716 Experts: Frequently Asked Questions about Experts

VERSIONS: P7
SUBJECT: Frequently Asked Questions about Experts
BY: BORLAND

Paradox 7 (32 bit and 16 bit) Issues

Q: HOW CAN I USE THE TEXT IMPORT EXPERT TO IMPORT A TEXT FILE THAT HAS SPECIAL CHARACTERS AS THE SEPARATOR OR DELIMITER?

A: Step six of the Text Import Expert asks for the characters used to separate or delimit the text file. Suppose the fields in the text file are separated by tabs. Move focus to the Separator field. Press Ctrl+T. This prepares the field to accept a special character. Now press the Tab key. Only in this way does the specification for the import include tabs as separators. Substitute other special characters for the tab as needed.

Q: IF YOU HAVE MORE THAN ONE VERSION OF A PARTICULAR WORD PROCESSOR INSTALLED, HOW DOES THE MERGE EXPERT KNOW WHICH VERSION OF THE WORD PROCESSOR TO LOAD WHEN IT MERGES THE DATA?

A: The Merge Expert follows a three-step process to determine which version of the word processor to load:

1. It searches the registry for an entry of the particular word processor chosen.
   
2. If it can't find an entry in the registry, it searches the WIN.INI [Extensions] section for the entry.
   
3. If it does not find an entry in the WIN.INI file, it searches the PATH for the executable file.

If the registry displays the path for an older version of the word processor, then the Merge Expert loads that version of the word processor. In this scenario, the user may need to change the registry entry or, better yet, reinstall the newer word processor.

Q: IS THERE A WAY TO USE THE OBJECT EXPERTS (BUTTON, FIELD, TEXT, AND CHART) ON EXISTING OBJECTS RATHER THAN JUST NEW OBJECTS?

I WANT TO BE ABLE TO USE THE PARADOX 7 FOR WINDOWS 95 & WINDOWS NT OBJECT EXPERTS ON AN AS NEEDED BASIS, BUT I DON'T WANT THESE EXPERTS TO LOAD EVERY TIME AN OBJECT IS CREATED.

A: You can download an enhancement to the Object Expert. This utility enables you to use the Object Experts from the menu. Tools | Object Experts. When the menu choice is selected, the selected object must be either a field, button, text, or chart.

The Object Experts Enhancement is available on this online service:
ftp://ftp.corel.com/pub/Paradox/PdoxWin/UnIndexed/BI33.ZIP

After you download BI33.ZIP, unzip it and copy Install.SSL and ObjExp.SSL (contained in BI33.ZIP) to your current working directory and run the script Install.SSL (choose File | Open | Script, choose Install.SSL). This adds the key HKCU\Software\Borland\Paradox\7.0\PXDLITE\Tools\Object Expert to the Windows Registry (HKCU is an abbreviation for HKEY_CURRENT_USER).

This creates the Object Experts menu choice on the Tools menu. When you choose Tools | Object Experts, Paradox runs the appropriate expert for the selected object.

Q: HOW CAN I CREATE OBJECTS ON A FORM WITHOUT USING THE OBJECT EXPERTS?

A: In Paradox 7, it is the default behavior for the Object Experts (Field Expert, Button Expert, Text Expert, etc.) to automatically load when creating an object on a form. To disable this behavior uncheck the property Run Experts When Creating Objects On Documents. To do this in Paradox 7 for Windows 95, choose Edit | Preferences, click the Experts.


Q: HOW CAN I DELETE SETTINGS THAT I HAVE CREATED FOR THE MERGE EXPERT?

A: Settings for the Merge Expert are stored in EXPMERGE.DB in your Paradox Home Directory (C:\Program Files\Borland\Paradox\PDOXHOME by default). Each record corresponds to one setting. To delete an entry, delete the corresponding record in the table.

Q: HOW CAN I ADD CUSTOM BUTTONS TO THE BUTTON EXPERT?

A: Edit the EXPBTNS.DB table in the Paradox\Experts\Button directory. It contains fields for Category Name (you add your own new ones if you wish), Action Name (the description for the button), code (where your code goes), MethodName (the name of the method where the code goes), DefaultLabel (the label for the button) and DefaultBMP (the default graphic, which may be blank). There are other fields, but they don't need to be modified.


Q: I HAVE THE LATEST PRINTER DRIVER INSTALLED (FOR MY PRINTER) AND HAVE A THE PAPER SIZE SET TO 8 1/2" x 11". WHY DOES THE MAILING LABEL EXPERT ONLY PRINT ONE LABEL PER PIECE OF PAPER, INSTEAD OF PRINTING MANY LABELS PER PIECE OF PAPER?

A: There are a number of possible solutions to this problem.

• The simplest solution is to put the report into design mode, select Report | Page Layout and click OK. If you want labels that fit on 8 1/2" x 11" paper, this will do what you want. However, if you have cut sheet labels that don't match up exactly on your paper size this won't work. For example, if you have Avery Pin Fed Labels 12-290, the label size is 2.5" x 4.75". Paradox will print 4 labels (10"), then skip 1". In this case, you need one of the answers below.
  
  
• Before printing your report, select Report | Page Layout, and select a Paper Size that matches your label and report size.
  
  
Note: If you have Windows NT, you may enter as many custom paper sizes for your printer as you want by Selecting Printer | Forms from Print Manager. If you have Windows 95, some printer drivers allow one custom paper size. It may be modified by right-clicking the printer the Printer dialog, selecting Properties, going to the Paper Tab and selecting custom.


• If your printer driver allows for a custom paper size, select File | Printer Setup, click Modify Printer Setup, click on the Custom Paper Size and enter the appropriate dimensions.
  
  
enter the appropriate dimensions.


• Specify the custom paper size using ObjectPAL. Here is an example:
  

           var
              po PrinterOptionInfo
           endVar
  
           ;//Set Paper size to 4.75" X 2.5"
           po.paperwidth = LongInt(4.75 * 1440)
           po.paperlength = LongInt(2.5 * 1440)
           PrinterSetOptions(po)
  

  Note: This technique only works if you specify a paper size that is legal for your current printer driver.

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