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Define database fields
Background Information
Open the database You can open the database using the Database > Open... menu command or through the file list at the end of the database menu.
Open the database exclusively
To open a database exclusively, use the menu command to open the database and mark the Exclusive check box in the Open Database dialog box.
If you mark the uppermost entry in the tree structure, you will see whether a database has been opened exclusively.
You must open the database exclusively if you want to carry out operations which could alter the structure of a database, e.g.:
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defining or editing fields•
deleting the database•
defining a database password•
changing image and document paths•
changing the standard image formatData types You can select different data formats for database fields:
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Text: letters and numbers up to a maximum of 255 characters.•
Long: whole numbers, e.g., -10, 0 or 500.•
Decimal number: whole numbers and fractions, e.g., 1.2 (whether a comma or a period is used for decimal fractions depends on the local settings of your oper- ating system).•
Date/Time: The permitted date and time formats depend on the local settings of your operating system.•
Memo: any length texts•
Yes/No: For fields of this data type there is either the status "Yes" or "No". A check box appears during insertion and editing of the record.Step-by-step
Defining the database fields for the characterization of individual records
A database should contain the field "method of investigation". For every record which will be added to a project in the database, the method of investigation should be included. For images, existing organizational fields are also to be shown in the inser- tion mask for information purposes.
1) Open the database exclusively.
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Select the Database > Open... command. In the Open Database dialog box select the database file and mark the Exclusive check box. You can recognize the database file because of the APL file name extension.Define Fields 2) Select the Database > Administration > Define Fields... command.
3) Click the Add New Field button.
4) Change the standard name of the new user field in the Field name. Enter for example "Investigation method" as the new user field.
5) The Data type list offers various types of data. Select the Memo, option when you want to enter a lot of text in the comment field.
Archiving Images
Define a database - Step-by-step
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With this step, you decide that the new field is not to be an organizational field.
6) The Organizational field check box should not be marked. This way you can allocate a different method of investigation to every record that is added to a database folder.
7) Close the Add Field dialog box by clicking OK.
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The new database field has then been set up and will be displayed in theAvailable Fields list.
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All of the database fields are characterized by an icon in the Define Fieldsdialog box. The new database field will be prefixed by the icon for a user defined organizational field.
8) In the Define Fields dialog box, click the Close button to complete the definition of database fields.
Click the button with a yellow star on it to set up a new database field. In the Available Fields list select a database field to view its properties in the Define Fields dialog box.
Arrange Fields 9) Use the Database > View > Arrange Fields... command.
10) In the View/Type list, doubleclick on the Insert entry to display all data types for the insertion mask.
11) Mark the Image entry.
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The Available and Current lists now show all user-defined database fields.•
The Current list already includes the predefined Record name field and newly set up "method of investigation" field. The Record Name field must be filled in for every record which is added to a folder in the database. It cannot therefore be removed from the list.•
The Available list contains available organizational fields. The information in the organizational fields relate to all the records in a database folder.12) Select one of the organization fields in the Available list, for example, "Client" from the step by step instruction on page 60, and click the Add >> button.
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If you now insert an image to a project, the method of investigation can be entered in the insertion form. The "Customer" field is provided by way of information.13) Use the arrow buttons to change the sequence of the database fields shown in the form view.
Archiving Images Define database fields - Step-by-step
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The insertion mask for adding an image contains all of the database fields that belong to the "Add" view, and the "image" data type.
All of the organizational fields, e.g., "Client" will have been already defined when the database folder was set up, and cannot be altered when data is inserted into a database folder. All required fields are indicated by an excla- mation point.
Archiving Images