Rant : No imports, no error catching ? come on !

Classic Servoy
1

I’m switching from filemaker.

I’ve been on servoy for one week, and so far I’ve not been able to produce anything. During that time with Filemaker pro, I had my database running.

The reason why is that servoy lacks the most needed thing of all : SCRIPTABLE imports.

So for one week I’m trying to do a decent import method, and hence I produce nothing (all import method posted so far are useless to me)

My import method works, almost. Error handling is the issue. I want

Try

catch

end try

but with servoy generated error no javascript.

so there’s servoy exception, they aren’t documented !

no EASY sample code.

So basically I wasted one week reproducing built-in filemaker function.

what a waste of time

I’m ranting because IMPORT is MANDATORY, period. And easy documentation on error handling also.

How can we bee in 3.5 without it

2

If things don’t go as you expect, I understand this is frustrating, but then to go off ranting is a bit counter productive, I think. The more you rant, the less likely people will be offering any help.

If you would specify what you are trying to achieve and which problems you run into, there might be help available.

Servoy, unlike FM, connects to many different SQL databases. Most, if not all of these databases have import tools that are better than Servoy can ever make them, just because of the simple fact that if you import directly to the DB, there is less overhead. A direct DB import could import millions of rows in seconds…

Offcourse, when you try to import just a small number of records, performance will not really be an issue. Many people since the first launch have succesfully built imports, so I’m sure there is a solution to your requirements.

Paul

3

First of all: hello to Servoy. Second: when you first started with FileMaker, some things also took a while, no? After all Servoy is completely new to you. Third: I don’t think you will find something that can be done in FileMaker that cannot be done with Servoy and you can do 1000 things with Servoy that you can never do with FileMaker. And fourth: there is a reason you try Servoy, no?

Regarding your problem: there is no “end try”. It’s

try {
}
catch(e) {
}

And what exactly is your problem? You say error handling. What errors do you expect? What data are you importing from where and how does your method look like?

Here are many people who are willing to help, but you will have to provide somewhat detailed information on your problem.

Last: in a few weeks you won’t miss FileMaker anymore. Promised.

4

Please show me ho to do this in servoy

Try

please servoy do something (sevoy function not javascript)
// it goes wrong

catch
// oh it went wrong
Beep

end try

5

I’m ranting because Filemaker is made for newbies, and has newbie functions that works.

Servoy is supposed (and I know it is) to be so much better than Filemaker.

So lacking Filemaker’s newbie basic stuff is un-understandable.
and cost me one week of frustration

How can the one that created servoy because filemaker is so limited, design an import function that can’t be programmed. This truly baffles me !
For me it’s as if the dev did it to piss newbies off.
The guy made the effort to do a gui, and did not provide a way to program it though it’s 10000000 easier ?

I’d really like to hear what the one that developped servoy’s import function had in mind when doing this ! And so do every servoyans that stumbled on this import thing.

In fact, If I didn’t take imports function for granted, and couldn’t imagine servoy would ship without it, I’d certainly never bought servoy

And no, servoy can’t hide itself behing the database import function. Because they aren’t import function.

a usefull import function, updates data based on some keys, and can add records or not if there’s new data.
Plus it takes a file as the datasource, or a webpage, or xml.

On the backend DB There’s a load, that bulk load but loclks the entire databases and then there’s updates you have to program.

Moreover I don’t want to base my backend database choise on its import function, I use the one built-in servoy because I don’t want to have problems.

So to me, lacking fmp like import function in servoy is a shame. And would have been a dela breaker if Iknew about it

6

I was a FileMaker developer for over ten years. Since year one I asked for some events on a layout. How is it possible that a software like FileMaker doesn’t have an onDataChange event? I could go on for hours with this.

I suggest you calm down a bit. This forum is not a place to throw your anger at the community or the makers of Servoy.

Regarding your question number one:

try {
 // all your "risky" code
}
catch(e) {
// oh it went wrong
application.beep() 
}

If you refer to the import menu, yes, that is not (yet) scriptable. But you have file plugin that allows you to read any text file (in FileMaker you have to pay a plugin to do that - at least in my days). There is an XMLReader plugin, that allows you to read XML. There is a commercial XML plugin and a data plugin (just search the forum). It is not so difficult to create a user interface that allows the user to make a field mapping.

So if you forget about the “scriptable import” referring to the import menu and come back to describe your original problem (what kind of files etc.), we can help you get going.

7

Vince:
I’m ranting because Filemaker is made for newbies, and has newbie functions that works.

Servoy is made for programmers, but there are plenty of FMPro developers/knowledge workers that pick up on Servoy pretty quick.

Vince:
Servoy is supposed (and I know it is) to be so much better than Filemaker.

That of course always depends on your definition of ‘better’.

Vince:
So lacking Filemaker’s newbie basic stuff is un-understandable.

You make quite an assumption here.

Vince:
and cost me one week of frustration

I am sorry to hear that.
But I see you have been on the forum since late 2005. Yet you only posted like 19 messages of wich 3 already in this thread. Why didn’t you use the forum for your questions?
It could have saved you the frustrations.

Vince:
How can the one that created servoy because filemaker is so limited, design an import function that can’t be programmed. This truly baffles me !
For me it’s as if the dev did it to piss newbies off.
The guy made the effort to do a gui, and did not provide a way to program it though it’s 10000000 easier ?

I’d really like to hear what the one that developped servoy’s import function had in mind when doing this ! And so do every servoyans that stumbled on this import thing.

Let me ask you a question too.
Have you ever seen a generic SQL tool that offers an import like FMPro does ?

Vince:
In fact, If I didn’t take imports function for granted, and couldn’t imagine servoy would ship without it, I’d certainly never bought servoy

And no, servoy can’t hide itself behing the database import function. Because they aren’t import function.

a usefull import function, updates data based on some keys, and can add records or not if there’s new data.
Plus it takes a file as the datasource, or a webpage, or xml.

This import function has been there from the beginning. Nobody has complained about it or has send in a feature request/bug report (which is the only correct approach to address an issue with things) for it.
Anyway, most developers I know code their own imports anyway. A thing that would be impossible with FMPro (or only with a commercial plugin).

Vince:
On the backend DB There’s a load, that bulk load but loclks the entire databases and then there’s updates you have to program.

Moreover I don’t want to base my backend database choise on its import function, I use the one built-in servoy because I don’t want to have problems.

So to me, lacking fmp like import function in servoy is a shame. And would have been a dela breaker if Iknew about it

If these imports lock the whole database I suggest you switch to a better RDBMS. A professional database (that includes most Open Source ones as well) doesn’t lock the database or the table.

But like I said, Servoy is for programmers. Maybe Servoy is not for you.

8

I’ve titled my message as RANT. Because I know that ranting, can have the adverse effect, and that pisses off some people.

Hence the title, so people that decides to read this know it’s a rant, an can avoid reading.

I know that filemaker is crap, that’s why I’m switching, I lknwo fmp people are dumbasses, that’s whay I’m switching.

And I’mswitching because I expect that servoy is better, and that servoy managment is not dumbasses.

So i don’t need to be convinced on those points.

Have you ever seen a generic SQL tool that offers an import like FMPro does ?

I don’t care, because I need a script to do the imports, so I need the solution do to the import itself.
My Imports are every hours ! or even more.

Anyway, most developers I know code their own imports anyway. A

Of course because they’re forced too.
But it’s not trivial, it’s a waste of time, and the fact that there’s no decent import method on the forum or servoy magazine proves the needs

9

Vince:
I’ve titled my message as RANT. Because I know that ranting, can have the adverse effect, and that pisses off some people.

Hence the title, so people that decides to read this know it’s a rant, an can avoid reading.

I know that filemaker is crap, that’s why I’m switching, I lknwo fmp people are dumbasses, that’s whay I’m switching.

And I’mswitching because I expect that servoy is better, and that servoy managment is not dumbasses.

Well you did post this in the Method forum. Servoy Cafe forum would have been a better place.
Also if you want direct answers from Servoy’s developers I suggest you address them directly as well.

Vince:
So i don’t need to be convinced on those points.

Have you ever seen a generic SQL tool that offers an import like FMPro does ?

I don’t care, because I need a script to do the imports, so I need the solution do to the import itself.
My Imports are every hours ! or even more.

Anyway, most developers I know code their own imports anyway. A

Of course because they’re forced too.
But it’s not trivial, it’s a waste of time, and the fact that there’s no decent import method on the forum or servoy magazine proves the needs

I suggest you send in a feature request for this.

Now take 3 deep breaths and calm down a bit.
We are not your enemy, in fact we are alike and are very willing to help each other.

10

Now take 3 deep breaths and calm down a bit.

Yes! Please!

And: this forum is not meant to make statements like that

I know that filemaker is crap, that’s why I’m switching, I lknwo fmp people are dumbasses, that’s whay I’m switching.

I don’t know about you, but most people here are professionals who just do their job. Some of them prefer FileMaker for whatever reasons, others Servoy. Neither of them is dumb just because of the choice of their tool. And just because you put whatever in the subject doesn’t mean you can express anything that comes across your mind.

Excuse me, but please watch your tone.

11

Some of them prefer FileMaker for whatever reasons, others Servoy. Neither of them is dumb just because of the choice of their tool

I never meant to imply that filemaker users were dumb, I just meant that the product manager of Filemaker or the ceo are because they’ve always ignored user request.

And they forced me out filemaker, because of their deafness to user request from day 1

12

Oke, let’s start over again. :wink:

It’s true that the standard import/export functions of Servoy are not as extensive as in Filemaker.

But as you said, you want scriptable imports?
Did you tried this: http://forum.servoy.com/viewtopic.php?t=2635
?

All the (hard) work is done for you. So try it, and let us know how it goes, or where you bump into.

13

Thanks,

That example helped a lot in the beginning. Before I noticed it didn’t work well with many records (9000). Something goes wrong because of the foundset cache, sometime some new records are not created.

So that example, is buggy.

Moreover, what I call a “decent” import is one that updates and also add records if needed.

This example lacked the update part.

So this example is too simplistic and buggy as well.
But I’m very very glad you wrote it because it pointed me in the good direction.

So I rewrote one.

And stumbled on many things : the foundset cache, the fact that you can’t see out the foundset, and even that if you do a show all your founset will be limited to 200.

So, now my method works if all goes well (data not buggy) but if data are buggy then I’ve 9000 errors popping up, so I need a way to halt it if something goes wrong (a pk missing)

I think I’ll have to use transaction, because when you do newrecord, you actually commit to the previous one, and if the previous one lacks a primary key, the you newrecord will fail, but you won’t be able to catch the error because it actually happened before by the silent internal commit function.

I now think I’ll be able to finish it. But that’s a one week ordeal and pain.

So I ruined my week, re-creating something that I feel, should be there from the get go.

14

We are just trying to help? :oops:
And you don’t give us ANY clue or idea what (sample)code you have, or what errors you bump into.

This way it is hard to help you out.

15

Thanks HJK,

I’ve edited my post a bit towards the end so you can better understand where I am.

But as I said I’ve almost finished. I’ll poste the code when it will be finished.

That thread is not to get help, this thread is a rant, to soundly regret that there’s no import function, and that servoy inc people should do imports AND exports properly : at least as good as filemaker.

16

Vince:
That thread is not to get help, this thread is a rant, to soundly regret that there’s no import function, and that servoy inc people should do imports AND exports properly : at least as good as filemaker.

Okay, shall we agree on the following ?

/rant

So we can start being constructive and tackle the problems you obviously are facing with this.
Maybe good to start a fresh thread for it as well.
Keep in mind, we can only help if you give us information on what the problems/goals are.

17

…and if the tone is friendly, not offending (as far as I am concerned)

18

patrick:
…and if the tone is friendly, not offending (as far as I am concerned)

Indeed, calling things ‘buggy’ while it actually means ‘not suitable in my situation’ is not very constructive. On the contrary.
But lets say that was because of the rant mode. Lets all start fresh.

19

No I didn’t confuse buggy and unsuitable for my needs.

It is buggy as it is, if you use many records, 9000 in my case, it won’t work reliably.

I certainly won’t bitch about forums readers submission, I only bitch when I feel a company is lacking.

And yes I’ve opened other threads for specific issues I encountered and where I requested (and got) help.

But again, this thread is not meant to get help, it’s a rant and should have been posted in the cafe, I regret i’ve picked the wrong forum.

20

You’re pretty incurable aren’t you.

Vince:
No I didn’t confuse buggy and unsuitable for my needs.

It is buggy as it is, if you use many records, 9000 in my case, it won’t work reliably.

So it works perfectly with smaller datasets. It’s just not suitable for your large dataset needs.

Why do you keep bitchslapping us in the face when we offer you a hand ?
Don’t you see what you are doing ?