RE: SQL VS QUERY

Evan

Query Manager (the front end to Query Management queries AND forms) has all
you want to do forms. You don't need to touch source - that must be what
you used, and it IS butt ugly. And you can do all you did in Query/400, and
usually more. Sometimes different. E.g., you can do single-record layouts
on each page, not in row format.

THE book for forms is Query Management Programming, available under
Database in InfoCenter. Also the Query Manager User Guide, but that's
pretty rudimentary. The former is most useful in the examples of how to
improve on Query/400 "layout options".

You mention line wrapping to do some trick things. But QM forms let you
wrap within a column. Very cool.

It's almost worth the price of SQL Dev Kit to get the forms interface of
Query Manager.

Regards

Vern

At 06:11 PM 10/12/02 +1300, you wrote:

Tom

I was only referring to the column editing and formatting you can do with
query - perhaps my choice of words was bad and "report layout options"
would have been more accurate.

If you have used Query/400 then I'm sure that you know what those options
are. Some clever effects can be obtained by forcing line wrapping and using
the "spaces before" value to line fields up. My experience is that quickly
knocking up a reasonably laid out report is usually an easy job.

My experience with QM Forms was enough to make me give up in frustration
although that is now a long time in the past - at the time I was unable to
locate a reference that was helpful. If there is a good redbook or manual
with examples I am more than wiling to go back and look at it again.

I do like the fact that I can rely on QM Query to be available as not every
customer has Query/400

Regards
Evan Harris