KnowledgeBase Archive

An Archive of Early Microsoft KnowledgeBase Articles

View on GitHub

Q135040: FIX: Pack Closes Index File But Does Not Update It

Article: Q135040
Product(s): Microsoft FoxPro
Version(s): 3.00 3.00b
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbvfp kbvfp300bBUG kbvfp500fixkbbuglist kbfixlist
Last Modified: 24-MAR-2000

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

- Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, versions 3.0, 3.0b 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SYMPTOMS
========

When Visual FoxPro packs a table to remove deleted records, any non-structural
index open at the time is closed. However, when a program subsequently uses the
table that depends on its indexed order, the program will not perform as
expected and may give unexpected error messages.

When Visual FoxPro packs a table to remove deleted records, any regular
structural compound index (one with the same name as the table and with a .cdx
extension) open at the time is not closed.

This is different from the behavior of previous versions of FoxPro.

WORKAROUND
==========

Explicitly re-open the index file and use the REINDEX command before proceeding
with the program.

STATUS
======

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at
the beginning of this article. The problem has been fixed in Visual FoxPro 5.0.

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

Steps to Reproduce Problem
--------------------------

Type the following commands into a Visual FoxPro program, and then run it.

     ***  Program to demonstrate the effect of PACK
     ***  on open index files in Visual FoxPro
     ***  Test program named Testpack.prg

     CLEAR
     SET SAFETY OFF
     CLEAR ALL
     CLOSE ALL

     ********Creation of testfile
     DECLARE new_dbf[1,4]
     new_dbf[1,1] = "Pagenum"
     new_dbf[1,2] = "N"
     new_dbf[1,3] = 4
     new_dbf[1,4] = 0

     SELECT 0
     CREATE TABLE temptabl FROM ARRAY new_dbf   && It's in USE
     INDEX ON Deleted() TAG Deleted             && .CDX is also in USE
     INDEX ON Pagenum TAG Pagenum
     SET ORDER TO
     COPY TO Temptbl2 WITH PRODUCTION           && On the disk so
     RENAME Temptbl2.dbf TO testfile.dbf        && Can rename.
     RENAME Temptbl2.cdx TO testfile.pax        && Now not structural.
     *  Index file has multiple tags. It is a non-structural compound
     *  index file. A single index file with the extension of .idx
     *  will also demonstrate the issue.

     USE testfile INDEX testfile.pax ALIAS testfile EXCLUSIVE
     SET ORDER TO

     **** Add some records then delete some
     SELECT testfile
     FOR q = -10 to 50                          && 60 records
       APPEND BLANK
       REPLACE Pagenum WITH q
       IF q/3 == INT(q/3)                       && Every third record
         DELETE
       ENDIF
     ENDFOR

     CLEAR
     WAIT WINDOW "About to display status." ;
       + chr(13) + ;
       "Please notice that the table has its index file open."

     DISPLAY STATUS
     WAIT

     CLEAR
     WAIT WINDOW "About to pack."
     PACK

     WAIT WINDOW "About to display status again." ;
       + chr(13) + ;
       "Please notice that the index file has been closed."
     DISPLAY STATUS
     WAIT

     WAIT WINDOW "Use Alt+I to bypass the next message, but" ;
       + chr(13) + ;
       "read it first - you're trying to use a closed index."
     SET ORDER TO 1
     BROWSE NOWAIT

     WAIT WINDOW "Every 3rd record was deleted. Packing removed them." ;
      + chr(13) + ;
      "But, as you have seen, the index file was closed." ;
      + chr(13) + ;
      "See if the index still exists. Watch the status bar."
     ERASE testfile.pax
     WAIT WINDOW "The message - File has been deleted - says" ;
       + chr(13) + ;
       "The index file was closed and could be deleted."
     CLOSE ALL

     ERASE temptabl.dbf  && Clean up afterwards.
     ERASE temptabl.cdx
     ERASE temptbl2.dbf
     ERASE temptbl2.cdx
     ERASE testfile.dbf
     ERASE testfile.pax

     CLEAR
     RETURN
     ***** End of test program.

Additional query words:

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbvfp kbvfp300bBUG kbvfp500fix kbbuglist kbfixlist
Technology        : kbVFPsearch kbAudDeveloper kbVFP300 kbVFP300b
Version           : 3.00 3.00b
Issue type        : kbbug
Solution Type     : kbfix

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

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.