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Open As Dialog

In this dialog, you can:

  • Select a file via the prompt button. You can only select embedded database files or INT files this way.
  • Enter the filename with the full path.
  • Enter a path, for example: DFBTRDRV:VENDOR.BTR.

Clicking Open will attempt to open the specified table, and clicking Cancel closes the dialog.

For the embedded database, a table is a file identified by its directory path and name, but tables can also be opened via one of the connectivity kits. The dialog has a prompt button that opens a common file dialog displaying the files in the first directory of the workspace DataPath. The dialog uses a filter to limit the list of files to select from. The default filter displays the embedded database files. The second filter can be used to change the selection criteria to the intermediate files (.INT files).

When the file you select can be opened, its name is appended to the list of tables under the second root branch named Tables opened as.

The name of the table opened via Open As shows its complete path and filename because its user-display, root name, or logical name is not available. The Display name and Logical name in the Attributes tab page are likewise unavailable and show as Not Available. The icon in front of the open-as entry will be the same as the "Open as" button in the database band of the database toolbar. For each table opened as, a new entry will be added to the list, but, as with the listed tables, only one can be opened at the same time. Clicking on the previously opened tables will reopen that table.

When using Open As, you need to be aware of paths and support files. For example, with Pervasive.SQL, the table description is loaded from DDF files, which limits the function of Open As because the table information of the opened-as table is probably not in the DDFs of the current workspace.

Drag and Drop Support

You can also select one or more tables (.DAT or .INT) in Windows Explorer and drag them onto Database Explorer. The cursor will change to indicate you can drop the selected tables. When you drop them, they will be added to the tree branch labeled Tables, Opened as.... Database Explorer will attempt to open each of the dropped tables, but only the last dropped table will remain open. Since the tables are shown in the list of tables, you can quickly navigate through them. You cannot drag a folder to the main window, only individual tables.