G'day
I have developed databases for various people but I need to be able to embed formatted text documents (paragraphs) that relate to a particular table ID object - say a recipe. It has a name & specific (autonumber ID). I need to add to that a bunch of text that I can give moderate formatting to ie indenting or bullets & numbering. If it can also include a picture ie as in a word document that may be handy as well.
A further reason that it is preferable to embed rather than to link is that I have another app that deals with evidence in fraud cases. I need to relate specific evidence from relevant persons to a specific cheque number. Once the evidence is confirmed & accepted it must be protected from further interference. I can do this I know with linking but then that gives me problems when trying to author consolidated reports.
Basic formatting here will be exceptionally helpful.
Can anyone help here
regards
Paul B
Embedded word or RTF data in Access 2000 database/ retrieve /edit /save
wjcampbe2
mate,
Now that I think about it you can save the native Word document format into an XML document without needing to convert it to WordML. You just need to treat it like binary data.
WoodyIS
G'day mate...
Binary BLOBs are one way but with Access that will just bloat up your database while slowing it down. Everything I've read suggests linking rather than embedding is better for BLOBs and Access.
The other option could be XML. If you've got Office 2003 then Word Documents can be saved as XML (named WordML) and pictures can also be saved as XML, I think, as bytes (images can be saved along with XML, just can't remember the specifics). You could then use a Memo field to store the XML. You can include attributes to help define your formatting of certain text.
If you don't have Office 2003 then have a look for utilities that could help you convert native word document to WordML and back again.
It's extremely easy to change XML to HTML and other formats, I believe XML is what your looking for.
All the best.
angle
I'm quite confuse with what you realy want to do.but from what I have understood, I think you seems like to save a Binary file to your database.You can try using the algorithm of saving your document like saving Blob.You can find references on saving this kind of files in the internet, mostly the example is saving images in the database.
Hope you got some ideas...thanks....
larkinyoung
Thanks to all for your help
Question then, Access is a good dev environment but has these limitations. Is there a a native db within the .net framework that can be legally distributed with an application design or does the client also need to purchase sql server or a copy access as well
The question is with BLOB &/or xml data storage in mind.
Regards
Paul Buckman
Ffelagund
There is a class within ADO.NET called the DataSet, its essentially an in-memory database based on XML. Its extremely powerful and can be serialised to an XML file with one line of code (and loaded the same). Its brilliant, I used it in an application where they client specifically didn't want a database even though the nature of the data suggested one. The DataSet let me access data in memory like a database and the client never needed a database engine.
The SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine is also a free database system that you can use. It doesn't have a GUI to help you create database's, tables and views, etc but you can use the free SQL 2005 Express GUI to do that, or buy the cheap as chips SQL 2000 Developers edition for development.
If you install the SQL 2000 Desktop Engine on the clients machine you've basically got a local copy of SQL Server 2000's database engine that you can tap into with .NET.