The Import Worksheet is a form that is used during binary import of objects. If the import file contains only objects that are either new or have been updated, they will be imported. If, however, one or more objects with the same ID Property already exist, a decision must be made about what to do. The Import Worksheet displays information about both existing and new objects, and lets you decide how to handle conflicts.
The functions of the Import Worksheet (version check and so on) are only relevant for binary objects (files with a .fob extension). Objects in text format are always imported, regardless if they overwrite existing objects.
How to Import Objects
To import objects, do the following:
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Click Tools and then click Object Designer.
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Click File and then click Import.
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In the Import Objects window, select the file that contains the binary objects from the dialog. These files have a .fob extension.
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After you choose a file, it will be examined. Depending upon the contents of the file, one of the following occurs:
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If the file contains new or updated objects only, you will be asked if you want to import it now. If you click Yes, the objects will be imported. If you click Cancel, the import will be aborted. If you click No, the Import Worksheet (described below) is displayed.
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If there are conflicts, you will be informed of them and you can choose either to cancel the import or go to the Import Worksheet by clicking OK.
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There are two kinds of conflicts. The first may occur if the version list numbers of the new and the existing objects are not the same. The second may occur if the default actions that were created by storing the Import Worksheet settings in the file with the objects are not valid because the versions of the objects in the database are different from when the file was created.
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Default Actions in the Import
File
The value of the Action option for each object in the Import Worksheet can be saved in the file with the objects. This means that how conflicts should be resolved can be decided when the file with the objects is created. When importing, you can choose to revise these settings by clicking No in the dialog box that appears after the file has been examined, or you can choose to import the objects.
If the assumptions that were made when the settings were saved are no longer valid, you must revise the settings. This is the case if the objects in your database are not the same as the objects that were used to create the file.
The Import Worksheet
Each line in the Import Worksheet displays information about one object and allows you to decide how to handle the object by setting the Action option. The following table shows the information that is displayed about each object, and, in addition, the Name, Modified, Version List, Size, Date, and Time fields are displayed on the form for the object that has the focus.
- Type
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The type (such as form or report) of this object.
- No.
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The ID of the object.
- Name
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The name of the (new) object.
- New Object
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This option is selected if this is a new object that was not in the database before.
- New Object Changed
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This option is selected if the new object has been marked as changed.
- Existing Object Changed
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This option is selected if the existing object has been changed, for example, the modified flag set or version list changed.
NoteIf a warning icon is displayed in this column, it means that there is a conflict that must be resolved before this object can be imported.
- Action
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This option is the only field with contents that can be changed. This setting determines how a conflict will be resolved. The options are the following:
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Create The new object will be added to the database. This option is only valid if no such object already exists.
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Replace The existing object will be replaced by the new object.
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Delete The existing object will be deleted and no new object created. This option is only valid if the new object has size 0. The intended use is to remove obsolete objects from the database.
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Skip This object will not be imported.
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Merge: Existing<-New Only valid for tables. All fields in the existing table will remain and any additional fields from the new object will be added.
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Merge: New<-Existing Only valid for tables. All fields in the new table will be imported and any additional fields in the existing table will be added to the new table.
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- Existing Object Modified
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This option is selected if the existing object has the Modified field set to Yes.
- Existing Object Version List
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The version list of the existing object.
- New Object Modified
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This option is selected if the new object has the Modified field set to Yes.
- New Object Version List
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The version list of the new object.
Using the Import Worksheet
For each object, you can choose an action, given the constraints outlined in the preceding table. You can apply these actions by clicking the appropriate buttons.
| Action | Definition |
|---|---|
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OK |
Perform the import according to the current settings in the worksheet. |
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Cancel |
Cancel the import. |
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Replace All |
Set Action for all objects to Replace. |
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Save As |
Save the current settings in the worksheet in the import file, together with the objects. |
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Help |
Display the Help topic. |
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