How to Retreive Database Properties in a Program

• Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, version 3.0

SUMMARY

Visual FoxPro introduces several database properties available to databases. These properties include comments and stored procedures. This article describes how to determine database properties from a Visual FoxPro program.

MORE INFORMATION

The DISPLAY DATABASE and LIST DATABASE commands can view several database properties at once. These commands can direct output to the console, to a printer, or to a text file. The example in this article retrieves individual components of a database.

Comment

A database comment can be obtained by using the DBGETPROP() function. The following example shows how to return the comment of a database by using DBGETPROP():

   cResult=DBGETPROP('mydata', 'DATABASE', 'Comment')

• mydata is the table name.
• DATABASE specifies that the property is a database property.
• Comment is the property desired.

Version

The version number of a database can be obtained by using DBGETPROP() function. The following example shows how to return the version number of a database by using DBGETPROP():

   cResult=DBGETPROP('mydata', 'DATABASE', 'Version')

• mydata is the table name.
• DATABASE specifies that the property is a database property.
• Version is the property desired.

Path

The path to the database can be obtained by using the DBC() function. The following example shows how to return the path of a database by using DBC():

   SET DATABASE TO alldata        &&Assumes a database named "alldata"
   cResult=DBC()

Stored Procedures

Stored procedures contained within a database can be obtained by using the DISPLAY PROCEDURES or COPY PROCEDURES command. There is no way to store the contents of stored procedures in a memory variable. DISPLAY and COPY PROCEDURES can both be used to copy stored procedures to a text file or to the printer. The following example uses COPY PROCEDURES to copy the stored procedures to a file named STORCODE.TXT:

   OPEN DATABASE alldata
   COPY PROCEDURES TO storcode.txt

Tables

A list of tables contained within a database can be obtained by using the DISPLAY TABLES or LIST TABLES command to display the list to the console, a printer, or a text file. Here's an example:

   OPEN DATABASE alldata
   LIST TABLES TO FILE tblfile.txt NOCONSOLE

Views

A list of views contained within a database can be obtained by using the DISPLAY VIEWS or LIST VIEWS command to display the list to the console, a printer, or a text file. Here's an example:

   OPEN DATABASE alldata
   LIST VIEWS TO FILE viewfile.txt NOCONSOLE

Named Connections

A list of named connections contained within a database can be obtained by using the DISPLAY CONNECTIONS or LIST CONNECTIONS command to display the list to the console, a printer, or a text file. Here's an example:

   OPEN DATABASE alldata
   LIST CONNECTIONS TO FILE connfile.txt NOCONSOLE