information you need to access tables without using SQL. An examination of using SQL to access tables begins in the next chapter.

In the examples given here, you will be explicitly working with local Paradox tables, but nearly everything explained in this chapter applies equally to dBASE files or to files located on a SQL server such as InterBase or Oracle. I decided to run these examples against Paradox tables because I wanted to keep this chapter as simple as possible. Large portions of this book work exclusively with SQL databases, but this chapter sticks to the world of local tables.

Looking a little more deeply at the content of this chapter, you can expect to find information on the following:

• The TTable object, which provides the fastest and simplest access to tables.

  　

• The TQuery object, which is the gateway to the flexible and powerful world of SQL.

  　

• The TDataSet object, an ancestor of TTable and TQuery, which provides the core functionality for accessing tables and the records that lie within them.

  　

• The TField object, which gives you access to the fields in a table or dataset. This object has powerful descendants such as TStringField and TIntegerField, all of which can be created automatically by a visual tool called the Fields Editor.

  　

• The TDataSource object, which serves as an intermediary between data-aware controls and the TTable and TQuery objects.

  　

• The TDBGrid object, which provides a simple and easy way to display the contents of tables to the user. The TDBGrid object supports editing, deletion, and insertion. It also has support for drop-down lists in lookup fields, and the capability to assign colors to a column, row, or individual field. I visit this control more in Chapter 11, "Working with Field Objects."

  　

• The TDBEdit component, which enables you to display a single field from a single record and to edit or insert the data for that field.

  　

• Filtering on nonkeyed fields.

  　

• The TDatabase component, which can be handy when you need to optimize the way you connect to a server.

  　

• Connecting to a database without using any visual tools. BCB supports something called two-way tools, which enable you to do things either visually or in code. Most of this chapter takes the visual route, but you can work entirely in code if you want or if you have some special need that requires that approach. This chapter ends with a lengthy explanation of how to take this rather unusual approach to BCB database programming.

  　

• The order in which database events occur. This is an important subject, which has to be mastered by serious database programmers.

Here is a second way to categorize some of the objects discussed in this chapter:

• Nonvisual: TTable, TQuery, TDataSet, TField, and TDatabase

  　

• Visual: TDBGrid and TDBEdit

  　

• Link (also nonvisual):TDataSource

This latter view of the major database components breaks them down into two major categories. The nonvisual components enable you to open, close, edit, and otherwise manipulate tables, records, and fields. The visual components display the tables to the user so he or she can view or edit them. The powerful TDataSource object forms a link between the visual and nonvisual database controls. You might want to think of the nonvisual controls as being the intelligent heart of the BCB database tools, while the visual controls are the less intelligent outward show. The nonvisual controls manipulate the data; the visual controls display it.

The overriding purpose of this chapter is to give you a good overview of the basic facts about using a BCB database class called TDataSet. TDataSet is the driving force behind both the TTable and TQuery objects. It is the root class from which they are both descended. A third component, called TStoredProc, is also descended from TDataSet. It will be discussed in more depth in Chapters 15, "Working with the Local InterBase Server," and 16, "Advanced InterBase Concepts," both of which deal with InterBase.

Specific information about other database issues will be presented in subsequent chapters. For instance, the TQuery object will be treated in depth in the next chapter, and more detailed explanations of TDBGrid, TField, TStringField, and TIntegerField are found in Chapter 11.

Understanding the TDataSet Class

In the last chapter you were introduced to the Database Explorer, the SQL Monitor, and TDataModule. It is now time to start digging into some of the technical details of the TTable object. Learning something about these details will go a long way toward helping you understand the structure of the database tools supplied by BCB.

TTable and TQuery inherit most of their functionality from TDataSet. As a result, the TDataSet class is one of the most important database objects. To get started working with it, you need to concentrate on the hierarchy shown in Figure 9.1.

TDataSet contains the abstractions needed to directly manipulate a table. TDBDataSet knows how to handle passwords and other tasks directly associated with linking to a specific table. TTable knows how to handle indices and the specific chores associated with linking two tables in a one-to-many relationship.

As you will see in the next chapter, TQuery has a deeply rooted and complete

knowledge of how to process SQL statements. The TStoredProc object is on the same level of the hierarchy as TTable and TQuery. It is used to process the stored procedures in a SQL database.

FIGURE 9.1. The core hierarchy for TTable and TQuery.

The methods of the TDataSet object enable you to open and navigate a table. Of course, you will never directly instantiate an object of type TDataSet. Instead, you will usually be working with TTable, TQuery, or some other descendant of TDataSet. The exact way this system works, and the precise significance of TDataSet, will become clear as you read through this chapter.

On the most fundamental level, a dataset is nothing more than a set of records, each containing x number of fields and a pointer to the current record.

On many occasions, a dataset has a direct, one-to-one correspondence with a physical table that exists on disk. However, at other times, you may perform a query or other action that returns a dataset that contains either a subset of one table or a join

between multiple tables. The text that follows, however, sometimes uses the terms dataset and table interchangeably if it helps to simplify the explanation of a particular concept.

You will normally instantiate an object of type TTable or TQuery in order to access the functionality of TDataSet. Because of this relationship, the code in the next few sections will always assume the existence of an instance of class TTable. Remember, however, that the functions under discussion are part of TDataSet, unless the text specifically states otherwise. In other words, much of what I say here applies to both TQuery and TTable, since both of these objects descend from TDataSet.

It's now time for you to begin a direct exploration of TDataSet. As you become familiar with its capabilities, you will begin to understand exactly how BCB accesses the raw data saved to disk as a database. The key point to remember is that nearly every time a BCB programmer opens a table, he or she will be using a class such as TTable or TQuery, both of which are merely thin wrappers around TDataSet.

Opening and Closing Datasets

The simplest thing you can do with a TDataSet is open or close it. This is therefore an appropriate starting point for an exploration of datasets. In the sections that follow, you will drill down deeper and learn more about the thorough access to databases provided by BCB.

If you are writing code rather than working through the Object Inspector, there are two different ways to open or close a dataset. You can write the following line of code:

Table1->Open();

Or, if you prefer, you can set the Active property equal to True:

Table1->Active = True;

There is no difference between the effect produced by these two statements. The RTL call to Open, however, ends up setting Active to True, so it may be ever so slightly more efficient to use the Active property

directly.

Just as there are two ways to open a table, there are also two ways to close a table. The simplest way is to call Close:

Table1->Close();

Or, if you want, you can write the following:

Table1->Active = False;

Once again, there is no substantial difference between these two calls. You should note, however, that Close and Open are functions, while Active is a property.

In this section, you have learned about two methods:

void __fastcall Open(void);

You also learned about one property:

__property System::Boolean Active;

It is definitely worthwhile opening up DB.HPP, finding the class declaration for TDataSet, and examining the methods shown here as well as some of the other ones included in this large object. Remember, most of the rest of this chapter is dedicated to an examination of TDataSet.

Navigational Routines

After opening a dataset, the next step is to learn how to move about inside it. The following rich set of methods and properties from TDataSet provides all the tools you need to access any particular record inside a dataset:

void __fastcall First(void);

Experienced programmers will find these functions very easy to use. Here is a quick overview of their functionality:

• Calling Table1->First() moves you to the first record in a table.

  　

• Table1->Last() moves you to the last record.

  　

• Table1->Next() moves you one record forward, unless you are at the end of a table.

  　

• Table1->Prior() moves you one record back, unless you are at the beginning of the table.

  　

• You can check the Bof or Eof properties in order to see if you are at the beginning or the end of a table.

  　

• The MoveBy() function moves you x number of records forward or backward in a table. There is no functional difference between calling Table->Next and calling Table->MoveBy(1). Furthermore, calling Table->Prior has the same effect as calling Table->MoveBy(-1). In fact, Next and Prior are one-line functions that call MoveBy, exactly as shown here.

Most of these properties and methods are demonstrated in the sample program found on the CD-ROM accompanying this book as Navy.dpr. You can open this example directly, or construct it piece by piece by following the description that follows.

To get started using these navigational routines, you should perform the following steps:

1. Place a TTable, TDataSource, and TDBGrid on a form.

2. Hook the grid to the data source and the data source to the table.

3. Set the DatabaseName property of the table to the DBDEMOS alias, or type in the path to the demos subdirectory (..\BCB 2.0\demos\data).

4. Set the TableName property to the CUSTOMER table.

If you are having trouble completing these steps, refer to Navy.dpr.

If you run a program that contains a TDBGrid control, you will find that you can iterate through the records in a dataset by manipulating the scrollbars on the edges of the grid. You can gain the same functionality by using the TDBNavigator component. However, there are times when you want to move through a table programmatically, without the use of the built-in visual tools. The next few paragraphs explain how this process works.

Place two buttons on a form and label them Next and Prior, as shown in Figure 9.2.

FIGURE 9.2. The Prior and Next buttons in Navy.dpr enable you to maneuver through a database.

Double-click once on the Next button to create an OnClick method, and fill it in like this:

void __fastcall TForm1::bbNextClick(TObject *Sender)

Perform the same action with the Prior button, so that the function associated with it looks like this:

void __fastcall TForm1::bbPriorClick(TObject *Sender)

Now run the program and click the two buttons. You will find that they easily let you iterate through the records in a dataset.

Now drop down two more buttons and label them First and Last, as shown in Figure 9.3.

FIGURE 9.3. The Navy program with all four buttons inserted.

Do the same thing for the calls to Table->First and Table->Last as you did with Next and Prior:

void __fastcall TForm1::bbFirstClick(TObject *Sender)

Nothing could be more straightforward than these navigational functions. First takes you to the beginning of a dataset, Last takes you to the end, and the Next and Prior functions move you one record forward or backward.

Checking for the End or Beginning of a Dataset

TDataSet's Bof is a read-only Boolean property used to check whether or not you are at the beginning of a dataset. The Bof property returns True on three occasions:

• After you first open a file

  　

• After you call TDataSet->First()

  　

• After a call toPrior fails

  　

The first two items listed should be obvious. Specifically, when you open a dataset, BCB places you on the first record, and when you call First, BCB again moves you to the beginning of the dataset. The third item, however, requires a little more explanation: After you have called Prior enough times to get to the beginning of a file, and have then tried one more time and found that the call failed, Bof will return True.

The following code shows a common method for using Prior to get to the beginning of a file:

void __fastcall TForm1::bLastToFirstClick(TObject *Sender)

The code shown here is from the BofAndEof program found on the CD-ROM that comes with this book. In this case the ListBox Add method is called on the current record and then on every other record between the end and beginning rows of the dataset. The loop continues until a call to Table->Prior fails to move you back any further in the table. At that point Bof returns True and the program breaks out of the loop.

If your dataset is connected to a data source, you can optimize a loop like the one shown previously by setting DataSource1.Enabled to False before beginning the loop, and then resetting it to True after the loop is finished. These two lines of code enable you to iterate through the table without having to update the visual tools at the same time.

Everything said previously about Bof also applies to Eof. In other words, the code that follows provides a simple means of iterating over all the records in a dataset:

void __fastcall TForm1::bFirstToLastClick(TObject *Sender)

The classic error in cases like this is to enter into a while or repeat loop but to forget to call Table->Next:

do

If you accidentally wrote code like this, your machine would appear to lock up. You could break out of the loop only by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del and asking Windows to kill the current process. Also, this code could cause problems if you opened an empty table. Because the code uses a do loop, the ListBox Add method would still be called once, even though there was nothing to process. As a result, it's better to use while loops rather than do loops in situations like this.

Eof returns True in the following three cases:

• If you open an empty dataset

  　

• If you call Table->Last

  　

• If a call toTable->Next fails

　

---

NOTE: Iterating through tables as described in the last few paragraphs is a common process on local databases, but it is not as popular a technique to use with SQL servers. In particular, most client/server databases expect you to process individual records, or sets of records, but not to treat a table as a series of contiguous rows. This is rather a fine point to put on the discussion at this stage of the game, but it is something to keep in mind if you intend to move directly into processing large amounts of data on a server. If you must perform this kind of operation on a real server, it is probably best to do so from inside a stored procedure.

---

　

The last navigational routine that I want to cover is called MoveBy. MoveBy enables you to move x number of records forward or backward in a dataset. If you want to move two records forward, you would write the following:

tblAnimals->MoveBy(2);

And if you wanted to move two records backward, you would write this:

tblAnimals->MoveBy(-2);

When using this function, you should always remember that when you are working on a network, datasets are fluid entities, and the record that was five records back a moment ago may now be back four records, or six records, or who knows how many records. In other words, when you are on a network, someone on another machine may delete or add records to your database at any time. If that happens, MoveBy might not work exactly as you expect. One solution to this "fluidity" problem is to use the Bookmark functions mentioned later in this chapter.

　

---

NOTE: Prior and Next are simple one-line functions that call MoveBy. If you have the source, look up TDataSet.Next in DB.PAS. The TDataSet object is a beautifully written wrapper around the core functionality in the BDE.

---

　

After reading the last two sections, you should have a good feeling for how to move around in a dataset. The navigational commands you have been learning about are very easy to use. Take the few moments necessary to be sure you understand them, because they are likely to be part of your day-to-day BCB programming experience.

Fields

On most occasions when you want to programmatically access the individual fields of a record, you can use one of the following properties or methods, all of which belong to TDataSet:

__property TField *Fields[System::Integer Index];

The Fields property is one of the most important single syntactical elements of the VCL. It consists of an array of TField objects, each of which is automatically assigned to a separate field in a table. For instance, if a table called Address had five fields called Name, Address, City, State and Zip, BCB would automatically create five field objects when you accessed the Address table. You don't have to do anything to create these field objects; they are given to you automatically.

The Fields array for the hypothetical Address table mentioned in the last paragraph would have five members. Fields[0] would access the Name field, Fields[1] would access the Address field, and so on.

The TField object is declared in DB.HPP. This is an extremely powerful, and fairly complex object, which is worth your while to study in depth. For instance, here are some of the methods of the TField object:

　

Here are some of the properties associated with a TField object:

　

Most of the properties and methods listed previously are discussed in the next few pages of this book. For now you can just review the functionality previously outlined in a general way, so that you can get some sense of what the TField class is about. Remember, the previous list is far from exhaustive. It is meant merely to introduce some of the key features of the object.

The TField object also has a number of useful descendant classes with names such as TStringField and TIntegerField. These child objects are discussed in Chapter 17, "Printing: QuickReport and Related Technologies."

The FieldCount property returns an integer that specifies the number of fields in the current record structure. If you wanted a programmatic way to read the names of these fields, you could use the Fields property:

{

If a record had a first field called CustNo, the preceding code would put the string "CustNo" in the variable S. If you wanted to access the name of the second field in the example, you could write this:

S = Table->Fields[1]->FieldName;

In short, the index passed to Fields is zero-based, and it specifies the number of the field you want to access, where the first field is number zero, the second is referenced by the number one, and so on.

If you want to find out the current contents of a particular field from a particular record, you can use the Fields or FieldByName property, or you could access the entire table as an array of fields. To find the value of the first field of a record, index into the first element of the Fields array:

S = Table->Fields[0]->AsString;

Assuming that the first field in a record contains a customer number, the code shown would return a string such as `1021', `1031', or `2058'. If you wanted to access this variable as an integer value, you could use AsInteger in place of AsString. Similar properties of Fields include AsBoolean, AsFloat, and AsDate.

If you want, you can use the FieldByName function instead of the Fields property:

S = Table->FieldByName("CustNo")->AsString;

As used in the examples shown here, both FieldByName and Fields return the same data. The two different syntaxes are used solely to provide programmers with a flexible and convenient set of tools for programmatically accessing the contents of a dataset. When in doubt, use FieldByName because it won't be affected if you change the order of the fields in your table.

　

---

NOTE: I'll add a note here for Delphi programmers who may be a bit confused by the tack I am taking on this subject. In Delphi, you can also treat TTable as a variant array, which will let you access the fields of a table with the following syntax:

　

S := Table1[`CustNo'];

This is obviously a considerable improvement over the FieldByName method. However, this syntax is not supported in BCB.

---

　

It might be helpful to take a few moments to discuss a set of routines from the FieldObject program found on the disk that accompanies this book. These routines illustrate the most common ways to access the value of a field.

The vValueClick routine shows the default means for setting or getting the value of a field:

void __fastcall TForm1::bValueClick(TObject *Sender)

This is the standard way to get at a field. You use the AsString or AsInteger properties for conversion, but when you just want to get at the type of a field, you can use the Value property. However, the issue of conversion can sometimes raise its head at strange moments, so it is helpful to note that properties such as AsInteger and AsString exist.

In the TField object, the Value property is declared as being of type Variant, which means it will handle most type conversions for you automatically. This is illustrated in the previous example, where the TaxRate field, which is of type Float, is converted for you automatically to a string. Note, however, that descendants of TField, such as TStringField, may explicitly declare the Value field as an AnsiString:

__property System::AnsiString Value;

　

---

NOTE: Remember that Object Pascal treats properties and methods with the same name differently than C++. In particular, there is no function or method overloading in Object Pascal.

---

　

Here are some other illustrations of how to use the TField object:

void __fastcall TForm1::bAsStringClick(TObject *Sender)

}

Three of the four routines shown here from the FieldObject program produce the same output. The odd man out in this group is the bAsIntegerClick method, which displays the value as an Integer, rather than as a floating-point number. For instance, if the value of the TaxRate field in the current record was 4.5, three of the methods shown here would display the string "4.5". The bAsIntegerClick method, however, would display the string as simply "4". The difference here is simply due to the fact that the AsInteger property automatically converts a floating point number to an int.

More Information on the Fields Property

The Fielder program that ships on this book's CD-ROM demonstrates some simple ways to use the Fields property of TDataSet. If you want to construct the program dynamically, place a TTable, two buttons, and two list boxes on a form, as shown in Figure 9.4. Hook up the TTable object to the CUSTOMER table that ships with BCB.

FIGURE 9.4. The Fielder program shows how to use the Fields property.

Double-click the Fields button and create a method that looks like this:

void __fastcall TForm1::bbFieldsClick(TObject *Sender)

This method starts by clearing the current contents of the first list box, and then it iterates through each of the fields, adding their names one by one to the

list box. Notice that the for loop shown here counts from 0 to one less than FieldCount. If you don't remember to stop one short of the value in FieldCount, you will get a "List Index Out of Bounds" error, because you will be attempting to read the name of a field that does not exist.

If you enter the code correctly, you will fill the list box with the names of all the fields in the current record structure. BCB provides other means to get at the same information, but this is a simple, programmatic way for you to access these names at runtime.

In the Fielder example, you can associate the following code with the second button you placed on the program's form:

void __fastcall TForm1::bbCurRecordClick(TObject *Sender)

This code adds the contents of each of the fields to the second list box. Notice that once again, it is necessary to iterate from zero to one less than FieldCount. The key point here is that the indices to Fields is zero-based.

　

---

NOTE: Much of the functionality of TField can be achieved with visual tools. In particular, you can manipulate fields with the Fields Editor, which you can access by clicking once with the right mouse button on the top of a TTable or TQuery object. This subject is explored in more depth in Chapter 9. However, good programmers know how to use both the methods of TDataSet and the Fields Editor. Furthermore, the Fields Editor can be used to best advantage if you understand how to enhance its functionality with some of the code you are learning about in this chapter.

---

　

In this section and the one previous to it you learned how to access the fields of a record. In the next section you will see how to use this knowledge when you want to append, insert, or edit records in a dataset.

Changing Data

The following methods enable you to change the data associated with a table:

void __fastcall Post(void);

All these routines are part of TDataSet, and they are inherited and used frequently by TTable and TQuery.

The preceding list is hardly exhaustive. For instance, here are a few more related methods of TDataSet:

void __fastcall AppendRecord(const TVarRec *Values, const System::Integer Values_Size);

The point here is not that you need to learn all these methods right away. Rather, I would concentrate on the first list, the one that include Post, Insert, and so on. This first list is meant to be a fairly careful selection of the most commonly used methods. Many programmers will never need to use any other methods than those in the first list. But it is helpful to know that the TDataSet object has considerable depth, and if you need customized functionality, you can generally find it in the TDataSet object itself.

　

---

NOTE: There are, of course, times when some programmers might need to do something to a database that is not covered in the VCL. In those cases, your next resort after TDataSet might well be the BDE itself. In particular, you should use the Borland Database Engine, found in BDE.HPP, or in a separate package available from Borland.

---

　

Whenever you want to change the data associated with a record, you must first put the dataset you are using into edit mode. As you will see, most of the visual controls do this automatically. However, if you want to change a table programmatically, you need to use the functions listed previously.

Here is a typical sequence you might use to change a field of a given record:

Table1->Edit();

The first line shown places the database in edit mode. The next line assigns the string "Lyle Mayes" to the field labeled "ShipToContact". Finally, the data is written to disk when you call Post. See the SimpleEdit program on the CD-ROM accompanying this book for an example of this code in action. When looking at that programming, you might note that I have double-clicked the grid control in order to edit its properties. Working with the grid control will be explained in more depth later in this chapter.

The very act of moving on to the next record automatically posts your data to disk. For instance, the following code has the same effect as the code shown previously, plus it moves you on to the next record:

Table1->Edit();

Calls to First, Next, Prior, and Last all perform Posts, as long as you are in edit mode. If you are working with server data and transactions, the rules explained here do not apply. However, transactions are a separate matter with their own special rules, as explained in Chapter 15, "Working with the Local InterBase Server." (Both local tables and SQL servers support transactions, but I cover this subject in the chapter on the InterBase server because it is usually considered an intermediate or advanced database topic.)

Even if you are not working with transactions, you can still undo your work at any time, as long as you have not yet either directly or indirectly called Post. For instance, if you have put a table into edit mode, and have changed the data in one or more fields, you can always change the record back to its original state by calling Cancel. For instance, you can edit every field of a record, and then call the following line to return to the state you were in before you began editing:

Table->Cancel();

Here is an excerpt from the SimpleEdit program that shows three button response methods that enable you to enter data and then cancel or post your changes. This code is still not robust enough for a shipping programming, but it gives you a good idea of how to proceed if you don't want to include much error checking.

void __fastcall TForm1::bEditClick(TObject *Sender)

I say this code is not really robust. For instance, I do not check to see if the dataset is in edit or insert mode before calling Post. This kind of error checking is covered later in this chapter, and several times in the next few chapters. Despite its lack of error checking, the simple methods shown here should give you a good idea of how to proceed in your own programs.

　

---

NOTE: The InputQuery method shown in the bEditClick method is used to retrieve a string from the user. The first parameter is the title of the dialog used to retrieve the string, the second the prompt asking for a string, and the third the string to be retrieved. InputQuery is a Boolean VCL function. It is usually best to zero out the string passed in the third parameter before showing it to the user.

---

　

There are also cancel, edit, and insert buttons on the TDBNavigator control. You can use this control to work with a dataset without having to write any code.

There are two methods, called Append and Insert, which you can use whenever you want to add another record to a dataset. It obviously makes more sense to use Append on datasets that are not indexed, but BCB won't throw an exception if you use it on an indexed dataset. In fact, it is always safe to use either Append or Insert whenever you are working with a valid dataset.

On your disk you will find a simple program called Inserts, which shows how to use the Insert and Delete commands. To create the program by hand, first use a TTable, TDataSource, and TDBGrid to open up the COUNTRY table from the demos subdirectory. Then place two buttons on the program's form and call them Insert and Delete. When you are done, you should have a program like the one shown in Figure 9.5.

FIGURE 9.5.The Inserts program knows how to insert and delete a record from the COUNTRY table.

　

---

NOTE: To spice up the Inserts program, you can drop a panel on the top of the form and then add the buttons to the panel. Set the panel's Align property to alTop, and set the TDBGrid's Align property to alClient. If you run the program, you can then maximize and resize the form without damaging the relationship between the various visual components.

---

　

The next step is to associate code with the Insert button:

void __fastcall TForm1::FInsertClick(TObject *Sender)

The function shown here first puts the table into insert mode, which means that a new record filled with blank fields is automatically inserted into the current position of the dataset.

After inserting the record, the next job is to assign strings to one or more of its fields. There are, of course, several different ways to enter this data. Using the current program, you could simply type the information into the current record in the grid. Or, if you wanted, you could place standard edit controls on the form and then set each field equal to the value the user has typed into the edit control:

Table1->FieldByName(`Name')->Value = Edit1.Text;

If you place a table in edit mode, or if its TDataSource object has AutoEdit set to True, you can use data-aware controls to insert information directly into a record.

The intent of this chapter, however, is to show you how to enter data programmatically. Therefore you are presented with an example in which information is hardwired into the code segment of the program:

FCountry->FieldByName("Name")->Value = "Erehwon";

　

---

NOTE: One of the interesting (or perhaps "frustrating" would be a more appropriate word) byproducts of this technique is that pressing the Insert button twice in a row automatically triggers a "Key Violation" exception. To remedy this situation, you must either delete the current record or manually change the Name and Capital fields of the newly created record.

You should recall that you can pass either a string or a number into a field when using the Value property. The Value property is of type Variant, and so you can, to a considerable degree, ignore type issues in this situation. For instance, there is no need to write code that looks like this:

　

void __fastcall TForm1::FInsertClick(TObject *Sender)

{

FCountry->Insert();

FCountry->FieldByName("Name")->AsString = "Erehwon";

FCountry->FieldByName("Capital")->AsString = "Nowhere";

FCountry->FieldByName("Continent")->AsString = "Imagination";

FCountry->FieldByName("Area")->AsInteger = 0;

FCountry->FieldByName("Population")->AsInteger = 0;

FCountry->Post();

}

Instead of calls to AsString and AsInteger, you can just use Value.

---

　

Looking at the code shown previously, you will see that the mere act of inserting a record and of filling out its fields is not enough to change the physical data that resides on disk. If you want the information to be written to disk, you must call Post.

After calling Insert, if you change your mind and decide to abandon the current record, you should call Cancel. As long as you do this before you call Post, everything you have entered is discarded, and the dataset is restored to the condition it was in before you called Insert.

One last related property that you should keep in mind is called CanModify. A table might be set to ReadOnly, in which case CanModify would return False. Otherwise CanModify returns True and you can enter edit or insert mode at will. CanModify is itself a read-only property. If you want to set a dataset to read-only, you should use the ReadOnly property, not CanModify.

In this section, you have learned how to use the Insert, Delete, Edit, Post, Cancel, and Append commands. Most of the actions associated with these commands are fairly intuitive, though it can take a little thought to see how they interact with the Fields property.

Using SetKey or FindKey to Search through a File

If you want to search for a value in a dataset, you can call on five TDataSet methods, called FindKey, FindNearest, SetKey, GotoNearest, and GotoKey. These routines assume that the field you are searching on is indexed. You should note that the BCB includes two methods for searching for values in a table. The SetKey, GotoNearest, and GotoKey methods comprise one technique, and FindKey and FindNearest comprise a second technique. I discuss both techniques in the next few paragraphs.

This book's CD-ROM contains a demonstration program called Search that shows how to use these calls. You should open up this program and run it once to see how it works, or else follow the steps shown here to create the program yourself.

　

---

NOTE: There is actually a third method for searching for values in a table. I demonstrate that technique in the upcoming section from this chapter called "Filtering with the OnFilterRecord Event." The technique in question uses a series of routines called FindFirst, FindLast, FindNext and FindPrior. Unlike the routines used in this section, FindFirst and the like are not tied to the index fields of your table.

---

　

To create the Search program, place TTable and TDataSource objects on a data module, and TDBGrid, TButton, TLabel, and TEdit controls on a form. Arrange the visual controls so the result looks like the image shown in Figure 9.6. Be sure to set the caption of the button to Search, and then to wire the database controls so you can view the Customer table in the grid control.

FIGURE 9.6. The Search program enables you to enter a customer number and then search for it by pressing a button.

One set of functionality for the Search program is encapsulated in a single method that is attached to the Search button. This function retrieves the string entered in the edit control, searches the CustNo column until it finds the value, and finally switches the focus to the record it found.

In this program, I observe more carefully the rules of object-oriented programming. In particular, I create a data module, store the non-visual database tools on it, and then create methods for manipulating the data within the data module itself, rather than inside the object for the main form. This has only theoretical benefits in a simple program like Search. However, in a more complex program, this shows the way to create a single data module--with some built in rules and functionality--that can be reused in multiple programs. It also shows how to create programs that are easy to maintain, and easy to understand.

In particular, the main form contains a method response routine for the Search button that looks like this:

void __fastcall TForm1::bSearchClick(TObject *Sender)

In its turn, the data module has a search method that looks like this:

void TDMod::Search(AnsiString S)

As you can see, the TDMod object protects its data and exposes its functionality to the outside world through a single easy-to-call method. This way, TDMod could totally change the internal technique it has for searching through a table without forcing you to modify the TForm1 object in any way.

The first call in this function sets Table1 into search mode. BCB needs to be told to switch into search mode simply because you use the Fields property in a special way when BCB is in search mode. Specifically, you can index into the Fields property and assign it to the value you want to find.

In the example shown here, the CustNo field is the first column in the database, so you set the Fields index to zero. To actually carry out the search, simply call Table->GotoKey(). GotoKey is a Boolean function, so you could write code that looks like this:

if (!Table->GotoKey)

The DatabaseError routine might raise a database exception of some kind.

If you are not sure of the value you are looking for, call Table->GotoNearest.

GotoNearest will take you to the numerical or string value closest to the one you specify.

The FindKey and FindNearest routines perform the same function GotoKey or GotoNearest, but they are much easier to use. Here, for instance, is the technique for using FindKey:

tblCustomer->FindKey(OPENARRAY(TVarRec, (S)));

In this case, S is assumed to be a valid AnsiString containing a CustNo for which you want to search.

Here's how FindNearest looks:

tblCustomer->FindNearest(OPENARRAY(TVarRec, (S)));

When using FindKey or FindNearest there is no need to first call SetKey or to use the FieldByName property. (Needless to say, internally FindKey and FindNearest end up calling SetKey and FieldByName, before making calls to either GotoKey or GotoNearest.)

FindKey and FindNearest take an array of values in their sole parameter. You would pass multiple parameters to FindKey or FindNearest if you have a table that was indexed on multiple fields. In this case, the Customer table has a primary index on one field, called CustNo. But if it had multiple fields in the primary index, you could specify one or more of the values for these fields in this parameter:

tblCustomer->FindNearest(OPENARRAY(TVarRec, (S1, S2, S3)));

This is one of those cases where Object Pascal provides a built in, easy-to-use method for working with a dynamically created array of values, while there is no such native type in C++. C++, of course, is nothing if not flexible, and it is rare that you cannot find a way to make the language conform to your desires. For instance, in this case, one simple way for C++ to accommodate the VCL's request for a dynamically constructed array of values is by using the OPENARRAY macro and its associated template class from Sysdefs.h.

If you are not searching on the primary index of a file, you must use a secondary index and specify the name of the index you are using in the IndexName property for the current table. For instance, the Customer table has a secondary index called ByCompany on the field labeled Company. You would have to set the IndexName property to the name of that index if you wanted to search on that field. You could then use the following code when you searched on the Company field:

void TDMod::CompanySearch(AnsiString S)

Remember: This search will fail unless you first assign the correct value to the IndexName property. Furthermore, you should note that IndexName is a property of TTable and would therefore not automatically be included in any direct descendant of TDataSet or TDBDataSet that you might create yourself. In particular, it's not part of TQuery. Indeed, none of the functions discussed in this section are part of TQuery.

The previous code is flawed, or at least could be flawed in some cases, in that any attempt to search on the CustNo field after a call to CompanySearch would fail, because the table would no longer be indexed on the CustNo field. As a result, you might want to save the old index in a temporary variable so it can be restored at the end of the function:

void TDMod::CompanySearch(AnsiString S)

A neat trick you can use with the FindNearest method involves performing an incremental search across a table. Start a new project and get things rolling quickly by simply dragging the Country table off the Database Explorer and onto Form1. You will end up with a TTable, TDataSource, and TDBGrid on the form, with the TTable hooked up to the Country table. Put a panel on the top of the form and set its Align property to alTop. Set the Align property of the TDBGrid for the Country table to alClient.

Place a TEdit component on the panel and create an OnChange event with the following code attached to it:

void __fastcall TForm1::Edit1Change(TObject *Sender)

Run the program. When you type into the edit control, you will automatically begin incrementally searching through the table. For instance, if you type C,

you will go to the record for Canada, if you type Cu, you will go to the record for Cuba.

The incremental search example is available on disk as the IncrementalSearch program. It's perhaps worth pointing out that this program is interesting in part because it shows how you can use the built-in features of BCB to easily implement additional features that were never planned by the developers. For instance, there is no Incremental Search component in BCB. However, if you need to build one, the tools come readily to hand.

Filtering the Records in a Dataset with ApplyRange

The next two sections cover two different ways to filter data. Of these two techniques, the second is preferable on several counts; so if you are in a hurry, you can skip this section. The key difference between the two methods is that the one explained in this section uses keyed fields, while the next technique will work on any type of field. The technique used in the next section is very highly optimized, but the conservatives in the crowd might find the technique outlined in this section appealing because it relies on indexes, which are a tried and true database technology, guaranteed to execute in a highly optimized manner.

The ApplyRange function lets you set a filter that limits the range of the records you view. For instance, in the Customers database, the CustNo field ranges from just over 1,000 to a little under 10,000. If you wanted to see only those records that had a customer number between 2000 and 3000, you would use the ApplyRange method from TTable and two related routines. When using this method, you must work with a field that is indexed. (As explained in the next chapter, you can perform this same type of operation on a nonindexed field by using a TQuery object rather than TTable object. You can also use the technique explained in the next section of this chapter for searching on non-keyed fields.)

Here are the four methods of TTable that make up the suite of routines you will use when setting up filters:

void __fastcall ApplyRange(void);

To use these functions, perform the following steps:

1. Call SetRangeStart and then use the Fields property to designate the start of the range.

2. Call SetRangeEnd and use the Fields property a second time to designate the end of the range you are specifying.

3. The first two actions prepare the filter; now all you need to do is call ApplyRange, and the new filter you have specified will take effect.

4. If you want to undo the effects of a call to ApplyRange or SetRange, you can call the CancelRange function.

The Ranger program, which is located on the CD-ROM that comes with this book, shows you explicitly how to use these functions. To create the program, drop a TTable,

TDataSource, and TDBGrid onto a form. Wire them up so that you can view the CUSTOMERS table from the demos subdirectory. You need to set Table->Active to True. Next, drop two labels on the form and set their captions to Start Range and End Range. Place two edit controls next to the labels. Finally, add a single button with the caption ApplyRange. When you are done, you should have a form like the one shown in Figure 9.7.

FIGURE 9.7. The Ranger program shows how to limit the number of records from a table that are visible at any one time.

The SetRangeStart and SetRangeEnd functions enable you to declare the first and last members in the range of records you want to see. To get started using the functions, first double-click the button labeled SetRange, and then create a function that looks like this:

void __fastcall TForm1::bbSetRangeClick(TObject *Sender)

This code shows two different ways to translate a string value into an integer value. The first technique calls a stand-alone VCL method named StrToInt, the second technique uses a method of the AnsiString class.

Once again, the TForm1::bbSetRangeClick function merely calls a method of TDMod that does all the real work:

void TDMod::SetRange(int AStart, int AnEnd)

The TDMod::SetRange function first calls SetRangeStart, which puts the table into range mode and blanks out the records seen in the TDBGrid control. Once in range mode, the program next expects you to specify the beginning range, which in this case you grabbed from the first edit control. Setting the end range for the program involves following a similar pattern. First you call SetRangeEnd, and then you pass it an appropriate value culled from the second Edit control back on the main form.

Note that you can use the Fields property to specify the actual range you want to use:

Table->Fields[0]->AsInteger = AStart;

This use of the Fields property is obviously a special case, since the syntax shown here is usually used to set the value of a field, not to define a range. This special case comes into effect only after you have put Table1 into range mode by calling SetRangeStart.

The final step in the function just shown is the call to ApplyRange. This is the routine that actually puts your request into effect. When the call to ApplyRange ends, the table is no longer in range mode, and the Fields

property returns to its normal functionality.

If you want to undo the results of a call to ApplyRange, you can call the CancelRange function:

Table->CancelRange();

A typical run of the program might involve the user typing in the number 4000 in the first edit control and the number 5000 in the next edit control. After entering the data, clicking the ApplyRange button would put the request into effect.

So far, you have learned how to filter the data from a table so that you view only a particular range of records. The steps involved are threefold:

1. Call SetRangeStart and specify the beginning value in the range of records you want to see.

2. Call SetRangeEnd and specify the ending value in the range of records you want to see.

3. Call ApplyRange in order to view the results of your request.

BCB also provides a shorthand method calling the SetRangeStart, SetRangeEnd, and ApplyRange methods. This technique is featured in both the Ranger and Ranger2 programs. The conceit behind the Ranger2 program is to place a Windows 95 track bar control at the top of the form, and to enable the user to move the thumb on the track bar in order to select a range of values to view:

void __fastcall TForm1::TBarChange(TObject *Sender)

TBarChange is called whenever the thumb on the track bar moves. The valid range of values on the track bar are 1 to 10. The code multiplies current position on the track bar times 1,000 to get the start of the range, and adds 1,000 to this value to get the end range. The theory here is that the track bar measures the range in increments of 1,000.

The TBarChange method calls the SetRange method of TDMod:

void TDMod::SetRange(int AStart, int AFinish)

This TTable SetRange method takes two OpenArray templates, the first to cover the starting range, the second to cover the ending range. The idea here is that the table might be indexed on multiple fields, and you can use an OpenArray to specify the values associated with more than one field, if needed.

Filtering with the OnFilterRecord Event

The OnFilterRecord event enables you to set up filters on fields even if they are not keyed. You can use this event in two different ways.

The first technique involves setting the TTable Filtered property to True. When you do this, you will see only the records that are designated by the formula defined in the OnFilterRecord event. For instance, if you had a State field in your dataset and the OnFilterRecord event said to accept only records from New Hampshire, you would see only the records from New Hampshire when Filtered was set to True.

The second technique enables you to search for records even when Filtered is set to False. For instance, if you set up an OnFilterRecord

event that accepted only records from New Hampshire, you could call Table->FindFirst to find the first of these records, and Table->FindNext to find the next one, and so on. There are also FindPrior and FindLast properties that you can use with the OnFilterRecord event. The key point to remember is that as long as the OnFilterRecord event is implemented correctly, you can use FindFirst, and so on, even when Filtered is not set to True.

An example of the OnFilterRecord event is shown in the Filter program found on this book's CD-ROM. The rest of this section describes how to create that program from scratch.

To see the OnFilterRecord event in a live program, start by dragging the Country table off the Database Explorer onto a blank form or data module from a new project. (It sometimes helps to close the Database Explorer after the drop operation, rather than trying to switch between the two tools by changing their focus.) Drop down a panel and set up the Align property for the panel and for the TDBGrid as explained in the previous examples from this chapter.

Place a TCheckBox object on the panel and set its caption to Filtered. Associate the following method with the OnClick event for the checkbox:

void __fastcall TForm1::FFilterClick(TObject *Sender)

This code ensures that the table will be filtered whenever the checkbox is checked.

Use the Fields Editor for the Table1 object to create field objects for all the fields in the database. Drag the Continent field off the Fields Editor onto the form, as shown in Figure 9.8.

FIGURE 9.8. The main form for the Filter program includes a grid, a panel, a checkbox, a TDBEdit control, and a button.

Turn to the Events page for the TTable object, and associate the following code with the OnFilterRecord event:

void __fastcall TForm1::FCountryFilterRecord(TDataSet *DataSet, Boolean &Accept)

This code states that the OnFilterRecord event will accept all records where the Continent field of the Country table contains the word "South America". The Continent field will have either the value North America or South America in it. If you click the checkbox to turn the filter on, you will see only the records from South America. In short, the filter will automatically accept only those records whose Continent

field matches the value "South America".

If you wanted, you could change the code so that it always filtered on the value currently in the Continent field:

void __fastcall TForm1::FCountryFilterRecord(TDataSet *DataSet, Boolean &Accept)

For this code to work, you must drop down a DBEdit control, and hook it up to the Continent field of the Country table.

It's important to note that the Accept field of the OnFilterRecord event is a Boolean value. This means that you can set up any kind of a Boolean statement in order to set the value of this field. For instance, in addition to the = operator, you could also use the following operators: <>, >, or <`.

The FindNext, FindFirst, and FindPrior functions are extremely easy to use. For instance, if you wanted to find the next record in the database that satisfied the requirements specified in the OnFilterRecord event, you could write the following code to be fired in response to clicking a button:

void __fastcall TForm1::FFindNextClick(TObject *Sender)

The other functions work exactly the same way. This is a Boolean function that will return False if the search fails. Remember that these methods work even if the Filtered property of the TTable object is set to False.

Using the Refresh Function

As you already know, any table that you open is always subject to change. In short, you should regard a table as a fluid, rather than as a static, entity. Even if you are the only person using a particular table and even if you are not working in a networked environment, there is always the possibility that the program you are running may have two different ways of changing a piece of data. As a result, you should always be aware of the need to update, or refresh, your current view of a table. Furthermore, BCB will not always update data after you perform an action in the background. As a result, you may need to update data by performing a refresh, particularly after certain kinds of delete operations.

The Refresh function is related to the Open function because it retrieves the data, or some portion of the data, associated with a given table. For instance, when you open a table, BCB retrieves data directly from a database file. Similarly, when you refresh a table, BCB goes out and retrieves data directly from a table. You can therefore use this function to update a table if you think it might have changed. It is faster, and much more efficient, to call Refresh than to call Close and then Open.

　

---

NOTE: In a networked environment, refreshing a table can sometimes lead to unexpected results. For instance, if a user is viewing a record that has been deleted, it will seem to disappear out from under the user the moment the program calls Refresh. Similarly, if another user has edited data, a call to Refresh can result in data dynamically changing while a user is viewing it. Of course, it is unlikely that one user will change or delete a record while another is viewing it, but it is possible. As a result, you should use calls to Refresh with caution.

---

　

Bookmarks

It is often useful to mark a particular location in a table so that you can quickly return to it when desired. BCB provides this functionality through three methods of TDataSet that use the metaphor of a bookmark. When you use these functions, it is as if you have left a bookmark in the dataset, and you can therefore turn back to it quickly whenever you want:

void __fastcall FreeBookmark(System::Pointer Bookmark);

As you can see, the GetBookmark call returns a variable of type pointer, which is in fact just a pointer to a Bookmark. A Bookmark pointer contains enough information to enable BCB to find the location to which it refers. Therefore, you can simply pass this bookmark to the GotoBookmark function, and you will immediately be returned to the location with which the bookmark is associated.

It's important to note that a call to GetBookmark allocates memory for the bookmark, and so you must remember to call FreeBookmark before you exit your program and before every attempt to reuse a bookmark. For instance, here is a typical set of calls for freeing a bookmark, setting a bookmark, and moving to a bookmark:

void __fastcall TForm1::bMarkClick(TObject *Sender)

The code shown here is excerpted from a program called Bookmark, which comes with the CD-ROM that accompanies this book. In the declaration for TForm1, a variable called Bookmark is declared in the private section. Every time the MarkClick function is called, the first step is to be sure the Bookmark is freed. It is never a mistake to call FreeBookmark, because the function checks to make sure Bookmark is not set to NULL. After de-allocating any existing copies of the Bookmark, a new one is allocated. You can then call GotoBookmark and repeat the cycle.

Bookmarks are powerful features that can be of great benefit under certain circumstances. The developers of BCB, for instance, used bookmarks frequently in order to develop the database components. They often have several different bookmarks open at the same time.

　

---

NOTE: Most of the features surfaced in TDataSet are built into the BDE. For instance, filters, searching for keys, and bookmarks are available to anyone who uses the BDE. What the developers of BCB have done is surface these features so that they can be easily accessed using object-oriented programming techniques. The calls from the BDE are available to people who purchase the Borland Database Engine from Borland or to patient BCB spelunkers who spend some time with BDE.hpp.

---

　

More on TDataSet and TTable

TTable adds several frequently used properties to TDataSet:

__property System::Boolean ReadOnly;

Of the properties shown here, the most common ones are probably TableName and ReadOnly. You can use the TableName property to specify the table you want to open, and you can set the ReadOnly property to True or False depending on whether you want to allow the user to change the data in a dataset. Neither of these properties can be used when a table is active.

The Exclusive property lets you open up a table in a mode that guarantees that no other user will be able to access it at the same time. You will not be able to set Exclusive to True if another user is currently accessing the table.

The MasterSource property is used to specify a TDataSource from which the current table needs to obtain information. For instance, if you linked two tables in a master/detail relationship, the detail table can track the events occurring in the first table by specifying the first table's data source in this property. This technique is demonstrated in the following section on linked cursors.

Creating Linked Cursors

Linked cursors enable programmers to easily define a one-to-many relationship. For instance, it is sometimes useful to link the CUSTOMER and ORDERS tables so that each time the user views a particular customer's name, he or she can also see a list of the orders related to that customer. In short, the user can view one customer's record, and then see only the orders related to that customer.

To understand linked cursors, you first need to see that the CUSTOMER table and the ORDERS table are related to one another through the CustNo field. This relationship exists specifically because there needs to be a way to find out which orders are associated with which customer.

The Links program on the book's CD-ROM demonstrates how to create a program that uses linked cursors. To create the program on your own, place two tables, two data sources, and two grids on a form. Wire the first set of controls to the CUSTOMER table and the second set to the ORDERS table. If you run the program at this stage, you should be able to scroll through all the records in either table, as shown in Figure 9.9.

FIGURE 9.9. The Links program shows how to define a relationship between two tables.

The next step is to link the ORDERS table to the CUSTOMER table so that you view only those orders associated with the current customer record. To do this, you must take three steps, each of which requires some explanation:

1. Set the MasterSource property of Table2 to DataSource1.

2. Set the MasterField property in Table2 to CustNo.

3. Set the IndexName property of Table2 to ByCustNo.

If you now run the program, you will see that both tables are linked together, and that every time you move to a new record in the CUSTOMER table, you can see only those records in the ORDERS table that belong to that particular

customer.

The MasterSource property in Table2 specifies the DataSource from which Table2 can draw information. Specifically, it allows the ORDERS table to know which record currently has the focus in the CUSTOMER table.

The question then becomes this: what other information does Table2 need in order to properly filter the contents of the ORDERS table? The answer to this question is twofold:

1. It needs the name of the field that links the two tables.

2. It needs the index of the field in the ORDERS table that is going to be linked to the CUSTOMER table.

In order to correctly supply the information described here, you must first ensure that both the CUSTOMER table and the ORDERS table have the correct indexes. Specifically, you must ensure that there are indexes on both the CustNo field and the CustNo field in the ORDERS table. If the index in question is a primary index, there is no need to specifically name that index, and therefore you can leave the IndexName field blank in both tables. However, if either of the tables is linked to the other through a secondary index, you must explicitly designate that index in the IndexName field of the table that has a secondary index.

In the example shown here, the CUSTOMER table has a primary index on the CustNo field, so there is no need to specify the index name. However, the ORDERS table does not have a primary index on the CustNo field, and so you must explicitly declare it in the IndexName property by typing in or selecting the word CustNo.

　

---

NOTE: To simplify the process described previously, the developers put in a dialog that appears when you click the MasterFields property. This dialog simplifies the process and helps to automate the task of setting up a link between two tables.

In particular, to use the MasterFields dialog, start a new project and drag the Customer and Orders tables off the Explorer onto the main form. Arrange the grids with the Customer grid on top and the Orders grid beneath it. Set the DataSource property of the Orders TTable object to the TDataSource object associated with the Customer table.

Pop up the MasterFields dialog and make sure the Available Indexes is set to Primary Index. Click the CustNo field in both Detail Fields and MasterFields list boxes. Click Add. The two fields will appear in the Joined Fields list box. At this stage, you are all done, so you can click the OK button.

---

　

Some indexes can contain multiple fields, so you must explicitly state the name of the field you want to use to link the two tables. In this case, you should enter the name CustNo in the MasterFields property of Table2. If you wanted to link two tables on more than one field, you should list all the fields, placing a pipe symbol between each one:

Table->MasterFields := "CustNo | SaleData | ShipDate";

In this particular case, however, I'm guilty of a rather shady bit of expediency.

In particular, the statement shown here makes no sense, because the SaleData and ShipDate fields are neither indexed nor duplicated in the CUSTOMER table. Therefore, you should only enter the field called CustNo in the MasterFields property. You can specify this syntax directly in a property editor, or else write code that performs the same chore.

It's important to note that this section covered only one of several ways you can create linked cursors using BCB. Chapter 10, "SQL and the TQuery Object," describes a second method that will appeal to people who are familiar with SQL. The Database Expert provides a third means of achieving this end. As you have seen, the Database Expert is an easy-to-use visual tool. The Query Builder is yet a fourth way of creating a one-to-many relationship between two tables. Like the Database Expert, the Query Builder is a visual tool that can save you much time. However, it's best not to rely entirely on visual tools, because there are times when you might feel limited by their functionality. In such cases, you will be glad if you understand the underlying technology. That way you can get the job done yourself without being forced to wrestle with the limitations of a particular tool.

TDataSource Basics

Class TDataSource is used as a conduit between TTable or TQuery and the data-aware controls such as TDBGrid, TDBEdit, and TDBComboBox. Under most circumstances, the only thing you will do with a TDataSource object is to set its DataSet property to an appropriate TTable

or TQuery object. Then, on the other end, you will also want to set a data-aware control's DataSource property to the TDataSource object you are currently using.

　

---

NOTE: Visual tools such as TDBEdit or TDBGrid all have a DataSource property that connects to a TDataSource object. When reading this chapter, you need to distinguish between a visual control's DataSource property and the TDataSource object to which it is attached. In other words, the word DataSource can be a bit confusing. I try to refer to a TDataSource object as a data source, and to refer to the DataSource property as a DataSource. You should, however watch the context in which these words are used, and be aware of the rather subtle distinctions in meaning surrounding this issue.

---

　

A TDataSource also has an Enabled property, and this can be useful whenever you want to temporarily disconnect a table or query from its visual controls. This functionality might be desirable if you need to programmatically iterate

through all the records in a table. For instance, if a TTable is connected to a data-aware control, each time you call TTable.Next, the visual control needs to be updated. If you are quickly going through two or three thousand records, it can take considerable time to perform the updates to the visual controls. In cases like this, the best thing to do is set the TDataSource object's Enabled field to False, which will enable you to iterate through the records without having to worry about screen updates. This single change can improve the speed of some routines by several thousand percent.

The AutoEdit property of TDataSource enables you to decide whether or not the data-aware controls attached to it will automatically enter edit mode when you start typing inside them. Many users prefer to keep AutoEdit set to True, but if you want to give a user more precise control over when the database can be edited, this is the property you need. In short, if you set AutoEdit to False, you have essentially made the table read-only.

Using TDataSource to Check the State of a Database

The events belonging to TDataSource can be extremely useful. To help illustrate them, you will find a program on the CD-ROM that comes with this book called Dsevents that responds to all three TDataSource events. This program shows an easy way to set up a "poor man's" data-aware edit control that automatically shows and posts data to and from a database at the appropriate time.

This example works with the COUNTRY database and it has a TTable, TDataSource, five edits, six labels, eight buttons, and a panel on it. The actual layout for the program is shown in Figure 9.10. Note that the sixth label appears on the panel located at the bottom of the main form.

FIGURE 9.10. The Dsevents program shows how to track the current state of a table.

TDataSource has three key events associated with it:

OnDataChange

A TDataSource OnStateChange event occurs whenever the current state of the dataset changes. A dataset always knows what state it's in. If you call

Edit, Append, or Insert, the table knows that it is now in edit mode, and that fact is reflected in the value held in the TDataSource State property. Similarly, after you Post a record, the database knows that it is no longer editing data, and it switches back into browse mode. If you want more control, the next section in this chapter explains that a dataset also sends out messages just before and just after you change states.

The dataset has nine possible states, each of which are captured in the following enumerated type:

enum TDataSetState { dsInactive, dsBrowse, dsEdit, dsInsert,

During the course of a normal session, the database will frequently move back and forth between browse, edit, insert, or the other modes. If you want to track these changes, you can respond to them by writing code that looks like this:

void __fastcall TForm1::dsCountryStateChange(TObject *Sender)

In this code, I am using a TStatusBar object to report the state of the dataset to the user. To use a TStatusBar object, first drop one on a form and then double-click on the editor for the TStatusBar Panels property to bring up the Status Bar Panel Editor. Create a new panel in the Status Bar Panel Editor and set its text to Browse, or to some other string. You now have one panel the text of which you can change with the following line of code:

StatusBar1->Panels->Items[0]->Text = S;

It's time now to stop talking about the OnStateChange event and to move on to the OnDataChange event. OnDataChange occurs whenever you move on to a new record. In other words, if you call Next, Previous, Insert, or any other call that is likely to lead to a change in the data associated with the current record, an OnDataChange event will get fired. If someone begins editing the data in a data-aware control, an OnResync event occurs.

Dsevents has one small conceit that you need to understand if you want to learn how the program works. Because there are five separate edit controls on the main form, you need to have some way to refer to them quickly and easily. One simple method is to declare an array of edit controls:

TEdit *Edits[5];

To fill out the array, you can respond to the forms OnCreate event:

void __fastcall TForm1::FormCreate(TObject *Sender)

The code shown here assumes that the first edit control you want to use is called

Edit1, the second is called Edit2, and so on.

Given the existence of this array of controls, it is very simple to use the OnDataChange event to keep them in sync with the contents of the current record in a dataset:

void __fastcall TForm1::dsCountryDataChange(TObject *Sender, TField *Field)

This code iterates through each of the fields of the current record and puts its contents in the appropriate edit control. Whenever Table->Next is called, or whenever any of the other navigational methods are called, the function shown previously gets a chance to strut onto the stage. Its primary raison d'etre is to ensure that the edit controls always contain the data from the current record.

Whenever Post gets called, you will want to perform the opposite action. That is, you will want to snag the information from the edit controls and tuck them away inside the current record. To execute this chore, simply respond to TDataSource.OnUpdateData

events, which are generated automatically whenever Post is called:

void __fastcall TForm1::dsCountryUpdateData(TObject *Sender)

The Dsevents program switches into edit mode whenever you type anything in one of the edit controls. It manages this sleight of hand by responding to OnKeyDown events:

void __fastcall TForm1::Edit1KeyDown(TObject *Sender, Word &Key,

This code demonstrates how to use the State variable of a TDataSource object to find out the current mode of the dataset.

Tracking the State of a Dataset

In the last section, you learned how to use TDataSource to keep tabs on the current state of a TDataSet and to respond just before certain events are about to take place.

Using a TDataSource object is the simplest way to perform all these functions. However, if you would like to track these events without using TDataSource, you can respond to the following rather intimidating list of events from TDataSet, all of which are naturally inherited by TTable or TQuery:

__property TDataSetNotifyEvent BeforeOpen;

Most of these properties are self-explanatory. The BeforePost event, for instance, is functionally similar to the TDataSource->OnUpdateData event that is explained and demonstrated previously. In other words, the Dsevents program would work the same if you responded to DataSource1->OnUpdateData or to Table->BeforePost. Of course, in one case you would not need to have a TDataSource on the form, while the other requires it.

All of these events are associated with methods that have a particular signature. For instance, most of them are of type TDataSetNotifyEvent. A TDataSetNotifyEvent is declared like this:

typedef void _C!astcall (__closure *TDataSetNotifyEvent)(TDataSet *DataSet);

Or, to make the matter more comprehensible, here is the code BCB generates for an AfterClose event:

void __fastcall TForm1::tblCountryAfterClose(TDataSet *DataSet)

To work with these properties, you should see the EventOrd program found on the CD-ROM that accompanies this book, and shown below in Figure 9.11. This program is better experienced in action, rather than explained in words here on the page. The main point of the program is to notify you when any major event associated with a table occurs. If you play with the program for some time, you will begin to get a good feeling for the events associated with a table, and for the order in which they occur.

　

　

---

NOTE: When I first wrote this program, I learned a number of things about VCL databases that had not been clear to me from prior experience. There is nothing like seeing the events being fired to start to get a sense of how the VCL really works! So I would strongly recommend spending some time with this program.

---

　

FIGURE 9.11. The EventOrd program tracks the events that occur in a TTable-based database application.

The EventOrd program responds to all the published events that can occur on a TTable object. Each method response event does nothing more than report the event by posting a string to list box. Here, for instance, is the response to the NewRecord event:

void __fastcall TDataMod::tblCountryNewRecord(TDataSet *DataSet)

The HandleDataEvent pops the string into the list box and makes sure that the most recently added items in the list box are always visible:

void __fastcall TDataMod::HandleDataEvent(char * S)

The main form for the application has a simple method that will write the contents of the list box to disk:

void __fastcall TForm1::WriteListBoxDataToDisk1Click(TObject *Sender)

Here, for instance, is a short run from the program:

Before Open

The preceding list records what happens when

• A table is opened

  　

• The TDBNavigator Next button is pressed twice

  　

• The TDBNavigator Insert button is pressed

  　

• The TDBNavigator Cancel button is pressed

Unfortunately, the TDBNavigator OnClick method occurs after the changes are recorded in the dataset. For instance, the last six events in the record look like this:

Before Cancel

They actually occurred in the following order:

Navigator click: Cancel

The point is that I clicked the navigator Cancel button, and then the other events occurred, in the order shown. However, BCB gives priority to the database events, and then reports the OnClick event.

If you do a lot of database programming, you really need to know the order in which certain events occur. Outlining all that information in these pages is not likely to be particularly helpful to most readers. To learn about this information, it's best just to watch the events occur and to trace their history. So fire up the

OrdEvents program and see what you can learn from it.

Working with TDatabase

While you are learning the basics of connecting to a table, you should also look at the TDatabase object, which exists primarily to give you a means of staying connected to a database even if you are continually opening and closing a series of tables. If you use TDatabase, you can be connected to Oracle, InterBase, or other servers without ever opening any tables. You can then begin opening and closing tables over and over without having to incur the overhead of connecting to the database each time you call Open.

The TDatabase object also enables you to start server-based applications without specifying a password, and it gives you access to transactions. Besides the information in this chapter, more information on TDataBase appears in the discussion of the Transacts program, which is covered at the end of Chapter 15, "Working with the Local InterBase Server."

To use the TDatabase object, first drop it on to a form or data module. Set the AliasName property to DBDEMOS. Create your own DatabaseName, such as MyDBDemos. Set Connected to True. Drop down a TTable object and set its DatabaseName property to MyDBDemos. The issue here is that you created a "new database" when you dropped the TDatabase object on the form and filled in its fields as shown previously. Therefore you can select the name of this database from the drop-down list for the TTable DatabaseName property.

After connecting the table to the TDatabase object, you can work with the TTable object exactly as you would under normal circumstances. For instance, you could connect it to the BioLife table, as shown in the DatabaseObject program found on the CD-ROM that accompanies this book.

If you double-click a TDatabase object, you bring up the component editor for this object, shown in Figure 9.12. Inside the component editor you can discover

the default values for many of the database parameters passed in the BDE alias for this database.

FIGURE 9.12. The component editor for the TDataBase object displaying information about a connection to an InterBase table.

In this section your learned about the TDatabase object, which can be used to optimize code that is continually connecting and disconnecting from tables that belong to one database. Throughout the rest of this chapter and the next, the TDatabase object will play only a minor role. However, these components come into their own when you are connecting to SQL data as described in Chapter 15.

Connecting to a Database without Visual Tools

Everything that you do in BCB with the visual tools can also be done in code. The visual tools are just an easy way to write code; they do not do anything special that you can't also do in code. In fact, the code came first, and then the visual tools were added to make it easier for you to create programs. The key to BCB is the way its language conforms to the metaphors of visual programming without causing you any undo overhead.

　

---

NOTE: It would not be true, of course, to say that BCB has no overhead as a result of its concessions to the world of visual programming. For instance, all objects that reside on the Component Palette inherit at least some code that makes them able to be manipulated visually. In other words, they descend not directly from TObject, but from TComponent.

The amount of this code is small compared to what you see in a product like PowerBuilder. In particular, it is nearly identical in size and kind to the code associated with an OWL or MFC object. In short, BCB components are really just normal objects with a few extra methods. As a result, they are much smaller than most ActiveX controls or than controls you see in other products. Furthermore, the principles of inheritance allow most of the code to be reused over and over by multiple objects. In other words, you get the hit the first time you bring up a form, but other forms, or subsequent objects dropped on a form, just reuse the same objects used by the TForm object.

To help drive this point home, I should perhaps point out that a typical small BCB application with five or six components on it is about 200KB in size. Many of the ActiveX controls that I have used are at least that large. In other words, it would not be unusual to find that five ActiveX controls added over a megabyte to the size of your application's install image. BCB controls, on the other hand, frequently added no more than five or ten KB to the size of your executable.

An exception is the presence of the first database control you drop on a form, which usually adds about 200KB to your executable. You should note, however, that because of inheritance, subsequent database objects do not increase the size of your application by nearly so large a percentage. Big database applications with four or five forms and thirty or forty database controls are frequently some 500-700KB in size. That's big by the old standards of DOS, but not large by today's standards.

---

　

If you want to write code that is completely independent of the visual tools, you have to add some include directives to the header file for your form. For instance, to use a TTable object, you should add the following code to your header file:

#include <vcl\DBTables.hpp>

Here is an example of how to connect to a TTable object without using any visual tools:

void __fastcall TForm1::Button1Click(TObject *Sender)

Of course, this code would not work if I did not first drop down a TButton object and create an OnClick event for it with the visual tools. But I am not using any visual tools when working with the database.

In this example, the first line of code creates an instance of a TTable object. This is the equivalent in code of dropping a TTable object onto a form from the Component Palette. Notice that you pass in this to the object's constructor in order to give the object an owner. In particular, Form1 is being assigned as the owner of the object, and is therefore responsible for freeing the object at shutdown time. If you passed in NULL in this parameter, you would have to call Free or Delete in the last line of code. I chose to do this anyway, in large part because I am declaring TTable as a local variable that lives on the stack created for this one function. It therefore makes sense to destroy the object at the end of the function, though the VCL would in fact still clean up the memory for me when the form is destroyed. However, if I declared MyTable as a field of Form1, it would make sense just to let Form1 call Free on the object at program shutdown, which is what I do in the other examples included in this section.

The next three lines of code do what you would normally do with the Object Inspector. That is, you first fill in the DatabaseName and TableName properties, and then you call Open, which is the equivalent of setting Active to True.

After opening the table, you are free to access its code in any way you want. You could, for instance, iterate through the records in a table, as explained later in this chapter, or you could even connect the table to a data source, and the data source to a TDBGrid or TDBEdit control.

An example of this type of program is available on disk as a program called TABLESWITHOUTVISUALTOOLS.MAK, found in the NOVISUALTOOLS directory. The code for the program is shown in Listings 9.1 and 9.2.

Listing 9.1. The main source file for the TablesWithoutVisualTools program.

//----------------------------------

Listing 9.2. The header file for the TablesWithoutVisualTools program.

//----------------------------------

If you also wanted to connect to TDatabase object without using any visual tools, you can do so as follows:

void __fastcall TForm1::bOpenTableClick(TObject *Sender)

For this code to work, you need to do several things. In particular, you would need to add DB.HPP and DBTABLES.HPP to your header file for your main form, and you would need to edit the declaration for your TForm1 class so that it looked like this:

class TForm1 : public TForm

Notice the addition of the TDatabase and TTable data items. These are added so that the objects are available for use in the bOpenTableClick function.

I have also added TDBGrid and TDataSource to the project and hooked up my database to them. I do this in order to show that there is absolutely no difference between creating a TTable and TDatabase object in code and doing it with the visual tools. As you can see, you can hook up the visual tools to the code based objects with just a single line of code:

DataSource1->DataSet = FMyTable;

In particular, this line of code defines exactly what happens logically when you connect a data source to a table using the visual tools.

In this next example, absolutely everything is done from scratch. No visual database objects are used, and even the Alias is created on the fly. All the visual database controls are created on the fly, assigned locations on the form, attached to the database, and made visible:

void __fastcall TForm1::bCreateClick(TObject *Sender)

Needless to say, this code would not work unless the database objects were declared in the class declaration for TForm or in some other legal location:

class TForm1 : public TForm

In this case all variables declared in the private section are database objects used in the bCreateClick method shown previously.

The key lines to focus on are the ones that define the Alias for the TDatabase object:

FMyDatabase->DatabaseName = "AnyName";

The first thing to notice about this code is that it hard-codes the path to my version of BCB into the application. You will, of course, probably have to edit this path before running the application.

You can see that the database object is given a DatabaseName, but no

AliasName is declared. Instead, a DriverName is specified. This is an either/or proposition. You declare the AliasName, in which case the driver is specified inside the Alias, or else you explicitly declare the

DriverName, which means that no externally defined Alias will be used.

Selecting the STANDARD driver is another way of saying you want to use a Paradox table. If you resort to the visual tools, you can see that this is a drop-down list of items, so you can see what other drivers are available on your system. As a rule, you will have available STANDARD drivers, dBASE drivers, and a list of SQL Links drivers such as Oracle, Sybase, and so on.

If no externally defined Alias will be used, how does the TDatabase object perform its function? How does it know which database you want to reference? How does it know the details about the database such as server name, user name, and

database name? The solution to this quandary is supplied by the Params property, which can be used to define all the data that normally appears in an Alias. (This is the same property you explored earlier in this chapter when you double-clicked a TDataBase object to bring up the TDatabase component editor.)

In the case of Paradox tables, the only information that you need to fill concerns the path to the database. However, there are additional fields that will need to be covered if you want to connect to a client/server database. The Params property is of type TStrings, which means you can treat it more or less as you would any TStringList object, or as you would the Items property for a TListBox.

Notice that when you create visual database controls, you need to specify both the owner and the parent of the control:

FMyEdit = new TDBEdit(this);

In this case, both the owner and the parent are the main form. The Owner is responsible for deallocating the memory associated with the object, and the Parent is a field used by Windows so it will know where to draw the control.

If you are working in code rather than using the visual tools, you still have complete control over the object. For instance, I can define how many buttons will be visible on a TDBNavigator control:

FMyNavigator->VisibleButtons =

In this case, the VisibleButtons property is of type TButtonSet. In C++, sets are emulated through objects. If you want to add a member to the set, you use the overloaded << operator. In this case I am turning on the First, Last, Next, and Prior buttons, and leaving the other buttons uninitialized.

Before closing this section, I should make one final point. In all these examples, I am assuming that a TSession object has been created. This will indeed happen automatically, so long as you have a TApplication object initialized in your application. The DatabaseAlias application and all standard BCB applications initialize the TApplication object in WinMain:

WINAPI WinMain(HINSTANCE, HINSTANCE, LPSTR, int)

If you don't have this kind of code in your application (for instance, if you have created a console application), you will have to explicitly create the TSession object yourself. Code for doing this is shown later in the book in the chapter on ISAPI programming, "Extending an Internet Server with ISAPI."

In this section you have learned something about creating database objects in code rather than with the visual tools. One drawback to this section is that it makes BCB database programming appear fairly difficult. The other side of the coin, of course, is that you don't have to manipulate the database tools this way. In fact, you will usually use the speedy visual tools to do in a few seconds what is done previously in code. It is, however, important to know that you can do all forms of database programming in code if you so desire.

Summary

In this chapter, you have learned how to use the TDataSet, TField,

TDBDataSet, TTable, TDatabase, and TDataSource classes. This material is very much at the heart of the BCB database machinery, so you should be sure you understand how it works.

The key points to remember are as follows:

• TDataSet encapsulates the basic actions you will perform on a table.

  　

• TField is a property of TDataSet that enables you to access the contents or name of each field in a record.

  　

• TDBDataSet gives you the capability to associate a dataset with a given table.

  　

• TTable encapsulates all the functionality of a dataset, but it also gives you access to table-specific chores such as setting indexes or creating linked cursors.

  　

• TDataSource forms a link between TTable or TQuery and any of the data-aware components such as TDBEdit or TDBGrid. TDataSource also contains three useful events that keep you informed about the current state of the database.

In the next chapter, you will learn about the TQuery object and SQL. SQL is especially useful when you want to access the advanced capabilities associated with servers and server data.