Two parter: rant & wishlist items

[GCC Consulting]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: filepro-list-bounces at lists.celestial.com 
> [mailto:filepro-list-bounces at lists.celestial.com] On Behalf 
> Of Walter Vaughan
> Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2005 10:34 AM
> To: filepro-list at lists.celestial.com
> Subject: Two parter: rant & wishlist items
> 
> Courtney wrote:
> > Kinda of dangerous tho...if ab (the variable we used) had 
> been defined 
> > in the automatic processing table (i.e.  ab(6,.0)) then we you 
> > compiled the processing table a message would pop up telling you ab 
> > already defined in automatic processing...but since it was 
> not defined 
> > in automatic, nothing mentioned!
> 
> "auto.prc" or "prc.automatic" processing tables are probably 
> taught way too early in a filePro developers life. When you 
> use them, they should come with a warning label that says, 
> "You know that every record from now on in this file will 
> execute this processing table twice per record access unless 
> you specifically disable it in a menu command line. 
> Perhaps you should rename this table something else, and call 
> it from the menu line that executes your application with a 
> -y tablename. If you decide to go ahead and make this a 
> global automatic table, be aware that unexpected things can 
> happen in applications that you write in the future and do 
> not remember to take this automatic table into account." 
> And when you save a processing table it should say, "You 
> know, there is an automatic processing table for this file. 
> Did you take that into consideration when developing this table?".
> 
> It could have been worse. You could have wrote data to other 
> records and now would have /OV's where there should be good 
> values. So then you have to go back to your last backup and 
> hope that you have documentation to restore all the 
> differences between the backup and what's current this second.
> 
> Yikes. I'm scaring myself.
> 
I don't know about that.  I started using auto processing as soon as it was
available.  It has saved me a lot of repeat coding.

1. It will display a complete address when a record is accessed.
2. When running forms or reports that need the address printed, no additional
coding is necessary
3. As you point out, -y can change the auto process table to another one or none
at all.

I have one app in place where the auto process table counts the order detail
line, from the header, and displays the number in the lower right of the screen.
Yes, it can take a second or 2 for a large order.  But with the speed of the new
computers, there is almost no lag time any more in displaying the record.

Like any programming tool, it must be used appropriately.  

Yes, precautions need to be taken (read learned) by programmers.  

Richard Kreiss
GCC Consulting