Re: Fw: Re: How know the name fields of PDB file
With good reason--there is typically information about record structure stored in the Appinfo block. Oops - typing too fast and not proofreading. Typically there is NO information. Sorry about that. Regards, Steve Mann -- For information on using the Palm Developer Forums, or to unsubscribe, please see http://www.palmos.com/dev/support/forums/
Re: Fw: Re: How know the name fields of PDB file
so far I'm not convinced that we can retrieve the record structure given an arbitrary pdb along with its AppInfo block. With good reason--there is typically information about record structure stored in the Appinfo block. Regards, Steve Mann -- For information on using the Palm Developer Forums, or to unsubscribe, please see http://www.palmos.com/dev/support/forums/
Fw: Re: How know the name fields of PDB file
I remember the original question was " how to get the field names of
a record"
Let's assume that we can retrieve the AppInfo block from the PDB
header. If the AppInfo block is defined as
typedef struct {
UInt16 renamedCategories;
CharcategoryLabels[16][16];
UInt8 categoryUniqIDs[16];
UInt8 lastUniqID;
UInt8 padding;
} AppInfoType;
as on this page:
http://www.palmos.com/dev/support/docs/fileformats/PDB+PRCFormat.html
then how is the category information related to the field
names/types/offsets/length ?
so far I'm not convinced that we can retrieve the record structure
given an arbitrary pdb along with its AppInfo block.
Wei
--- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], "Viren" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Thanks Doug for that clarification.
>
> -Viren
>
> --- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], Douglas Handy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> wrote:
> > Viren,
> >
> > >Correct. But Doug, how would I know what all info is it dumping
in
> > >the AppInfoBlock or SortInfoBlock ?
> >
> > You don't have to know what or why they put something in those
> blocks, only that
> > they exist and how to get to the records. See the docs at
> >
>
http://www.palmos.com/dev/support/docs/fileformats/Intro.html#939653
> for more
> > information.
> >
> > You don't want to assume the records begin after the recordlist.
> On the above
> > page you'll find a specific warning about that:
> >
> > "IMPORTANT: There is always a gap between the final record list
> in the header
> > and the first block of data in the database, where the first
block
> might be one
> > of the following: the appInfo block, the sortInfo block, raw
record
> or resource
> > data, or the end of the file. The gap is traditionally two bytes
> long; however,
> > if you write code to parse a database, your code should be able
to
> handle any
> > size gap, from zero bytes long and up. "
> >
> > >I mean there is no way for me to
> > >know by how much do I have to increment my offset
> >
> > Start at the above page and read the documentation on the
formats.
> It is
> > possible to know...
> >
> > Doug
> >
> > --
> > For information on using the Palm Developer Forums, or to
> unsubscribe, please see http://www.palmos.com/dev/support/forums/
>
>
> --
> For information on using the Palm Developer Forums, or to
unsubscribe, please see http://www.palmos.com/dev/support/forums/
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Fw: Re: How know the name fields of PDB file
Thanks Doug for that clarification. -Viren --- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], Douglas Handy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Viren, > > >Correct. But Doug, how would I know what all info is it dumping in > >the AppInfoBlock or SortInfoBlock ? > > You don't have to know what or why they put something in those blocks, only that > they exist and how to get to the records. See the docs at > http://www.palmos.com/dev/support/docs/fileformats/Intro.html#939653 for more > information. > > You don't want to assume the records begin after the recordlist. On the above > page you'll find a specific warning about that: > > "IMPORTANT: There is always a gap between the final record list in the header > and the first block of data in the database, where the first block might be one > of the following: the appInfo block, the sortInfo block, raw record or resource > data, or the end of the file. The gap is traditionally two bytes long; however, > if you write code to parse a database, your code should be able to handle any > size gap, from zero bytes long and up. " > > >I mean there is no way for me to > >know by how much do I have to increment my offset > > Start at the above page and read the documentation on the formats. It is > possible to know... > > Doug > > -- > For information on using the Palm Developer Forums, or to unsubscribe, please see http://www.palmos.com/dev/support/forums/ -- For information on using the Palm Developer Forums, or to unsubscribe, please see http://www.palmos.com/dev/support/forums/
Fw: Re: How know the name fields of PDB file
Thanks, i found the dump-db utility, work rigth with PDB files created by the
other utility but even crash with the PDB created in the PALM,i think what the
error found in the creation of the PDB, when i write some registers the size is:
typedef struct {
unsigned long norden; //codigo-Vendedor + norden
unsigned long cantitems; //Cantidad de items
unsigned long clie; //Vend
Char cantidad[8]; //Cantidad pedida
Char precio[8]; //Precio
Char codigo[15];//Codigo producto
} ItemOrdReg;
and when write one record field or other:
DmStrCopy(s,offsetof(ItemOrdReg,codigo), item.codigo);
write only the text and the rest of space reserved for the field is garbage!
(I VIEW WITH RSCREDIT)
. . . . . . . .//Write the integer values
. . 0 . 2 5 0 .//the "integer" values in string
. . . . 4 0 . .
. . . . D I A C//The codigo field "DIACAN17" with garbage at end
A N 1 7 . s y s
. ( . . . .
i think what erasing the garbage of the string fields, solve the problem
-- Forwarded Message ---
From: "drvirens" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Palm Developer Forum" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Wed, 13 Aug 2003 14:22:07 -0000
Subject: Fw: Re: How know the name fields of PDB file
Hi there,
Hmmm. So you are using third-party tool for conversions. As Thomas
said in his reply, the names could be stored in header part of the
PDB. You may like to ask it to the implementers of the tool or crack
it out yourself.
I remember, in my ealrier days in Palm, when my company had decided
to go for AppForge, we could not cope up with its database tools. The
APpForge, it was noticed then ( dunno the current case ), used to
dump too much of proprietary info after the database header ( i.e.
after the first 78 bytes in pdb ). And our palm-reader ( in-house
developed utility ) was going for a toss sicne it was assuming that
what would follow after 78 bytes would be really a record header ( b-
bytes)...however, things used to fall apart thanks to AppForge
implementations.
-Viren
--
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--- End of Forwarded Message ---
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Re: Fw: Re: How know the name fields of PDB file
Viren, >our palm-reader ( in-house >developed utility ) was going for a toss sicne it was assuming that >what would follow after 78 bytes would be really a record header ( b- >bytes)...however, things used to fall apart thanks to AppForge >implementations. No, things fell apart because you made the assumption the recordlist info would follow a 78 byte header. Per the Palm OS docs you need to account for the AppInfoBlock, if present, and the SortInfoBlock, if present. It is not AppForge's fault if you made false assumptions. Doug -- For information on using the Palm Developer Forums, or to unsubscribe, please see http://www.palmos.com/dev/support/forums/
Re: Fw: Re: How know the name fields of PDB file
AppForge has a dll for reading/writing their PDBs on the desktop. code looks the same as it is on the handheld, so you could write an extraction program with Visual Basic to work with the files fairly quickly. not that I advocate using AppForge, but the tools are all there. David M --- drvirens <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Thanks Doug for that explanation. And nice to see ya' after a long > time. :-) > > > No, things fell apart because you made the assumption the > recordlist info would > > follow a 78 byte header. Per the Palm OS docs you need to account > for the > > AppInfoBlock, if present, and the SortInfoBlock, if present. It is > > not > > AppForge's fault if you made false assumptions. > > Correct. But Doug, how would I know what all info is it dumping in > the AppInfoBlock or SortInfoBlock ? I mean there is no way for me to > know by how much do I have to increment my offset unless I know what > all bytes have been dumped in there. One could simply put in some > secret messages/easters etc in the above block and it would be just > too much for my "lil" palm-based PDB reader. > > -Viren > > > > -- > For information on using the Palm Developer Forums, or to > unsubscribe, please see http://www.palmos.com/dev/support/forums/ __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com -- For information on using the Palm Developer Forums, or to unsubscribe, please see http://www.palmos.com/dev/support/forums/
Fw: Re: How know the name fields of PDB file
Hi there, Hmmm. So you are using third-party tool for conversions. As Thomas said in his reply, the names could be stored in header part of the PDB. You may like to ask it to the implementers of the tool or crack it out yourself. I remember, in my ealrier days in Palm, when my company had decided to go for AppForge, we could not cope up with its database tools. The APpForge, it was noticed then ( dunno the current case ), used to dump too much of proprietary info after the database header ( i.e. after the first 78 bytes in pdb ). And our palm-reader ( in-house developed utility ) was going for a toss sicne it was assuming that what would follow after 78 bytes would be really a record header ( b- bytes)...however, things used to fall apart thanks to AppForge implementations. -Viren -- For information on using the Palm Developer Forums, or to unsubscribe, please see http://www.palmos.com/dev/support/forums/
Fw: Re: How know the name fields of PDB file
I use palm-db-tools utilities for convert databases. When use csv2pdb i define the name fields in the info file or command line as: csv2pdb -f code,integer -f name,string -t "ClientsDB" client.csv client.pdb and editing later the pdb file i see the name fields in the binary code (whith vi), but when i make the pdb file in the palm i don't know these name fields for the INF file, because if write any name don't work, i get this error: Violacion de Segmento (Note: Segment violation) ¿? -- Forwarded Message --- From: "drvirens" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Palm Developer Forum" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wed, 13 Aug 2003 13:43:19 -0000 Subject: Re: How know the name fields of PDB file Please, can you explain your question in more details ? Do you wanna know the names of the fields of a PDB file ? If so, I am sorry that is not possible to do since the PDB does not store the "names" of fileds anyway. It stores the records as "raw" data. It is the programmer who has to interprete those raw bytes and work with. -Viren --- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], "rguevara" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hi all, i need know the name field of the record in a PDB file for convert a PDB > to CSV file (i need for the INF file). Exist one application like "par" for show > this name fields? > > -- > Open WebMail Project (http://openwebmail.org) > > -- > For information on using the Palm Developer Forums, or to unsubscribe, please see http://www.palmos.com/dev/support/forums/ -- For information on using the Palm Developer Forums, or to unsubscribe, please see http://www.palmos.com/dev/support/forums/ --- End of Forwarded Message --- -- Open WebMail Project (http://openwebmail.org) -- For information on using the Palm Developer Forums, or to unsubscribe, please see http://www.palmos.com/dev/support/forums/
Re: Fw: Re: How know the name fields of PDB file
Viren, >Correct. But Doug, how would I know what all info is it dumping in >the AppInfoBlock or SortInfoBlock ? You don't have to know what or why they put something in those blocks, only that they exist and how to get to the records. See the docs at http://www.palmos.com/dev/support/docs/fileformats/Intro.html#939653 for more information. You don't want to assume the records begin after the recordlist. On the above page you'll find a specific warning about that: "IMPORTANT: There is always a gap between the final record list in the header and the first block of data in the database, where the first block might be one of the following: the appInfo block, the sortInfo block, raw record or resource data, or the end of the file. The gap is traditionally two bytes long; however, if you write code to parse a database, your code should be able to handle any size gap, from zero bytes long and up. " >I mean there is no way for me to >know by how much do I have to increment my offset Start at the above page and read the documentation on the formats. It is possible to know... Doug -- For information on using the Palm Developer Forums, or to unsubscribe, please see http://www.palmos.com/dev/support/forums/
Re: How know the name fields of PDB file
Hi, some CSV->PDB Converters store the field names in the AppInfoBlock of a database. Take a look at DmDatabaseInfo to retrieve the AppInfoBlock if it is there. Some FileManagers also show you, if a InfoBlock is there so check this first before you do too much work. Thomas "rguevara" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> schrieb im Newsbeitrag news:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Hi all, i need know the name field of the record in a PDB file for convert a PDB > to CSV file (i need for the INF file). Exist one application like "par" for show > this name fields? > > -- > Open WebMail Project (http://openwebmail.org) > > -- For information on using the Palm Developer Forums, or to unsubscribe, please see http://www.palmos.com/dev/support/forums/
Fw: Re: How know the name fields of PDB file
Thanks Doug for that explanation. And nice to see ya' after a long time. :-) > No, things fell apart because you made the assumption the recordlist info would > follow a 78 byte header. Per the Palm OS docs you need to account for the > AppInfoBlock, if present, and the SortInfoBlock, if present. It is not > AppForge's fault if you made false assumptions. Correct. But Doug, how would I know what all info is it dumping in the AppInfoBlock or SortInfoBlock ? I mean there is no way for me to know by how much do I have to increment my offset unless I know what all bytes have been dumped in there. One could simply put in some secret messages/easters etc in the above block and it would be just too much for my "lil" palm-based PDB reader. -Viren -- For information on using the Palm Developer Forums, or to unsubscribe, please see http://www.palmos.com/dev/support/forums/
Re: How know the name fields of PDB file
Please, can you explain your question in more details ? Do you wanna know the names of the fields of a PDB file ? If so, I am sorry that is not possible to do since the PDB does not store the "names" of fileds anyway. It stores the records as "raw" data. It is the programmer who has to interprete those raw bytes and work with. -Viren --- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], "rguevara" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hi all, i need know the name field of the record in a PDB file for convert a PDB > to CSV file (i need for the INF file). Exist one application like "par" for show > this name fields? > > -- > Open WebMail Project (http://openwebmail.org) > > -- > For information on using the Palm Developer Forums, or to unsubscribe, please see http://www.palmos.com/dev/support/forums/ -- For information on using the Palm Developer Forums, or to unsubscribe, please see http://www.palmos.com/dev/support/forums/
