Hello Mr. Pataki!
Thanks for your information. You always seem to be heavily informed all about server problems and how to go about! Thats a wealth of information you really have to share. Thanks very very much. I have to always read twice to digest all what you are talking about and thats not because of english.
Hello Alex!
Quote:
That's a lie. I've offered numerous times to work with your Access file to make it an easy import/export out of Links SQL. You have either refused, or demanded that the functionality be instead built into editor.cgi.
Yes ofcourse, you offered me to work on my Access database and also said that I gould give you the URL of my Access database.
My problems are not Access related specific.
Access 97 specifis problems: There was one DATETIME during the exports which I managed to get it in by removing the Validate info from the defs, even though it is there in the MySQL database the format written. Then it imports only DATE as it is in MySQL like that to be stored due to charachter limitations.
This I have solved it myself.
Further, I can play with Access 97 in all the forms that it will result into a Links.db database. So you will achieve the same as much as I could.
Non-Access 97 specific import problems: lacking functionality in the import-export routines: 1.
A small tip "(Pugdog said) I have removed all the Validate info from the defs as it was more of the problems..." from Pugdog has helped me tremendously. I noticed that if this info is there than it is not able to recognize the import functions at all. This can be also taken care of during import sub_routine so that not every user has to go through this learning process.
2.
Importing Category.txt took four minites and had less number of tables and only 4600 lines. If I would like to work OFFLINE everyday, I will need to import and export a lot everyday. So if I have 40,000 links to export then I may need half an hour. Such an export ofcourse cannot be everyday.
After re-working the moment I import it all again completely new, everything will get a new CategoryID and LinkID. If I re-worked on the Categories OFFLINE, then their IDs are lost. However everywhere in the Links database they remain as IDs.
Therefore this database does not have a Relational functionality anymore. Hence if during every export/back-up if &get_category_name is called for instead of ID makes sense and is anyday better way of exporting the Links table.
Once I have the Category_names I can work import in any spreadsheet program. In my case it would be Access 97.
3.
Importing Links may take 20 minites, if I have about 40,000 links.
I do not have any Category database but only Links database with four columns of categories submitted by users.
So I can make a category table myself. Then it may be possible that there may be some category missing.
During imports, one can click in editor.cgi to delete the table data before insert. Now if there is one more click which will delete the line from @LINE in the import loop, will solve the problem.
To have a delete loop in the import loop makes it effective and help everyone because
a-Every user will then not have to telnet into the respective directory and erase the file.
b-Every would know exactly what is imported.
c-It secures to every users that it will not only delete the data from the table and will not produce duplicates BUT WILL ALSO inform the webmaster if in case if a line is corrupt or is not imported properly at a given time and that information will not be lost. It will also help if a category is modifies what consequence it has on the relative links thereby encouraging and offering OFFLINE work with and on links.
For this one needs to simply add few lines which will then create an additional file with a name "not-imported.$date.$table.txt"!
4.
Currently, Links SQL does not offer a real support an OFFLINE work.
This is because the import-export functions are simple dumping ones. Think about how can a webmaster work OFFLINE with the following:
-What happens to Category Names?
-What happens to Category Alternates?
-What happens to the Category IDs in their places when they are imported back after exports.
-How long it may take and how time comsuming it may be to see the Admin_HTML.pm creating the webpages of Validate. Here one could also simply export the table, work offline and correct/edit some things, import it back into links and simply build! One could ofcourse get it back to the Validate table and continue working further.
5.
All the necessary care is taken for the current Links v2.0 users. They will have absolutely no problems to import. A person which starts from scratch will also have no problems.
But a person who is in between will have some problems and all the issues resulting from my difficulties could be minimized by adding some codes to their basic routines.
7.
As mentioned above, I have Category Alternates in one table table of Access 97.
What shall I do during the imports? How can I get it in the Category Alternates.
How is the format of Links v2.0 users Links.db? The information of Category Alternates is within the same Links.db but in Links SQL it is a seperate table. How do I get them in to this seperate table?
Brent loopy gave a code - how to insert CategoryAlternates in to the table.
I tried to use Import.pl! You told me not to use it as it is for the links v2.0 users. The import codes from brent is not related to editor.cgi:. So how do I import?
So if the export will bring Category Alternates back to Links Table, which makes all the sense in relation to their IDs, Import will do the same. Import will bring it back to its respective table. If this function was there of exports-imports I would not have any problems at all.
The situation says that there needs a two way system required. Export and Import, where both are in harmony with each other and brings consistancy to the database and OFFLINE work. If this is achieved then not many people can have problems anywhere.
Today, the fact remains. This functiona are missing. They ARE
NOT DEMANDED BY ME BUT BROUGHT INTO LIMELIGHT. They are the issues that have surfaced during my set of working. I simply have humbly requested and not demanded. If you develop them, fine. Then I would be the first one who would benefit. If not your product will miss this features. I will somehow manage my way, however dissatisfied and frustrated I may be.
I mention above that I assume that you do not want to help in adding some more functions. This functions that I mention as necessary and missing functions you did not react to my earlier thread and intentionally did not response. Hence I assume that there seems to be no interest from your side to think on working on such functions.
Therefore my problems, as seen from above are not really Access specific problems ONLY but that of functionality of Links SQL basic import-exports resulting out of missing functions in the editor.cgi. Helping me ONE TIME for importing my Access database will not solve many future hardships of future users including myself and that is what I have been talking all the time.
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rajani