Hopefully this post isn't too off topic.

I'm attempting to write some *.dbf (dBase III/IV, FoxPro, etc. database files) functions and was wondering if anyone knew why the 8th and 9th bytes (Which point to the record starting offset/end of the header section) would be (apparently) correct in some files and not in others. The file versions are all 0xC(dBase IV w/ memo) Yet, two of the three are off by 80 and 161 bytes. The files are not corrupted (They read fine in MS Excel and other database programs. Am I missing something? Anyone who has experience with this and can reply, thanks, or if you know a more appropriate forum, please tell me, the closest I could come was the clipper forum. I'm using the latest dm compiler, 32 bit dos program.

I have no idea, but why would you try to code this kind of stuff? http://www.sequiter.com/

Jan



"E. Trelmar" wrote:

> Hopefully this post isn't too off topic.
>
> I'm attempting to write some *.dbf (dBase III/IV, FoxPro, etc. database files) functions and was wondering if anyone knew why the 8th and 9th bytes (Which point to the record starting offset/end of the header section) would be (apparently) correct in some files and not in others. The file versions are all 0xC(dBase IV w/ memo) Yet, two of the three are off by 80 and 161 bytes. The files are not corrupted (They read fine in MS Excel and other database programs. Am I missing something? Anyone who has experience with this and can reply, thanks, or if you know a more appropriate forum, please tell me, the closest I could come was the clipper forum. I'm using the latest dm compiler, 32 bit dos program.

In article <3D1CDAB1.949671FD@smartsoft.cc>, Jan Knepper says...
>
>I have no idea, but why would you try to code this kind of stuff? http://www.sequiter.com/
>
>Jan
>
>
>
>"E. Trelmar" wrote:
>
>> Hopefully this post isn't too off topic.
>>
>> I'm attempting to write some *.dbf (dBase III/IV, FoxPro, etc. database files) functions and was wondering if anyone knew why the 8th and 9th bytes (Which point to the record starting offset/end of the header section) would be (apparently) correct in some files and not in others. The file versions are all 0xC(dBase IV w/ memo) Yet, two of the three are off by 80 and 161 bytes. The files are not corrupted (They read fine in MS Excel and other database programs. Am I missing something? Anyone who has experience with this and can reply, thanks, or if you know a more appropriate forum, please tell me, the closest I could come was the clipper forum. I'm using the latest dm compiler, 32 bit dos program.
>

Implementing the extremely small aspects of checking field id's and information from only two fields with already working databases is such a small bit of work that it's faster/simpler(less money) to simply write the code myself. Which I did, only, the header isn't always where it should be...

So, maybe someone who wrote one of the libraries has an answer? ;)

> >I have no idea, but why would you try to code this kind of stuff? http://www.sequiter.com/
>
> Implementing the extremely small aspects of checking field id's and information from only two fields with already working databases is such a small bit of work that it's faster/simpler(less money) to simply write the code myself. Which I did, only, the header isn't always where it should be...
>
> So, maybe someone who wrote one of the libraries has an answer? ;)

I guess they do. I do have the Sequiter library and it works rather well.

I was about to do the same thing as you and than realized that I am probably going to do it soo many times that I better get a library which takes care of the nasty details for me.

Jan