Labels in Base not working

tippytoes · General User Joined: 25 May 2005 Posts: 17

I have used dBase and Access in the past, successfully. So I do have a vague idea of what I am doing.

But just cannot get Base to make labels for me. Everything goes fine until I see the page on which the labels will appear.......just the fields are showing............not the data entered in those fields. They are in the right order, commas, spaces are correct. But no data.

I.E., Where it should have a person's name it says: <"database name" LastName>. etc.

I have followed the directions every step of the way. Even made a couple new databases so I could start from scratch.

Do I have to use Writer and mailmerge in order for labels to be made?????? That seems a bit backwards to me.

Appreciate any help I can get at this point.

Tippy............

Crying or Very sad

MSPhobe · Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 4:50 am Post subject:

I've just posted an answer to this in the thread called....

"How to use labels with input from database ?"

Apologies for not knowing how to put a link to it here..... maybe the following will work?....

http://www.oooforum.org/forum/viewtopic.phtml?t=31482&highlight=labels+synchronise+fields

... if a more senior (not hard) OO Forum user can advise me for the next time, no offense taken! Tom

tippytoes · General User Joined: 25 May 2005 Posts: 17

Thanks...............but I figured out how to do it since posting.

A really complicated procedure. But it works.

Big problem, trying to figure out how to import an Access file into Base. I get it,,but it's READ ONLY. What a pain.

Guess Base is not ready for real time yet.

Thanks again.

Tippy......................

JohnV · Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 8:13 am Post subject:

tippytoes,

The comment I've added to the linked thread above may be helpful.

Generallly you need a database table to have a primary key field in order to avoid read only status.

tippytoes · General User Joined: 25 May 2005 Posts: 17

Thanks for the info. Now, is there a way to insert a primary key before or after importing that will avoid the Read Only problem??

Obviously, I can't insert after as I am not allowed to do anything but read. So, can this be accomplised in Access before importing or in Calc as I now have this file in Calc.

Thanks so much.

tippy..............

JohnV · Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2006 7:47 am Post subject:

Here is how to create a true Base table from your Calc file. This works in 2.0.1 but I'm not sure about 2.0.0.

Open the Calc file, select and copy data to clipboard.

File > New > Database > (the bullet should be in Create by default) > Finish > name it > Save.

Click the Table icon, move cursor to the blank area where table names normally appear, i.e., below the tab now named Tables > right click > Paste.

Name the table or accept default, bullet in Definition & data, check Primary Key, explore Next or just Create.

Question - does this work directly from your original Access file?

Phenom24 · Newbie Joined: 12 Feb 2006 Posts: 1 Location: NJ

I had a post here, but have since solved the problem.

Must...follow...directions!!!

Smile

tippytoes · General User Joined: 25 May 2005 Posts: 17

After all the posts, after trying everything that was suggested, after pulling my hair out, finally solved it, thanks to JohnV.

At least, it appears to work...........even though it says Read Only in the Title bar.

I imported from Access into Calc. And NOW I am able to manipulate my records in Base.

My undying gratitude!!!

Tippy...............

themba

In response to JohnV's question. Yes it does work to copy an Access table and then go straight to Base and follow the steps he outlines. I'm using v2.0.0

Thanks very much for this. Was struggling with the same issue but am a newbie to Base (like most people I guess)

Themba

MSPhobe · Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2006 10:59 am Post subject:

I've put together a little "Getting started with Base" guide. It includes how to do labels. It can be viewed at....

http://sheepdogguides.com/fdb/fdb1main.htm

I would not have been able to put it together without the much appreciated help of those who know Base better than I do, and hang out here explaining things to newbies.

Tom

traper · General User Joined: 04 Feb 2006 Posts: 6

It works... partly...

I have the database in Access. As all it's tabels have read-only status in OOBase I tried to copy the tabe to the Calc and then move

back to Base.
It worked for the simple table with 2 columns, but when I did it with more complicated table the was an information tha the record is

too big. In the next attempt I changed the specifications of fields and made them smaller.

This time the table was created, but only 1 record was inserted (neither the first nor the last one). Question

Does anybody know why?

MSPhobe · Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2006 6:32 am Post subject:

If a field in a record you are importing is too long to fit in the field as specified for the table, then the record is dropped, but you do get a message to tell you that this is happening.

I've put a tutorial on importing via a CSV file on the web at....

http://sheepdogguides.com/fdb/fdb1imp1.htm

traper · General User Joined: 04 Feb 2006 Posts: 6

(R. E.) Bruce Martin

I have seen a plethora of posts and "solutions" here which have done more to confuse me than anything else.

Tippytoes said somewhere something Like I guess Base is not ready for real time yet. I tend to concur.

A new user needs to go "Import/MS Access/Browse to MS Access database/import" and then simply save the resulting .ODB file where he wants. NO MORE complicated than that!

I can link to an MS ACCESs database, but I cannot create a true new database from that ie. import.

I cannot recomment base to those who ask me questions until the import is as simple as I illustrated!

Frustrated,

rebm@videotron.ca