One of the most useful maintenance features in DFD was install Form/Report/Table etc.

And like so many other things from DFD, it never worked the same in DFW if at all.

You could get it to work if you knew all the tricks, but for most users it didn't work.

This was the problem list:

1. You had to browse down the entire file structure to the "donor" app for each file, it would not retain the "position" - very anyoing.
2. It would suggest a TDF/DBM file with the same name as the FRM file - 99% of the cases that would be wrong as FRM never change name with change, and TDF/DBM ALWAYS change name with change...If you were lucky the TDF/DBM suggested didn't exist, if you were not so lucky it would install a completely wrong one and create havoc with your RDRR.
3. If you included data it would not include data but instead corrupt the table.

All in all, the recipe for disaster and why MOST of you never used this.

However.... we want this to work!

One of the things we want to utilise in the future is building applications from templates, snippets and elements.

You should be able to go into a "website" and pick the elements you want for your new app, and then receive an package where all these elements are properly combined into one app and the best way to do that is to install them.

So one of the latest fixes to 8.5 is install!

1. It will retain its position, so you can install file by file from a donor app.
2. It will Suggest the correct TDF/DBM because we now read the RDRR and Application object in the donor app to find out which files ACTUALLY belong together...we are DataEase after all so why didn't "we" do it before?
3. The problem with reading the data was related to Networking and locking. It worked on standalone (where the brilliant developer tested it back in its day) but not when the app was shared....now it works anyway/how.

So have a go, and try to break it, We haven't been able to.

Yes!!!

Finally!!

One of the useful and important feature. I haven't tested this. But, I take your word for it.

I think DataEase 8.x is getting into 21st century. But, slowly :-)

To be honest, this is definitely a 20th Century feature.

I can guarantee you that DE8 is solidly in 21st Century but possibly it is not that "visible" yet.

One thing I can guarantee, you will attract more customers. Is to add interactive DQL like DFD

When someone types or selects FOR.....then DataEase automatically gives all the tables to select.....etc.