applications built with a previous version of Clipper can be used by Clipper 5.2 and will not be modified unless the index is recreated using either the conditional or temporary index features.

Error Message Produced by Old Applications

Installing DBFNTX Driver Files

DBFNTX is supplied as the file DBFNTX.LIB.

The Clipper installation program installs this driver as the default in the \CLIPPER5\LIB subdirectory on the drive that you specify, so you need not install the driver manually.

Important! Before installing Clipper, you may want to rename the DBFNTX.LIB that currently resides in your \CLIPPER5\LIB directory to DBFNTX.001. The new version, when installed, will overwrite DBFNTX.LIB. If you do not rename or otherwise protect the old version of DBFNTX.LIB, you will lose it.

Linking the DBFNTX Database Driver

Since DBFNTX is the default database driver for Clipper, there are no special instructions for linking. Unless you specify the /R option when you compile, the new driver will be linked into each program automatically if you specify a USE command or DBUSEAREA() function without an explicit request for another database driver. The driver is also linked if you specify an INDEX or REINDEX command with any of the new features.

Using the DBFNTX Database Driver

In applications written for the new DBFNTX driver, you can use the INDEX and REINDEX commands exactly as you have used them in the past. The index files (.ntx) you create and maintain in this way are completely compatible with those created using previous versions of the driver.

Changes to existing code are necessary only if you use the new indexing features. The (.ntx) files you create using the new features will have a slightly different header file and cannot be used by programs linked with a previous version of the driver.

Using (.ntx) and (.ndx) Files Concurrently

You can use (.ntx) and (.ndx) files concurrently in a Clipper program like this:

// (.ntx) file using default DBFNTX driver

USE File1 INDEX File1 NEW

// (.ndx) files using DBFNDX driver

USE File2 VIA "DBFNDX" INDEX File2 NEW

Note, however, that you cannot use (.ntx) and (.ndx) files in the same work area. For example, the following does not work:

USE File1 VIA "DBFNDX" INDEX File1.ntx, File2.ndx

Compatibility with dBASE III PLUS

The default DBFNTX driver makes Clipper programs behave differently than traditional dBASE programs. Some of these differences are discussed below.

Supported Data Types

The DBFNTX database driver supports the following dBASE III PLUS- compatible data types for key expressions:

. Character

. Numeric

. Date

. Logical

Supported Key Expressions

When you create (.ntx) files using the DBFNTX driver, you can use all Clipper or user-defined functions compatible with dBASE III PLUS as well as other functions accepted by the extended Clipper functionality.

Error Handling

The indexing behavior of DBFNTX and DBFNDX in a Clipper application is identical unless otherwise noted. With the default DBFNTX driver, you can handle most errors using BEGIN SEQUENCE…END SEQUENCE as illustrated in the next section.

FIND vs SEEK

In Clipper, you can use the FIND command only to locate keys in indexes where the index key expression is character data type. This differs from dBASE III PLUS where FIND supports character and numeric key values.

Note: In Clipper programs, always use the SEEK command or the DBSEEK() function to search an index for a key value.

The DBFNTX driver lets you recover from data type errors raised during a FIND or SEEK. However, since Error:canDefault, Error:canRetry or Error:canSubstitute are set to false (.F.), you should use BEGIN SEQUENCE…END to handle such SEEK or FIND data type errors. Within the error block for the current operation, issue a BREAK() using the error object that the DBFNTX database driver generates, like this:

bOld := ERRORBLOCK({|oError| BREAK(oError)})
 .
 .
 .
 BEGIN SEQUENCE
     SEEK xVar
 RECOVER USING oError
     // Recovery code END
 .
 .
 .
 ERRORBLOCK(bOld)

There is an extensive discussion of the effective use of the Clipper error system in the Error Handling Strategies chapter of the Programming and Utilities guide.

Sharing Data on a Network

The DBFNTX driver provides file and record locking schemes that are different from dBASE III PLUS schemes. This means that if the same database and index files are open in Clipper and in dBASE III PLUS, Clipper program locks are not visible to dBASE III PLUS and vice versa.

Warning! Database integrity is not guaranteed and index corruption will occur if Clipper and dBASE III PLUS programs attempt to write to a database or index file at the same time. Therefore, concurrent use of the same database (.dbf) and index (.ndx) files by dBASE III PLUS and Clipper programs is strongly discouraged and not supported by Computer Associates.

Summary

In this chapter, you were given an overview of the new features of the default DBFNTX RDD. You learned how to this driver is automatically linked and how to use it in your applications, and were given an overview of the compatiblity issues.

C5DG-4 DBFCDX Driver

Posted on July 26, 2013 by vivaclipper

Clipper 5.x – Drivers Guide

Chapter 4 DBFCDX Driver Installation and Usage

DBFCDX is the FoxPro 2 compatible RDD for Clipper. As such, it connects to the low-level database management subsystem in the Clipper architecture. When you use the DBFCDX RDD, you add a number of new features including:

. FoxPro 2 file format compatibility

. Compact indexes

. Compound indexes

. Conditional indexes

. Memo files smaller than DBFNTX format

In This Chapter

This chapter explains how to install DBFCDX and how to use it in your applications. The following major topics are discussed:

. Overview of the DBFCDX RDD

. Installing DBFCDX Driver Files

. Linking the DBFCDX Driver

. Using the DBFCDX Driver

Overview of the DBFCDX RDD

The DBFCDX driver lets you create and maintain (.cdx) and (.idx) files with features different from those supplied with the original DBFNTX driver and is compatible with files created under FoxPro 2. The new features are supplied in the form of several syntactical additions to the INDEX and REINDEX commands. Specifically, you can:

. Create indexes smaller than those created with the DBFNTX
driver. The key data is stored in a compressed format that
substantially reduces the size of the index file.

. Create a compound index file that contains multiple indexes
(TAGs), making it possible to open several indexes under one file
handle. A single (.cdx) file may contain up to 99 index keys.

. Create conditional indexes (FOR / WHILE / REST / NEXT).

. Create files with FoxPro 2 file format compatibility.

Compact Indexes

Like FoxPro 2, The DBFCDX driver creates compact indexes. This means that the key data is stored in a compressed format, resulting in a substantial size reduction in the index file. Compact indexes store only the actual data for the index keys. Trailing blanks and duplicate bytes between keys are stored in one or two bytes. This allows considerable space savings in indexes with much empty space and similar keys. Since the amount of compression is dependent on many variables, including the number of unique keys in an index, the exact amount of compression is impossible to predetermine.

Compound Indexes

A compound index is an index file that contains multiple indexes (called tags). Compound indexes (.cdx)’s make several indexes available to your application while only using one file handle. Therefore, you can overcome the Clipper index file limit of 15. A compound index can have as many as 99 tags, but the practical limit is around 50. Once you open a compound index, all the tags in the file are automatically updated as the records are changed.

Once you open a compound index, all the tags contained in the file are automatically updated as the records are changed. A tag in a compound index is essentially identical to an individual index (.idx) and supports all the same features. The first tag (in order of creation) in the compound index is, by default, the controlling index.

Conditional Indexes

The DBFCDX driver can create indexes with a built-in FOR clause. These are conditional indexes in which the condition can be any expression, including a user-defined function. As the database is updated, only records that match the index condition are added to the index, and records that satisfied the condition before, but don’t any longer, are automatically removed.

Expanded control over conditional indexing is supported with the revised INDEX and REINDEX command options as in the new DBFNTX driver.

Installing DBFCDX Driver Files

The DBFCDX driver is supplied as the file, DBFCDX.LIB.

The Clipper installation program installs this driver in the \CLIPPER5\LIB subdirectory on the drive that you specify, so you need not install the driver manually.

Linking the DBFCDX Database Driver

To link the DBFCDX database driver into an application program, you must specify DBFCDX.LIB to the linker in addition to your application object files (.OBJ).

1. To link with .RTLink using positional syntax:

C>RTLINK <appObjectList> ,,,DBFCDX

2. To link with .RTLink using freeformat syntax:

C>RTLINK FI <appObjectList> LIB DBFCDX

Note: These link commands all assume the LIB, OBJ, and PLL environment variables are set to the standard locations. They also assume that the Clipper programs were compiled without the /R option.

Using the DBFCDX Database Driver

To use FoxPro 2 files in a Clipper program:

1. Place REQUEST DBFCDX at the beginning of your application or at the top of the first program file (.prg) that opens a database file using the DBFCDX driver.

2. Specify the VIA “DBFCDX” clause if you open the database file with the USE command.

-OR-

3. Specify “DBFCDX” for the <cDriver> argument if you open the database file with the DBUSEAREA() function.

-OR-

4. Use ( “DBFCDX” ) to set the default driver to DBFCDX.

Except in the case of REQUEST, the RDD name must be a literal character string or a variable. In all cases it is important that the driver name be spelled correctly.

The following program fragments illustrate:

  REQUEST DBFCDX
  .
  .
  .
  USE Customers INDEX Name, Address NEW VIA "DBFCDX"

-OR-

  REQUEST DBFCDX

  RDDSETDEFAULT( "DBFCDX" ) .
  . 
  .
  USE Customers INDEX Name, Address NEW

Using (.idx) and (.ntx) Files Concurrently

You can use both (.idx) and (.ntx) files concurrently in a Clipper program like this:

// (.ntx) file using default DBFNTX driver
 USE File1 INDEX File1 NEW

// (.idx) files using DBFCDX driver
 USE File2 VIA "DBFCDX" INDEX File2 NEW

Note, however, that you cannot use (.idx) and (.ntx) files in the same work area. For example, the following does not work:

USE File1 VIA "DBFNTX" INDEX File1.ntx, File2.idx

Using (.cdx) and (.idx) Files Concurrently

You may use (.cdx) with (.idx) files concurrently (even in the same work area); however, in most cases it is easier to use a single (.cdx) index for each database file or separate (.idx) files. When using both types of index at the same time, attempting to select an Order based on its Order Number can be confusing and will become difficult to maintain.

File Maintenance under DBFCDX

When an existing tag in a compound index (.cdx) is rebuilt using INDEX ON…TAG… the space used by the original tag is not automatically reclaimed. Instead, the new tag is added to the end of the file, increasing file size.

You can use the REINDEX command to “pack” the index file. REINDEX rebuilds each tag, eliminating any unused space in the file.

If you rebuild your indexes on a regular basis, you should either delete your (.cdx) files before rebuilding the tags or use the REINDEX command to rebuild them instead.

DBFCDX and Memo Files

The DBFCDX driver uses FoxPro compatible memo (.fpt) files to store data for memo fields. These memo files have a default block size of 64 bytes rather than the 512 byte default for (.dbt) files.

DBFCDX memo files can store any type of data. While (.dbt) files use an end of file marker (ASCII 26) at the end of a memo entry, (.fpt) files store the length of the entry. This not only eliminates the problems normally encountered with storing binary data in a memo field but also speeds up memo field access since the data need not be scanned to determine the length.

Tips For Using DBFCDX

1. Make sure index extensions aren’t hard-coded in your application. The default extension for DBFCDX indexes is (.idx), not (.ntx). You can still use (.ntx) as the extension as long as you specify the extension when you create your indexes. The best way to determine index extensions in an application is to call ORDBAGEXT().

For example, if you currently use the following code to determine the existence of an index file:

IF .NOT. FILE("index.ntx")
    INDEX ON field TO index
ENDIF

Change the code to include the INDEXEXT() function, as follows:

IF .NOT. FILE("index"+ORDBAGEXT())
   INDEX ON field TO index
ENDIF

2. If your application uses memo fields, you should convert your (.dbt) files to (.fpt) files.

There are some good reasons for using (.fpt) files. Most important is the smaller block size (64 bytes). Clipper’s (.dbt) files use a fixed block size of 512 bytes which means that every time you store even 1 byte in a memo field Clipper uses 512 bytes to store it. If the data in a memo field grows to 513 bytes, then two blocks are required.

When creating (.fpt) files, the block size is set at 64 bytes to optimize it for your needs. A simple conversion from (.dbt) files to (.fpt) files will generally shrink your memo files by approximately 30%.

3. Add DBFCDX.LIB as a library to your link command or link script.

Summary

In this chapter, you were given an overview of the features and benefits of the DBFCDX RDD. You also learned how to link this driver and how to use it in your applications.

C5_REINDEX

Posted on July 19, 2013 by vivaclipper

 REINDEX
 Rebuild open indexes in the current work area
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Syntax

     REINDEX
        [EVAL <lCondition>]
        [EVERY <nRecords>]

 Arguments

     EVAL <lCondition> specifies a condition that is evaluated either for
     each record processed or at the interval specified by the EVERY clause.
     This clause is identical to the EVAL clause of the INDEX command, but
     must be respecified in order for the reindexing operation to be
     monitored since the value of <lCondition> is transient.

     EVERY <nRecords> specifies a numeric expression that modifies how
     often EVAL is evaluated.  When using EVAL, the EVERY option offers a
     performance enhancement by evaluating the condition for every nth record
     instead of evaluating each record reindexed.  The EVERY keyword is
     ignored if no EVAL condition is specified.

 Description

     REINDEX is a database command that rebuilds all open indexes in the
     current work area.  When the reindexing operation finishes, all rebuilt
     indexes remain open, order is reset to one, and the record pointer is
     positioned to the first record in the controlling index.  If any of the
     indexes were created with SET UNIQUE ON, REINDEX adds only unique keys
     to the index.  If any of the indexes were created using a FOR condition,
     only those key values from records matching the condition are added to
     the index.

     In a network environment, REINDEX requires EXCLUSIVE USE of the current
     database file.  Refer to the "Network Programming" chapter in the
     Programming and Utilities Guide for more information.

     Caution!  REINDEX does not recreate the header of the index file
     when it recreates the index.  Because of this, REINDEX does not help if
     there is corruption of the file header.  To guarantee a valid index,
     always use INDEX ON in place of REINDEX to rebuild damaged indexes

 Notes

     Index key order, UNIQUE status, and the FOR condition are known to the
     index (.ntx) file and are, therefore, respected and maintained by
     REINDEX.

 Examples

     .  This example REINDEXes the index open in the current work
        area:

        USE Sales INDEX Salesman, Territory NEW
        REINDEX

     .  This example REINDEXes using a progress indicator:

     USE Sales INDEX Salesman, Territory NEW
        REINDEX EVAL NtxProgress() EVERY 10

        FUNCTION NtxProgress
        LOCAL cComplete := LTRIM(STR((RECNO()/LASTREC()) * 100))
        @ 23, 00 SAY "Indexing..." + cComplete + "%"

        RETURN .T.

 Files   Library is CLIPPER.LIB.

See Also: INDEX PACK SET INDEX USE

C5 Commands

Posted on July 18, 2013 by vivaclipper

 ?|??            Display one or more values to the console
 @...BOX         Draw a box on the screen
 @...CLEAR       Clear a rectangular region of the screen
 @...GET         Create a new Get object and display it
 @...PROMPT      Paint a menu item and define a message
 @...SAY         Display data at a specified screen or printer row and column
 @...TO          Draw a single- or double-line box
 ACCEPT*         Place keyboard input into a memory variable
 APPEND BLANK    Add a new record to the current database file
 APPEND FROM     Import records from a database (.dbf) file or ASCII text file
 AVERAGE         Average numeric expressions in the current work area
 CALL*           Execute a C or Assembler procedure
 CANCEL*         Terminate program processing
 CLEAR ALL*      Close files and release public and private variables
 CLEAR GETS      Release Get objects from the current GetList array
 CLEAR MEMORY    Release all public and private variables
 CLEAR SCREEN    Clear the screen and return the cursor home
 CLEAR TYPEAHEAD Empty the keyboard buffer
 CLOSE           Close a specific set of files
 COMMIT          Perform a solid-disk write for all active work areas
 CONTINUE        Resume a pending LOCATE
 COPY FILE       Copy a file to a new file or to a device
 COPY STRUCTURE  Copy the current .dbf structure to a new database (.dbf) file
 COPY STRU EXTE  Copy field definitions to a .dbf file
 COPY TO         Export records to a database (.dbf) file or ASCII text file
 COUNT           Tally records to a variable
 CREATE          Create an empty structure extended (.dbf) file
 CREATE FROM     Create a new .dbf file from a structure extended file
 DELETE          Mark records for deletion
 DELETE FILE     Remove a file from disk
 DELETE TAG      Delete a tag
 DIR*            Display a listing of files from a specified path
 DISPLAY         Display records to the console
 EJECT           Advance the printhead to top of form
 ERASE           Remove a file from disk
 FIND*           Search an index for a specified key value
 GO              Move the pointer to the specified identity
 INDEX           Create an index file
 INPUT*          Enter the result of an expression into a variable
 JOIN            Create a new database file by merging from two work areas
 KEYBOARD        Stuff a string into the keyboard buffer
 LABEL FORM      Display labels to the console
 LIST            List records to the console
 LOCATE          Search sequentially for a record matching a condition
 MENU TO         Execute a lightbar menu for defined PROMPTs
 NOTE*           Place a single-line comment in a program file
 PACK            Remove deleted records from a database file
 QUIT            Terminate program processing
 READ            Activate full-screen editing mode using Get objects
 RECALL          Restore records marked for deletion
 REINDEX         Rebuild open indexes in the current work area
 RELEASE         Delete public and private memory variables
 RENAME          Change the name of a file
 REPLACE         Assign new values to field variables
 REPORT FORM     Display a report to the console
 RESTORE         Retrieve memory variables from a memory (.mem) file
 RESTORE SCREEN* Display a saved screen
 RUN             Execute a DOS command or program
 SAVE            Save variables to a memory (.mem) file
 SAVE SCREEN*    Save the current screen to a buffer or variable
 SEEK            Search an order for a specified key value
 SELECT          Change the current work area
 SET ALTERNATE   Echo console output to a text file
 SET BELL        Toggle sounding of the bell during full-screen operations
 SET CENTURY     Modify the date format to include or omit century digits
 SET COLOR*      Define screen colors
 SET CONFIRM     Toggle required exit key to terminate GETs
 SET CONSOLE     Toggle console display to the screen
 SET CURSOR      Toggle the screen cursor on or off
 SET DATE        Set the date format for input and display
 SET DECIMALS    Set the number of decimal places to be displayed
 SET DEFAULT     Set the CA-Clipper default drive and directory
 SET DELETED     Toggle filtering of deleted records
 SET DELIMITERS  Toggle or define GET delimiters
 SET DESCENDING  Change the descending flag of the controlling order
 SET DEVICE      Direct @...SAYs to the screen or printer
 SET EPOCH       Control the interpretation of dates with no century digits
 SET ESCAPE      Toggle Esc as a READ exit key
 SET EXACT*      Toggle exact matches for character strings
 SET EXCLUSIVE*  Establish shared or exclusive USE of database files
 SET FILTER      Hide records not meeting a condition
 SET FIXED       Toggle fixing of the number of decimal digits displayed
 SET FORMAT*     Activate a format when READ is executed
 SET FUNCTION    Assign a character string to a function key
 SET INDEX       Open one or more order bags in the current work area
 SET INTENSITY   Toggle enhanced display of GETs and PROMPTs
 SET KEY         Assign a procedure invocation to a key
 SET MARGIN      Set the page offset for all printed output
 SET MEMOBLOCK   Change the block size for memo files
 SET MESSAGE     Set the @...PROMPT message line row
 SET OPTIMIZE    Change the setting that optimizes using open orders
 SET ORDER       Select the controlling order
 SET PATH        Specify the CA-Clipper search path for opening files
 SET PRINTER     Toggle echo of output to printer or set the print destination
 SET PROCEDURE*  Compile procedures and functions into the current object file
 SET RELATION    Relate two work areas by a key value or record number
 SET SCOPE       Change the boundaries for scoping keys in controlling order
 SET SCOPEBOTTOM Change bottom boundary for scoping keys in controlling order
 SET SCOPETOP    Change top boundary for scoping keys in controlling order
 SET SCOREBOARD  Toggle the message display from READ or MEMOEDIT()
 SET SOFTSEEK    Toggle relative seeking
 SET TYPEAHEAD   Set the size of the keyboard buffer
 SET UNIQUE*     Toggle inclusion of non-unique keys into an index
 SET WRAP*       Toggle wrapping of the highlight in menus
 SKIP            Move the record pointer to a new position
 SORT            Copy to a database (.dbf) file in sorted order
 STORE*          Assign a value to one or more variables
 SUM             Sum numeric expressions and assign results to variables
 TEXT*           Display a literal block of text
 TOTAL           Summarize records by key value to a database (.dbf) file
 TYPE            Display the contents of a text file
 UNLOCK          Release file/record locks set by the current user
 UPDATE          Update current database file from another database file
 USE             Open an existing database (.dbf) and its associated files
 WAIT*           Suspend program processing until a key is pressed
 ZAP             Remove all records from the current database file

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C5 Index Commands and Functions

Posted on July 13, 2012 by vivaclipper

Index Commands and Functions

Commands :

DELETE TAG :

Delete a Tag

DELETE TAG <cOrderName> [IN <xcOrderBagName>]
    [, <cOrderName> [IN xcOrderBagName] list>]

INDEX ON … :

Create an index file

INDEX ON <expKey>
    [TAG <cOrderName>]
    TO <xcOrderBagName>
    [FOR <lCondition>] [ALL]
    [WHILE <lCondition>]
    [NEXT <nNumber>]
    [RECORD <nRecord>]
    [REST]
    [EVAL <bBlock>
    [EVERY <nInterval>]
    [UNIQUE]
    [ASCENDING|DESCENDING]

REINDEX :

Rebuild open indexes in the current workarea

REINDEX
    [EVAL <lCondition>]
    [EVERY <nRecords>]]

SET INDEX :

Open index file(s) in the current work area

SET INDEX TO [<xcIndex list>]

SET ORDER :

Set a new controlling index

SET ORDER TO [<nOrder> | [TAG <cOrderName>]
    [IN <xcOrderBagName>]]>

**SET UNIQUE* :**

Toggle the inclusion of nonunique keys into an index

SET UNIQUE on | OFF | <xlToggle>

Functions :

DBCLEARINDEX() :

Close all indexes for the current work area

DBCLEARINDEX() --> NIL

DBCREATEINDEX() :

Create an index file

DBCREATEINDEX( <cIndexName>, <cKeyExpr>,
    <bKeyExpr>, 
    [<lUnique>] ) --> NIL

DBREINDEX() :

Recreate all active indexes for the current work area

DBREINDEX() --> NIL

DBSEEK() :

Move to the record having the specified key value

DBSEEK( <expKey>, [<lSoftSeek>] ) --> lFound

DBSETINDEX() :

Open an index for the current work area

 DBSETINDEX( <cIndexName> ) --> NIL
 DBSETINDEX( <cOrderBagName> ) --> NIL

DBSETORDER() :

Set the controlling order for the current work area

DBSETORDER( <nOrderNum> ) --> NIL

DESCEND() :

Return a descending index key value

DESCEND( <exp> ) --> ValueInverted

FOUND() :

Determine if the previous search operation succeeded

FOUND() --> lSuccess

INDEXEXT() :

Return the default index extension

INDEXEXT() --> cExtension

INDEXKEY() :

Return the key expression of a specified index

INDEXKEY( <nOrder> ) --> cKeyExp

INDEXORD() :

Return the order position of the controlling index

INDEXORD() --> nOrder

ORDBAGEXT() :

Return the default Order Bag RDD extension

ORDBAGEXT() --> cBagExt

ORDBAGNAME() :

Return the Order Bag name of a specific Order

ORDBAGNAME(<nOrder> | <cOrderName>) --> cOrderBagName

ORDCOND()

Specify conditions for ordering

ORDCOND([FOR <lCondition>]

             [ALL] [WHILE <;lCondition>]
             [EVAL <bBlock> [EVERY <nInterval>]]
             [RECORD <nRecord>] [NEXT <nNumber>]
             [REST] [DESCENDING])

ORDCONDSET()

Set the condition and scope for an order

     ORDCONDSET([<cForCondition>],
        [<bForCondition>],
        [<lAll>],
        [<bWhileCondition>],
        [<bEval>],
        [<nInterval>],
        [<nStart>],
        [<nNext>],
        [<nRecord>],
        [<lRest>],
        [<lDescend>],
        [<lAdditive>],
        [<lCurrent>],
        [<lCustom>],
        [<lNoOptimize>]) --> lSuccess

ORDCREATE():

Create an Order in an Order Bag

ORDCREATE(<cOrderBagName>,[<cOrderName>], <cExpKey>,

    [<bExpKey>], [<lUnique>]) --> NIL

ORDDESCEND()

Return and optionally change the descending flag of an order

ORDDESCEND([<cOrder> | <nPosition>],[<cIndexFile>],
            [<lNewDescend>]) --> lCurrentDescend

ORDDESTROY() :

Remove a specified Order from an Order Bag

ORDDESTROY(<cOrderName> [, <cOrderBagName> ]) --> NIL

ORDFOR() :

Return the FOR expression of an Order

ORDFOR(<cOrderName> | <nOrder>
    [, <cOrderBagName>]) --> cForExp

ORDISUNIQUE()

Return the status of the unique flag for a given order

    ORDISUNIQUE([<cOrder> | <nPosition>],
        [<cIndexFile>]) --> lUnique

ORDKEY() :

Return the Key expression of an Order

ORDKEY(<cOrderName> | <nOrder>
 [, <cOrderBagName>]) --> cExpKey

ORDKEYADD()

Add a key to a custom built order

         ORDKEYADD([<cOrder> | <nPosition>],
            [<cIndexFile>],[<expKeyValue>]) --> lSuccess

ORDKEYCOUNT()

Return the number of keys in an order

         ORDKEYCOUNT([<cOrder> | <nPosition>],
              [<cIndexFile>]) --> nKeys

ORDKEYDEL()

Delete a key from a custom built order

        ORDKEYDEL([<cOrder> | <nPosition>],
            [<cIndexFile>],
            [<expKeyValue>]) --> lSuccess

ORDKEYGOTO()

Move to a record specified by its logical record number

ORDKEYGOTO(<nKeyNo>) --> lSuccess

ORDKEYNO()

Get the logical record number of the current record

         ORDKEYNO([<cOrder> | <nPosition>],
             [<cIndexFile>]) --> nKeyNo

ORDKEYVAL()

Get key value of the current record from controlling order

ORDKEYVAL() --> xKeyValue

ORDLISTADD() :

Add Order Bag contents or single Order to the Order List

ORDLISTADD(<cOrderBagName>
    [, <cOrderName>]) --> NIL

ORDLISTCLEAR() :

Clear the current Order List

ORDLISTCLEAR() --> NIL

ORDLISTREBUILD() :

Rebuild all Orders in the Order List of the current work area

ORDLISTREBUILD() --> NIL

ORDNAME() :

Return the name of an Order in the work area

ORDNAME(<nOrder>[,<cOrderBagName>])
    --> cOrderName

ORDNUMBER() :

Return the position of an Order in the current Order List

ORDNUMBER(<cOrderName>[, <cOrderBagName>]) --> nOrderNo

ORDSCOPE()

Set or clear the boundaries for scoping key values

ORDSCOPE(<nScope>, [<expNewValue>]) --> uCurrentValue

ORDSETFOCUS() :

Set focus to an Order in an Order List

ORDSETFOCUS([<cOrderName> | <nOrder>]
    [,<cOrderBagName>]) --> cPrevOrderNameInFocus

ORDSETRELAT()

Relate a specified work area to the current work area

ORDSETRELATION(<nArea> | <cAlias>,<bKey>, [<cKey>])

             --> NIL

ORDSKIPUNIQUE()

Move record pointer to the next or previous unique key

ORDSKIPUNIQUE([<nDirection>]) –> lSuccess

SET UNIQUE*

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Clipper 5.x – Drivers Guide

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Clipper 5.x – Drivers Guide

Chapter 4

DBFCDX Driver Installation and Usage

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Index Commands and Functions

Commands :

DELETE TAG :

INDEX ON … :

REINDEX :

SET INDEX :

SET ORDER :

SET UNIQUE* :

Functions :

DBCLEARINDEX() :

DBCREATEINDEX() :

DBREINDEX() :

DBSEEK() :

DBSETINDEX() :

DBSETORDER() :

DESCEND() :

FOUND() :

INDEXEXT() :

INDEXKEY() :

INDEXORD() :

ORDBAGEXT() :

ORDBAGNAME() :

ORDCOND()

ORDCONDSET()

ORDCREATE():

ORDCREATE(<cOrderBagName>,[<cOrderName>], <cExpKey>,

ORDDESCEND()

ORDDESTROY() :

ORDFOR() :

ORDISUNIQUE()

ORDKEY() :

ORDKEYADD()

ORDKEYCOUNT()

ORDKEYDEL()

ORDKEYGOTO()

ORDKEYNO()

ORDKEYVAL()

ORDLISTADD() :

ORDLISTCLEAR() :

ORDLISTREBUILD() :

ORDNAME() :

ORDNUMBER() :

ORDSCOPE()

ORDSETFOCUS() :

ORDSETRELAT()

ORDSKIPUNIQUE()

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**SET UNIQUE* :**