DB Write

[Ed McCabe]

Message: 7
Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2003 19:40:37 -0500
From: "J. Landman Gay" <jacque at hyperactivesw.com>
Subject: Re: DB Write
To: How to use Revolution <use-revolution at lists.runrev.com>
Message-ID: <3F987505.1040706 at hyperactivesw.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed

On 10/23/03 4:10 PM, Ed McCabe wrote:

> Has anyone had any luck installing DB Write the XCMD word processor into a
> REV stack.
> 
> The installer can read a rev stack that I converted from HC  - and had the
> DB Write external - and indicates that the XCMD is already installed in the
> stack - but Rev cannot find it. I am reluctant to resort to Resedit unless I
> have to.

How did you install it? HC XCMDs do have to go into the resource fork.

Also, Rev can only use the older 1.0-type XCMDs. If Write DB is the
newer 2.0 type, it won't work. If Write DB creates its own external
windows, then it's most likely the newer kind.

-- 
Jacqueline Landman Gay         |     jacque at hyperactivesw.com
HyperActive Software           |     http://www.hyperactivesw.com

 Thanx for the response;

DB/Write is a commercial word processing add-on for Hypercard, 4th Dimention
& Supercard published by Metropolis Software in Palo Alto. I purchased it
around 1990 and have been using it since. The program came with an installer
but its manual indicates that it can also be installed with ResEdit though
it was not recommended. Once installed it is called like a function and
offers most of the features of a full blown word processor including mail
merge which is my main use of it.

I cant tell you which type XFCN it is - but when activated it does produce
its own word processor-like window.

One of the main problems with DB/Write is that the documents it produces can
only be opened from within DB/Write - however it can produce text only files
which can be inserted into any other word processor.

I am using HC as a data entry front to DB/Write documents (form letter type
reports which already have a lot of boilerplate text within them) via its
mail merge capability and insert the text only documents it produces into a
McWrite Pro template - but any word processor can accept them.

I am hoping to create a stand alone REV application that will run on windows
after all these years of being relegated to Mac only use.

The DB/Write installer program recognizes the Rev stack I converted from HC
and indicates that DB/Write is already installed - but I cannot call it.

I am aware that externals do not make the conversion to REV - but apparently
some did as the installer sees them.

There may be a better way to produce text files directly from REV, but
DB/Write has done the job for over 12 years since I started using it.
Metropolis stopped supporting the application many years ago.

Any suggestions would be appreciated before I start attempting to install
the resources with ResEdit.

Ed McCabe