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Q129400: FREE TABLE Command Removes Table from Corrupted Database

Article: Q129400
Product(s): Microsoft FoxPro
Version(s): 3.00
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbcode kberrmsg
Last Modified: 25-AUG-1999

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, version 3.0 
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SUMMARY
=======

The FREE TABLE command removes a table from a database. The purpose of this
command is to provide a programmatic way to remove a table from a corrupted
database.

You should normally use REMOVE TABLE to remove a table from a database that is
not corrupted.

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

If FREE TABLE is used to remove a table from a database that is not corrupted,
the Table Designer window still displays the table. However, the table is no
longer really part of the database, and issuing the VALIDATE DATABASE command
causes the following error message to be displayed:

  Validate Database database name
  Rebuilding Structural Index.....Index Rebuilt
  Object #N(Table 'table name'): table is not in database

Also, attempting to browse or modify the table causes the error message to be
displayed:

  Table <table name> is not marked as belonging to <database name>
  database.
  Would you like to create the back link to mark it?

Answering Yes to this question recreates the back link of the table to the
database and issuing the VALIDATE DATABASE command returns the message "Database
container is valid". The table is now part of the database again.

Example Usage of the FREE TABLE Command
---------------------------------------

CAUTION: Performing this example will corrupt the TESTDATA.DBC database in the
SAMPLE subdirectory.

1. First corrupt a database by running the following:

        SET DEFAULT TO c:\vfp\samples\data
        USE testdata.dbc
        GO TOP
        DELETE            && Delete one record of the .DBC.
        USE               && Now TESTDATA cannot be opened as a database

2. Run the following program which has an on error routine to trap for a damaged
  database. If this program is run without the error routine, the message
  "Testdata.DBC is not a database" will be returned.

        SET PROCEDURE TO freetabl      && FREETABL is the name of the program

        ON ERROR DO errhand WITH ERROR()
        * The next line should cause an error because the first record
        * was deleted from TESTDATA.DBC

        OPEN DATA testdata
        USE customer
        USE products IN 0
        USE orders IN 0
        USE orditems IN 0
        USE employee IN 0

        ON ERROR  && restore system error handler

        PROCEDURE errhand
          PARAMETER merror
          WAIT WINDOW STR(merror)
          IF merror=1552
            FREE TABLE customer      && Allows the tables to be opened
            FREE TABLE orders        && by freeing them from the corrupted
            FREE TABLE products      && DATABASE
            FREE TABLE orditems
            FREE TABLE employee
          ENDIF

Additional query words: VFoxWin errmsg

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Keywords          : kbcode kberrmsg 
Technology        : kbVFPsearch kbAudDeveloper kbVFP300
Version           : 3.00

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