I am creating an application with Delphi XE3 (Ultimate Edition) that will utilise an embedded SQLite database. I watched various videos in relation to it and I noticed that my Data Explorer did not match that of the video. At first my Data Explorer was empty, all that was there was dbExpress. I've also tried re-running the installer several times and DataSnap, DBXPool, DBXTrace, IBToGo and InterBas appeared, but it was not because of the installation re-run. Anyway, what can I do to get the SQLite option to appear for me?
This is currently what my Data Explorer looks like:
Check dbxdrivers.ini and dbxconnections.ini for dbexpress configuration. You may need to add an entry for Sqlite dbexpress configuration.
Related
I would like to know if there are any open source components available for Delphi XE-2 that can connect to postgreSQL other than using outdated techniques like ODBC.
For now just Win32 support is needed, but if Win64 and OS-X support is also available that would be a bonus.
I googled around a bit, but the only lib that's available (ZEOS) looks like it is no longer in active development.
There does seem to be a patch for Delphi XE2 but I could not get it to compile.
As of right now: No.
You either route through ADO -> ODBC, dbExpress -> ODBC (for XE2*, see below), hope to make Zeos work, or pay for one of the various commercial components (PostgresDAC, DevArt, or AnyDAC, to name a few).
While Delphi XE2 comes with an ODBC driver for dbExpress, it's only for the Enterprise SKU and higher -- it's not available in Pro. For XE2 Pro users and users of older versions of Delphi there's Open dbExpress. I've tried using it before, but always had trouble with it. It's been updated since I've last used it though, so maybe whatever problems I had (which may have been my own fault) aren't an issue anymore.
All this said, ODBC isn't really an outdated technology. On non-Windows systems it seems to be the preferred DB-agnostic API. That said, it seems that many environments prefer to implement their own connectivity (e.g. QT, GNOME) rather than relying on ODBC exclusively. However, for the PostgreSQL project itself, their default (and best supported) connectivity API is ODBC.
Update: In fact, Microsoft is making ODBC their premier connectivity API for SQL Server starting with SQL Server 2002 (codenamed Denali). See: Microsoft Aligning with ODBC and Microsoft is Aligning with ODBC for Native Relational Data Access. This is the last release that will support OLE DB, and Microsoft is encouraging developers to use ODBC.
Turns out you can get ZEOS to work on Delphi XE2 and as far as I've tested all DB functionality works.
Here are the steps to follow:
Use SVN* to download the Delphi XE2 archive for ZEOS at:
https://zeoslib.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/zeoslib/branches/testing
Put the zeos folder in the appropriate place, I'm assuming c:\borland
Do not open Delphi yet, but instead open
C:\borland\zeos\packages\delphi16\ZComponent.dpk in wordpad and remove the trailing {$IFDEF} (remember to keep the ; in place).
Open c:\borland\zeos\packages\delphi16\ZeosDbo.groupproj.
Choose build all
Open c:\borland\zeos\packages\delphi16\build in explorer, copy all .bpl files and copy those to c:\borland\delphixe2\bin
Component -> install packages -> [add...] and choose
c:\borland\delphixe2\bin\ZComponentDesign.bpl
as a SVN client I've downloaded SVN-tortoise from: http://tortoisesvn.net/downloads.html
Combined with both the SVN plug-ins for Firefox
I want to install a Firebird database driver, and to have it available within the Delphi XE IDE. I want the database driver to be usable on the same basis as other, supplied database drivers (eg Interbase, SQL - from within the Data Explorer in the IDE). I have obtained an appropriate driver.
The driver consists of a Delphi project, which compiles to a DLL; and modifications to two .ini configuration files (dbxconnections.ini and dbxdrivers.ini). I assume that the DLL is the actual driver, and I have compiled the project without problem.
I have got this far, and this is where I realised that I do not know what is involved in installing a new database driver; what is involved in installing a new database driver into an IDE; nor where the elements of the installation need to reside.
So my question is:
What steps are needed to install a dbExpress database driver into the Borland XE Delphi Professional IDE?
Some of the specific points I don't know about include -
Does the driver need to be registered with all of Firebase, Delphi and Windows?
Do I need to employ a specific registration procedure to accomplish registration?
Are there any elements I am missing to accomplish my aim?
Where should the installed components be located?
All four vendors, Embarcadero, Borland, UniOpen, and Firebird provide documentation (most of which is very comprehensive) but I have been unable to extract from them what I need to do and where to do it.
I have searched multiple questions on SO, but all of seem to start from the basis that the OP knows what is involved in driver installation.
All the products (except the driver project) generate multiple files in multiple locations, and it is not clear what components belong where. For example, I have multiple versions of the two configuration files residing in:
C:\Users\User\AppData....
C:\Users\Public\Public Documents...
C:\Program Files\Vendor....
....
In addition these products install files into:
the registry (multiple keys);
C:\Program Files....;
C:\Program Files (x86)....;
C:\Windows\System....;
C:\Windows\System 32.....
and probably more.
Environment:
Machine: Lenovo Thinkpad W510
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate
Delphi: Embarcadero® RAD Studio XE Version 15.0.3953.35171
Database: W1-V2.5.0.26074 Firebird 2.5
Database Driver: UniOpen Native DBX Driver
Also Installed:
Embarcado Borland® Developer Studio 2006 Enterprise Version 10.0.2288.42451 Update 2 (XP Version)
Borland Delphi Version 7 (XP Version)
In summary:
What steps and locations are needed to install a dbExpress database driver into the Borland XE Delphi Professional IDE?
You missed a file. :)
DataExplorer, from the best I can tell, uses dbxdrivers.ini. My installation of XE has a single copy of that particular file, located (Win7 64) in C:\Users\Public\Documents\RAD Studio\8.0. The connection types listed in DataExplorer come from the list of installed drivers at the beginning of that file, and each driver has one or more configuration sections which follow that list.
The driver files listed in the configuration section have to exist in a location findable (like any other Windows DLL) by LoadLibrary. The documentation in the link explains the way the API function searches for DLLs; basically though, the IDE has to find it somewhere on the PATH.
The vendor or author of your particular driver should be able to provide the info that needs to go in the dbxdrivers.ini file. (I'm not familiar with UniOpen personally, and don't have FireBird on this particular machine.) The IDE only reads that file during startup, so you'll need to (re)start the IDE after making the additions.
This post at the Embarcadero Delphi Database->DBExpress forum may help with defining aliases for your Firebird databases, and describes connecting via the TSQLConnection component. (Look for a post by Ralph Horbury-Smith.) If you don't have a Developer's Network ID, you'll need to register with the Embarcadero site; the link I provided uses HTTPS for some reason. You can also get to their forums via NNTP; I'm not using a newsreader, so I'm not sure what the address would be. There's a link to connection info on this page at Embarcadero.
There's also some information available on the Delphi XE documentation Wiki pages that might help as well.
EDIT: Found one more link at the DBExpress forums that might interest you. It has a link for another FB DBExpress driver and specific information for the dbxdrivers.ini file for that driver. It's the post by Phillip Flores (about the 3rd one down on the page).
I am accepting #Ken's answer. His response provided links to various resources. I am summarising the answers to the specific points I had that I have obtained from the references.
There is no need to amend dbxconnections.ini - the IDE will do that for me.
I need to amend dbxdrivers.ini appropriately and place it in the IDE directories.
The actual driver needs to be somewhere on the path - typically System32.
There is no need to register the driver with Windows.
Apart from the items listed above, there is no special procedure needed to register such drivers.
The list here appears complete.
EDIT:
My conclusions in this summary were premature and I have asked a further question to try and obtain further information. The strikeout in the list above marks the incorrect elements.
The background to this query was this question.
I have installed this driver for Firebird and placed it within the path (system32) used by the IDE. The XE Data Explorer recognises the driver, and it is possible to create a connection using the Data Explorer. Trying to view tables or any other database element through this connection results in the error described in this question. As far as I can see #Alejandro Jourdan has not obtained a solution to this problem, and I can find no solution on any of the support sites for Firebird or for Delphi XE.
The second problem comes when I create a TSQLConnection using this connection. The connection works to the extent that it generates the login prompt to the database, but when it tries to open the connection I get the error message: 'file is not a valid database' This error message is (sort of) reproducible from within the Data Explorer which gives the following error:
I/O error during "CreateFile(open)" operation for file [database path] Error while trying to open file. Access is denied..
The database is valid and can be opened from the Firebird command line utility, and from a Data Base browser.
Environment:
Machine: Lenovo Thinkpad W510
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit
Delphi: Embarcadero® RAD Studio XE Professional Version 15.0.3953.35171
Database: W1-V2.5.0.26074 Firebird 2.5 (64 bit)
Also Installed:
Embarcado Borland® Developer Studio 2006 Enterprise Version 10.0.2288.42451 Update 2 (XP Version)
Borland Delphi Version 7 (XP Version)
EDIT:
See my own answer below. This edit has removed extensive detail that proves to be unnecessary in the light of that answer, while retaining the core of the question, and the links contained within it.
The first thing that sticks out to me is that you're using the 64-bit version of Firebird, and that you mentioned it comes with both a 32- and 64-bit driver. Are the DLLs named the same? If so, I suspect that the IDE/OS are trying to load the 64-bit version of the DLL in a 32-bit application, which isn't possible (32-bit apps can't load 64-bit drivers, and vice versa).
Try one of two things:
First, if the DLLs have the same name, rename the 64-bit version temporarily, and restart the IDE. Then try again.
Try installing the 32-bit version of Firebird, even though you're running a 64-bit OS.
The basic question I had (in part I) was:
I want to install a Firebird database
driver, and to have it available
within the Delphi XE IDE. I want the
database driver to be usable on the
same basis as other, supplied database
drivers (eg Interbase, SQL - from
within the Data Explorer in the IDE).
I have obtained an appropriate driver.
After considerable investigation I have found that it is not possible to achieve the integration into the Delphi IDE that I was trying to achieve. This is because the Data Explorer is a .NET application and the available DBExpress drivers (here and here) are just not compatible with .NET. I understand that I can use the drivers by setting up the parameters appropriately, in both the IDE and by programming in the application I am developing.
I have drafted this answer to assist others to avoid this particular blind alley. I am also editing the part II question in order to remove a lot of the detail, that proves to be unnecessary in the light of this answer.
I am testing one application that handles files (stored in SQL Server using FILESTREAM). It is a Delphi 32bit application.
Opening an XLS document stored in the database (originally saved with Office 2003) gives an error from Excel 2010 64bit. Is there some known compatibility issue of Office 2010 64bit with 32bit applications?
Error messages and workflow
When opening the file Excel gives one of the following error messages:
Impossible to open the file FILE because of problems in contents
Impossible to open the file because some parts are missing or not valid
Opening a file on machine A with Office 2007 opens the file with no problems. Opening the same file on machine B with Office 2010 produces the error message. Opening again on machine A there is also an error message! In all these steps I am just reading from the database, not writing. So why does this can happen?
How do I open the documents?
SELECT query to get 'DOCUMENT' varbinary(max) field for the specific ID_Document.
Extract from database using
TBlobField(sqlQuery.FieldByName('DOCUMENT')).SaveToFile(sDestinationPath + FileUniqueName + .zip');
Copy file from one path to another using Windows.CopyFile
Unzip file using TZipforge component
Set attribute of unzipped file to ROM using FileSetReadOnly function.
Open document using ShellExecute(0, 'open', PWideChar(FIleName), '', '', SW_SHOWNORMAL);
As you can see there is nothing that writes back to the database. Once the file is extracted from TBlobField it is even copied to another place before unzipping and opening it.
Possibly broken installation
Office has been reinstalled and now everything works, the problem of corruption was due to a conflict with an open Office installation that asked "do you want to fix the office installation?". Anyway the problem still remains, because I cannot understand what happened. How can I corrupt a file in the database if I extract it in a folder and open it from the folder without writing anything back to database?
Office 2010 64-bit should have no problems with files created with its 32-bit version. The files (.docx, .xls) are bitness independant.
I have some questions:
How do you open your files?
Can you show some code?
Are you sure that you are only reading the file from the database?
Do you give your files the right extension? Saving a .xls as .xlsx will cause problems when opening the file.
Check if your SQL server database is corrupt. Check disk where database is for errors. Reinstall SQL server.
Solved: it was a bug in my program. There was an error in the logic that persisted the document status and by mistake sometimes Is_File_Compressed was set to False, even if it is true.
Thanks for the support.
I am getting to know the dbexpress firebird driver from Chau Chee-Yang (http://sites.google.com/site/dbxfirebird/)
I find it hard to install because there is very little information, I
succeded making a connection, but several questions arise: When using
the data explorer and I want to connect to the database sends me the
following error:
--------------------------- Database Explorer
--------------------------- The located assembly's manifest
definition does not match the
assembly reference. (Exception from
HRESULT: 0x80131040)
---------------------------
When I want to generate the query in the command text of the sqldataset
delphi sends me the following error:
Cannot load metadata for
FIREBIRDCONNECTION. Add driver unit
to your uses (DbxInterBase or DbxDb2
or DbxMsSql or DBXMySQL or DbxOracle
or DbxSybaseASA or DbxSybaseASE).
I dont really know If I did something wrong installing the
driver, maybe I have to give the sql instructions like SelectSql.add
('select *.... in real time. Instead of the sqldataset I put a SQLTable
and I can see the data. I think something is wrong in not being able
to write sql instrcciones directly from the CommandText of the
sqldataset Any help well be appreciated
Thanks and regards
I haven't used this driver, but if you're using the Enterprise or Architect editions, they ship with their own dbExpress driver for Firebird. It may work better in the data explorer.
I also get that error in the data explorer. There were some notes about this in the support forum. It seemed like he had a fix, but it hasn't made it in yet. Here's the link:
http://groups.google.com/group/dbxfirebird/browse_thread/thread/a99e9f7946abd67c