KnowledgeBase Archive

An Archive of Early Microsoft KnowledgeBase Articles

View on GitHub

Q124657: INF: Text Driver Needs Directory Before Define Format Enabled

Article: Q124657
Product(s): Open Database Connectivity (ODBC)
Version(s): WINDOWS:2.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): 
Last Modified: 12-JUN-2001

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Open Database Connectivity, version 2.0 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY
=======

This article discusses why you must select a directory before the Define Format
button is enabled when adding a new data source for the ODBC Text Driver version
2.0.

MORE INFORMATION
================

When you add a text data source for the ODBC Text Driver version 2.0, you can
define the format of the text files that this data source is going to be
associated with. This can be done by selecting the Define Format button under
Options in the ODBC Text Setup dialog box.

The text driver treats each text file as a table. Defining the format of a text
file lets the driver know how many columns are there in this table, what their
data types are, etc. The Define Format option is not enabled until you select
Select Directory to specify the directory that is going to be used by the
driver.

The reason for this can be seen by looking at how the text driver stores the
format information, also called as schema information. All the schema
information associated with a text data source is stored in a file called
SCHEMA.INI. The requirement is that the text driver should be able to locate
this file when an application connects to the text data source.

To be able to do this, the text driver needs to know during data source setup
time, the directory that the text files (tables) are going to be located in.
With this information, the driver will create the SCHEMA.INI file in the same
directory.

If you do not specify a directory, then the driver has no way of determining at
connect time where the SCHEMA.INI file is located. Hence, the driver will not
allow you to define the format. As a result, Define Format is grayed out.

NOTE: This button is still grayed out when you select the Use Current Directory
button. This is because Use Current Directory does not give the driver a
definite directory to write the SCHEMA.INI. Although it can write SCHEMA.INI to
the current directory, when an application uses the DSN, the current directory
may be in another directory and the SCHEMA.INI is missing.

Additional query words: 2.00.2317 ODBC Desktop Database Drivers Pack MFC VISUAL C++ FOXPRO WORD EXCEL Windows NT

======================================================================
Keywords          :  
Technology        : kbAudDeveloper kbODBCSearch kbODBC200
Version           : WINDOWS:2.0

=============================================================================

THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.