Question:
When using an external data source for a datawindow, how canI load the data into the sets of data I have created?
Answer:
External datawindows are a great hidden treasure in PowerBuilder. I usethem for all my screens and never use the simple raw controls(except commandbutton
).
The answer to your question depends on your application of theexternal control. For example, if I were creating some retrievalarguments for a selection list, I would use InsertRow()
and then set anyprecalculated or preferred values.
If you are creating large datasets, the fastest way is to usethe Import Data commands such as ImportString
, which allowsyou to build up a dataset in string format with the columnstab-delimited and the rows linefeed-delimited.
One word of caution: Don’t let the strings get too large, because on16-bit systems there is a string size limit of 60k. I suggest using acommit-type approach in which you build up your string in a loop. If the stringgrows larger than a certain size, call ImportString
and reset the string. Continue until all the data is processed.