Sands, Whilst I take Leon`s point about running into conversion problems, data is data! - you may not find exact equivalents to field types, autoincrement presents its own head scratchers and so on. But what can be ripped out of one format can generally be stuffed into another. Blobs certainly rule out earlier dbase formats, but dBase 4 has them (up to certain size limits) or they can be stored as separate files with just the file name in a cell or text field (requiring your customers to change things at their end also perhaps - this even works with spreadsheets). The so called boolean or true false field is just a byte at the end of the day, 0 or 1, datetime or datastamp formats are easy to change from one to another. I`m not saying its easy, and I`m NOT volunteering to have a go, but I have done it many times without hitting brick walls. Sometimes a goodly amount of programming effort is required, but unless you are trying to store a 5 megabyte blob in a 1980 model dBase 3 file or a spreadsheet format or some such other impossibility I cannot see exactly what else would stop you cold. Tell me about the blob fields for instance, how big are the blobs, what vintage of dbase file are they to go in. Are the blobs binary or text? (like a dbase MEMO field) . Will your client allow you to frig with his tables or spreadsheets just a little bit, stubborn as some of them are?
The devil is in the detail. But before you get too involved in this Sands, we may be getting a bit "off topic" here, this PHP-Windows list may not be the right arena methinks. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sandeep Murphy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Leon" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Cam Dunstan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, December 04, 2002 10:45 PM Subject: RE: [PHP-WIN] data format.. > hi guys, > > thnx for the info.. As Leon pointed out, am wondering what would happen to the blobs ?? How do i send/convert them to another db format?? > > Some of the clients r pretty stubborn and wud want to continue with whatever db they hv.. dbase, excel or whatever.. > > I personally hv never worked with dbase so dont hv much to say about it. will keep working on this and get bak to u guys if i run across more problems.. meanwhile, if anyone has more ideas/suggestions, pl do mail me.. > > thnx again, > sands > > -----Original Message----- > From: Leon [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: quarta-feira, 4 de Dezembro de 2002 7:02 > To: Cam Dunstan > Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: [PHP-WIN] data format.. > > > Hi > > I have only one major problem with the solution below and that is as follows: > > MySQL does not follow SQL standards ie: You could have been using data types > that would not import to a PgSQL server and there is little to nothing you can > do about that!!! > > Sorry to be the one to tell you this, but I fell in the same trap long ago > > Cheers > > Cam Dunstan wrote: > > > sands, > > comma delimited text (or tab delimited) will do for all of them, unless the > > dbase app does not have import facility, in which case you could structure > > up the data into genereic dbase format yourself, its a fairly simple format, > > a header with info about fieldnames, sizes and types, followed by fixed > > length records thereafter. Stick with an old format, such as dBase3 or 4 > > formats with no index or mdx files associated with same. dbase was the best > > thing since sliced bread for years, but it is a little dated these days, > > maybe you can charge em more by offering to upgrade them to MySQL / PHP > > intranet!! > > > > Cheers CD > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "DL Neil" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: "Sandeep Murphy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Sent: Wednesday, December 04, 2002 3:36 AM > > Subject: Re: [PHP-WIN] data format.. > > > > > Hi Sands, > > > > > > I have a PHP - MySQL site on one hand and various types of clients .. mean > > > to say, I hv clients who need the data in the MySQL db supplied to them in > > > MS Access, Excel, Dbase formats such that they can integrate the data > > > directly into their existing type of database. > > > > > > for Excel, I can probably create a csv file... any ideas for the other?? > > > > > > any suggestions as to where I can start & how !!?? > > > > > > > > > =start by searching the archives of this discussion list. > > > =dn > > > > > > > > > -- > > > PHP Windows Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) > > > To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php > > > > > > > > > > -- > > PHP Windows Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) > > To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php > > -- > Leon Jansen van Nieuwenhuizen > Personal Computing Services > Information & Communication Technology Services > University of Cape Town > Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > __________________________ > __________________________ > > > > -- > PHP Windows Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) > To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php > > > -- > PHP Windows Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) > To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php > > -- PHP Windows Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
