TableDef Object

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A TableDef object represents the stored definition of a base table or a linked table (Microsoft Jet workspaces only).

Remarks

You manipulate a table definition using a TableDef object and its methods and properties. For example, you can:

• Examine the field and index structure of any local, linked, or external table in a database.
  
  
• Use the Connect and SourceTableName properties to set or return information about linked tables, and use the RefreshLink method to update connections to linked tables.
  
  
• Use the ValidationRule and ValidationText properties to set or return validation conditions.
  
  
• Use the OpenRecordset method to create a table-, dynaset-, dynamic-, snapshot-, or forward-only–type Recordset object, based on the table definition.

For base tables, the RecordCount property contains the number of records in the specified database table. For linked tables, the RecordCount property setting is always -1.

To create a new TableDef object, use the CreateTableDef method.

To add a field to a table

1. Make sure any Recordset objects based on the table are all closed.
   
   
2. Use the CreateField method to create a Field object variable and set its properties.
   
   
3. Use the Append method to add the Field object to the Fields collection of the TableDef object.

You can delete a Field object from a TableDefs collection if it doesn't have any indexes assigned to it, but you will lose the field's data.

To create a table that is ready for new records in a database

1. Use the CreateTableDef method to create a TableDef object.
   
   
2. Set its properties.
   
   
3. For each field in the table, use the CreateField method to create a Field object variable and set its properties.
   
   
4. Use the Append method to add the fields to the Fields collection of the TableDef object.
   
   
5. Use the Append method to add the new TableDef object to the TableDefs collection of the Database object.

A linked table is connected to the database by the SourceTableName and Connect properties of the TableDef object.

To link a table to a database

1. Use the CreateTableDef method to create a TableDef object.
   
   
2. Set its Connect and SourceTableName properties (and optionally, its Attributes property).
   
   
3. Use the Append method to add it to the TableDefs collection of a Database.

To refer to a TableDef object in a collection by its ordinal number or by its Name property setting, use any of the following syntax forms:

TableDefs(0)

TableDefs("name")

TableDefs![name]