Hi All - New to this Forum!!

I have been using LO Base and MySQL for some time now for my ex-School Pupils Database but have had problems and in communications with Jaroslaw Staniek he mentioned Kexi.

I did look at Kexi a few years back but could not find some features then that I needed so never used it.
It now looks a lot more interesting. So I set-up a small 'dummy' DB to test it out.

As a result of this I have a couple of questions I can't find an answers for ...

1) How do I know what Database Engine I'm using and where is the data stored?
2) How do I make the Primary Key Auto increment by 1 for each record?
3) I've been able to create and insert Drop Down Boxes but can not find how to put in the options for them??
4) Is there a way to make Kexi start with my Form rather than the Create Screen?

Thanks for any pointers - appreciated.

IanW
Pretoria RSA

Ianwhit wrote:1) How do I know what Database Engine I'm using and where is the data stored?
2) How do I make the Primary Key Auto increment by 1 for each record?
3) I've been able to create and insert Drop Down Boxes but can not find how to put in the options for them??
4) Is there a way to make Kexi start with my Form rather than the Create Screen?

Hello Ian and welcome to the forum and the community!

These are good questions for the start.
As usual, documentation, tutorial and (old) samples are here: https://userbase.kde.org/Kexi#Documenta ... nd_Samples

1) How do I know what Database Engine I'm using and where is the data stored. On Kexi startup in Welcome screen you can see the difference between file and server-based projects - the icons are different. See http://kexi-project.org/pics/2.9/kexi-2 ... -icons.png. Kexi uses a term "project" for the complete entity you create, which 'physically' can be database file or server database. There you create tables, queries, forms, etc. Please see the handbook for more info. If you use files you're using the SQLite3 engine, you can store the file(s) on your computer easily in any place, move them, send, etc. If you use server(s) you decide on what kind of server it is, types for Kexi 2.9 are as follows: MySQL (MariaDB works too without noticing any difference), PostgreSQL, MS SQL Server. Note: you cannot reuse existing ones created using other tools, you have to "import" them using Kexi's Import features. For servers you also have to make sure you have permissions for creating databases/accessing them, etc. Kexi isn't a database administering tool, you use dedicated one (or else administrators can help you).

2) How do I make the Primary Key Auto increment by 1 for each record? It's automatic, just mark a column as primary key and it's by default so-called "autonumber". Works with all supported database engine.

3) I've been able to create and insert Drop Down Boxes but can not find how to put in the options for them?? Please refer to http://blog.gmane.org/gmane.comp.kde.us ... h=20090201. Quite typically we call the boxes: combo boxes. Yes we should have it documented in our handbook even if it's easy as soon as you know where to look

4) Is there a way to make Kexi start with my Form rather than the Create Screen? You start Kexi with command line options (link) that help to auto-open. Look for User Mode here: kexi-project.org/screenshots.html which also lets you to hide "design" features so your users won't be able to break things too easily. One or more objects of any types can be open this way, and in any view mode (design, data...). You can create shortcut for your desktop and include the options there, then on single click the objects will be opened automatically. It's well understood that eventually Kexi should also have options in its GUI for setting up the auto-open objects and the user-mode.

Hope this helps with the basics.
J.

Thanks Jaroslaw

1) OK it's all local so that must be SQLlite - thanks, I'm happy with that.
2) I have set the ContactID to Primary Key but if I try to add a new record I get the error that ContactID has to be entered.
It's NOT doing this automatically.
3) Re Dropdown Boxes/Combo Boxes - I see that you have to set it in the table and not in the Form like Base. I did this but it then lists ALL the values in the Table, (multiples of the same thing!!). What I want is to pull down the box and have the options there to choose from. ie Mr, Mrs, Miss, Doc, Rev, Prof etc etc
4) Fine as long as you can do that I will get into it later!!

New "Funny" .....

When I set-up my "Dummy" Database I put in 5 records.
Today I opened the Form and I find 10 records like this - Nos 1,1,1, 2,2,2, 3,3,3,4,4,4,5. So it has triplicated each of the first 4 records!!???
How does this happen???

IanW
Pretoria RSA

Thanks again

@IanW
If you send me the dummy file I may be able to find answers on questions #3 and #5 faster.

Re. 2, If you set primary key for a field (Kexi asks and adds it for you if you forget to), it's autonumber as well by default. You may want to double check if the Autonumber property is set true.

Also, it helps if for any question here version of Kexi is known.

Thanks for trying Kexi!

Note: you cannot reuse existing ones created using other tools, you have to "import" them using Kexi's Import features.

Hello,
I know this topic is old, but my question is related to it.
Once I have imported tables from the external database, are they copied into the kexi database, or are they seen as tables in the initial place?
In other words, are data linked to the external database or do I use a screenshot of data when I do to import?
My idea is to use Kexi as report generator for "external" database.

Hi Papoteur,
Once you imported tables from the external database, are they copied into the kexi database. Even if both databases are, say, of type MySQL.

Linking without importing needs to be implemented, and will work just fine.

J.

Thanks for you quick answer.
I don't know if this is something in my skill, but do you know the area in the code where this can be done?

This is a KDb module, as well as KEXI gui module, and can be a cost of man-months of work, ... not even counting maintenance.