Brief introduction to the EDPViewer

© 1999 - 2012 ABAS Software AG
As of: 01/2012, abas ERP version 2011r4

Contents

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Overview

The EDPViewer program is a tool which demonstrates the advantages of the EDP interface. Due to its easy handling, the EDPViewer can also be used for querying data from abas ERP ("database browser").

The data query window also contains an export function (in file, Excel, database, HTML, XML) and a function to create the respective selection string for a performed query for the FO, GUI selection and edpexport.sh corresponding to the current query in the query window.

The functions of the EDPViewer:

Note: You can download and install the current EDPViewer from the ABAS homepage, as long as you are using abas ERP version 2008r4 or higher. In certain cases not all settings or functions will work, but data queries are always possible.

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Connection establishment and login

When running the EDPViewer, you will first see a login dialog to establish the connection to the EDP server (connection dialog):

Connection dialog

EDP login dialog

Select the desired server connection in this dialog and enter the password for the respective client. If "Log in with user name" field is activated in the connection data, then you must enter your user name and password for the Unix system.

When the EDPViewer is used for the first time or the connection to a specific client is established for the first time, the connection data has to be recorded first. Clicking on the "New" button will open a dialog in which you can enter the connection data. You can also edit this data at a later stage by clicking on the "Edit" button or delete it from the list by clicking on "Delete".

Note: The described connection dialog is contained in an individual ActiveX-DLL edputils.dll and can also be used independently by the EDPViewer in other programs.

Entering the connection data

Clicking on one of the three buttons "New", "Edit" or "Delete" in the connection dialog will open another dialog in which you can enter the connection data.

Dialog for entering the connection data

The following specifications have to be made here:

Connection name
Name of the connection (any text which will from now on be displayed when selecting the connection via the dialog)
abas server (host)
the host name of the EDP server, i.e. the server on which abas ERP and thus the EDP server are running
EDP port number
The port number using which the connection should be established (usually 6550, but can vary)
Client
the name of the abas ERP client to which the EDPViewer should log on. Alternatively, the absolute path of the client directory can be indicated. If you are logging in with your Unix login, then the path for the client directory must be specified.
Log in with user name
Activate this field if you want to log in with your Unix login. This will require that you enter your user name and password for the Unix system.

One separate connection must be recorded for each client. The connection data will be saved in a user-related manner in the Windows Registry.

From the second time you log on to the EDPViewer, the connection of the last login will be suggested. You can then enter the password straight away and then establish the connection. If you have recorded several different connections, you can select the requested connection whenever the EDP Viewer is run. Alternatively it is possible to specify the connection to be used when you start EDPViewer, by entering (-c <connection name>).

The password is never saved, but must be reentered every time you log in. It can also be transferred using the command line option -p. However, in this case the password will be displayed in the Windows shortcut!

After you have logged on successfully, the main window in the EDPViewer will appear with a query window.

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EDPViewer window

General information about all windows

Main window

Main window in the EDPViewer

The main window of the EDPViewer contains the different query and information windows, and also a menu bar and a status bar.

The following menus are available in the menu bar:

In the status bar of the main window, the following information is displayed:

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Query window

The query windows will be displayed within the main window. Any amount of query windows are possible. A new query window can be open using the menu "Window", "New query window" or using CTRL+N. When you run the EDPViewer, a query window will open containing the table list.

Query window of EDPViewer

The query window contains the following sections:

The table list, field list and results data list size can be changed. To do this simply drag the border with the mouse between the lists in the respective direction, e.g. pull the border above the data list downwards in order to expand the table and field list. If the viewer window or query window are adjusted in size, the areas of the query window automatically adjust in size.

If you press the right mouse key, you will be provided with a context menu in the three lists of the query window. Each context menu corresponds to one menu in the menu bar.

List of available tables

The list of tables available will be automatically filled in when a query window is opened. The field list and the key for this table will be loaded if you double-click on the row or if you move the cursor to the row and press ENTER.

When you click on a column header, the table list will be sorted by this column. If you click again on the same column, the sorting direction will be reversed. Furthermore, the sorting can also be selected via the context menu or the "Tables" menu in the menu bar.

The table list can be updated with the context menu or the F5 button, e.g. after a selection bar has been set up in abas ERP. Furthermore, the field list and key list can be recreated and can be run for the existing keys in the info dialog.

You can also add entries to the table list, the so-called "Additional tables". For example, if you would like to execute simultaneous queries in the customer master files and the customer staff reference files you require the EDP table "Customer:Customer.Customer contact" or alternatively "0:1.2". This table is not provided automatically, but must be added to the table list once. You can access this through the context menu, entry "Additional tables -> Add table" or directly using the EINF key, and then by entering the table name. You can add any number of table names valid in EDP. For possible table names also see the "Tables" section in the "General information on the EDP interface" chapter of the Online Help.

Columns of the table list (excerpt):

Table name (always displayed)
Name of the standard table (database/group) or search word of the selection bar
Description
Description from the table of variables of the affected groups or brief description of the selection bar.
Num.ID
Numerical ID of the table; that is the database number/group number in standard tables or identity number of the selection bar. The numerical ID can be used when programming as a language-independent table name instead of the actual table name.
Type
Type of table Possible types are "Selection bar", "Characteristics bar", "User-defined bar"
Database
Database from which the data is read
Groups
Group list within the database from which the data are read
Tab?
Information if the table also contains fields from the table section
Filing mode
Setting of filing mode in selection string or the standard table. In standard tables always "all".

The underlying EDP query returns even more using the columns described above. You can select displayed columns from the total number of columns available on the server by selecting "Select columns..." from the context menu or using the F7 key.

List of fields in the current table

The list of fields in the current table is filled by either selecting a table in the table list using the keyboard and pressing ENTER or by double-clicking on a line of the table list. Using the context menu of the field list or the F5 key (while the field list is the focus) this can also be expanded and updated.

Fields can be selected by double-clicking, one click on the box or using the space bar for the display in the query result. If no field is selected, then all fields in the query results will be displayed, as long as this is not more than 300 fields. Further selection options for field groups are in the context menu (header/table, skip/do not skip, undo selection).

When you click on a column header, the field list will be sorted by this column. If you click again on the same column, the sorting direction will be reversed. Using the context menu or the "Field list" menu in the menu bar, the sorting can also be selected. Furthermore, also the order of all selected fields can be reached at the top of the field list ("Sort by" -> "Selected").

Link fields can be inserted, edited and deleted using the context menu or the keyboard, with the following keys: The keys are Insert, Delete and F2 to edit. Adding or editing the link fields is normally done using a dialog "Link wizard" in which the link field can be determined with a few mouse-clicks. For "experts", the input field is also available as a menu option "Field expert mode". This function enables the specification of fields by entering valid "Type modifiers". The key combinations for the expert mode are SHIFT+INSERT to insert or SHIFT+F2 to edit a link. For type modifiers see also the "Field list" section in the "General information on the EDP interface" chapter of the Online Help.

The changes to the field list become effective as soon as a new query is started.

Columns of the field list (excerpt):

Field name
name of the field, the same as screens and FO
Length
maximum length of field as it is provided by EDP. Always 1 for free texts.
Type
type of field from the Vartab
Description
description of field from the Vartab
Tab?
Code to show whether the field is in the table section of the data record
Skip?
Code to show whether the field is a skip field

The underlying EDP query returns even more using the columns described above. You can select displayed columns from the total number of columns available on the server by selecting "Select columns..." from the context menu or using the F7 key.

Result data of the query

When pressing the "Start query" button or ENTER, the result data will be filled in, provided that you are not in the table list. You can also press F5 when you are within the list of data.

If you double-click on a row, a GUI screen will open displaying this object. This requires that the GUI for the affected client is started (the command overview is sufficient). Alternatively, the F11 key can be used to view the data or F12 to edit, as in abas ERP. However, it is also possible to open the GUI screen using the context menu.

You can decide on the order of the fields in the result list by dragging the column headings to the required position using the mouse.

Double-clicking the line between the two column headers adjusts the width of the left column so that it is just sufficient enough for the longest text within the column (the column header is not taken into account).

When you click on a column header, the data list will be sorted by this column. If you click again on the same column, the sorting direction will be reversed.
ATTENTION: for technical reasons the sorting is always textual, i.e. figures to the left are sorted incorrectly! For this reason you should use the abas ERP selection sort function if possible.

Normally the results data of the respective field name are displayed in the column headers. In the viewer settings you can set that the field description should be displayed instead.

The settings to query the column widths of the data list are saved when running the query, if this has already been set in the Viewer Settings - ("General" page tab, "Save queries"). Please note that the settings are only saved when the query is started. Changes after which no new query can be started are not saved. Using the context menu, you can save the current query settings under a freely selectable name. You can load these query settings again any time using the context menu. To display information using the saved queries select the menu option "Queries overview" in the context menu.

You can also set that the EDPViewer queries if query settings have not been saved if the settings are to be saved or if the last loaded settings should always be automatically updated if they have been changed again after loading.

For selection templates, the selection entries saved in the client are automatically loaded and entered in the query window when first used. You can also reload the entries from the template any time afterwards in the query window. This is particularly of interest because the EDP interface does not take the settings from the selection template into account in the standard version.

You can export the displayed results data directly in a file to MS Excel or MS Access. In the context menu select the entry "Export from display". As opposed to the export function in the export menu, the data are not read from the server again here, but exported directly from the display. This also means that if a query is terminated or if a limit is entered for the displayed records, only so many records are exported as are currently in the display. To set the export options, the same dialog window is displayed as described below in the Export using the export menu. During the export from the results data display, the EDPViewer is blocked for other actions.

Specification of selection criteria and additional basic conditions for the queries

In the lower part of the query window, you can enter selection criteria and additional basic conditions for the queries.

Query settings

Selection conditions

In the condition field the selection criteria can be entered according to the $ selection in abas ERP. Furthermore, it can be determined if the individual conditions are linked with AND or with OR.

Fundamental entry options for selection criteria:

field=value
Specifies the value a field should have.
You should also note that the condition is also fulfilled if a field value starts with the specified value!
Example: name=Müller also finds the name Müller-Lüdenscheid
Particularity: field=` will return all record in which the field is empty
field=from1!to1
Specifies the value range for a field. The from or to values can also be omitted (however, the "!" is important!)
It also applies here that also such values are found for text fields that begin with the entered text.
field<>value
Searches for data records in which the field does not have the specified value (unequal to)
Special feature: field1<>` provides all records in which the field is not blank
textfeld=`Matchcode
Specifies the matchcode for a text field. All text fields can be queried using a match code.
Syntax elements for a matchcode search:
* - stands for any number of characters
?- represents any character
/abc/ represents and character from the quantity, here i.e. an a, b, or c
^ - represents the beginning of a field or the field end. Search with textfeld=`^abc^ only finds data records in which "abc" is in the textfeld. If you use the ^ (for the start of a field), keys can also be used for an efficient search. If, however, you omit the ^, it is not possible.
<blank> - specifies the match code character ` without any matchcode value and searches for a blank field contents.
field~=value / field~<>value / field~=`Matchcode
Same effect as the above described condition, but not taking upper/lower case into account.
field==value
Exact search, i.e., name==Müller only finds Müller, but not Müller-Lüdenscheid

A complete description of the possible selection entries can be found in the abas Online Help.

Tips

Auxiliary conditions for selection

For a selection you can determine if for data records with a table section a data row should be provided for each table row (row selection). In this case nothing is provided for data objects which have no table rows!

In a selection you can also specify that only filed data, or no filed data or both kinds of data are to be provided. The filing mode also controls the automatic key selection.

Specifying the sorting for the queries

For sorting a result set you can specify the fields to be used for sorting as well as the sort direction (ascending/descending). The fields must be specified with their name appearing in the corresponding sorting sequence, e.g.:

zipCode,town,street

Key

The system will automatically determine the optimal key for performing the selection based on the selection specifications above. For this reason it is generally not necessary or even useful to specify to the system which key should be used. However, there are certain keys that cannot be used as part of the automatic key determination. Explicit definition is useful in these cases.

If the selected key returns more records than were assigned using the filing mode, the corresponding records are filtered during the selection. You can display details of the key you have just chosen by pressing the Info button next to it. The detail for all available keys can be displayed in the table list using the context menu of the table.

Buttons for starting and canceling a query

Using the buttons on the bottom right you start and stop a data query. You can do the same using ENTER (start/stop) if the cursor is not in the table list or using ESC (stop).

The settings to query the column widths of the data list are saved automatically when running the query, if this has already been set in the Viewer Settings - "Save queries".

Status bar

The statistics bar contains the following information:

Selection string window

In the lower area of the query window you enter the selection and other conditions. These results are put together as a $ selection string, which can be executed by abas ERP, within the EDP interface. The pure selection string is displayed to the bottom right of the query window

By double-clicking on a selection string or using the context menu of the data list you can open the following window in which the selection string is again displayed in different variations so that it can be used as a template, e.g. for the FO programming.

Selection string window

Pure selection string
This is the string which should be enter after the second comma in a $ or % selection. This string also corresponds to the parameter krit of the methods EDPQuery.startQuery* in the ActiveX interface.
Command line for edpexport.sh
Here the complete command list for a call of edpexport.sh is displayed which provides the same result as the current selection in EDPViewer.
FO command for selection
Here the complete FO command, which leads to the same selection result as the current selection in the EDPViewer, is displayed.
GUI command for selection
Here the GUI command, which leads to the same selection result as the current selection in the EDPViewer, is displayed.

Restrictions:

Each query window has it's own selection string window. The selection string window can be placed beside the EDPViewer and remains open until the window either closes itself or the corresponding query window is closed.

Link assistant

The link assistant is a dialog which can be used to insert a link field into the field list or to edit an existing one, all in a very easy manner.

You can either open the link assistant by inserting a link into the field list via the context menu or the keyboard (INSERT key) or by editing this in a link field F2).

Link assistant dialog

The link assistant dialog contains the following areas:

The link assistant now displays the list of reference fields and data fields of the current table of the query window for new links. By double-clicking on a reference field, the list of possible reference targets for this reference field are opened.

Select the preferred reference target (that's a database/group in which the preferred target data field or a reference field is included in the path to the target field) and double-click or press ENTER. If there is only one reference destination for a reference type, the link assistant creates the new field lists.

Now select the target data field or a new reference field, using which the target data field is reached and double-click on it or press ENTER.

If you have somehow landed in the wrong link path, you can always click Button to go up a level in the link to go up a level in the link and then continue down again.

Continue to carry out the steps listed above until you are in the target data field you required. If you double-click on the data field, the reference assistant closes and inserts the new link field into the field list in the query window. You can also select a reference field as a destination field of a link. If you do so, you will have to complete using the OK button, because a double-click will bring you down a level.

If you edit an existing link field, the procedure is basically the same as for creating a new one. The only difference is that you are already in the target database/group and that you have to select another target field.

The field "Link" in the link assistant cannot be changed. When wanting to enter a link manually you have to use the expert mode (simple input field). You can get into the expert mode via the context menu of the field list or via SHIFT+INSERT (create new link) or SHIFT+F2 (change link).

Saving and loading query settings

The settings made for a query in the query window can be saved as a query setting. These query settings are saved in a file for each table, whose saving location results from the Viewer Settings. The name of the file is derived from the table name.

The query settings that were used last are automatically saved, as long as this has been configured in the Viewer settings.

Additionally you can save the current query settings at any time under a freely selectable name.

You save the settings of the current query under a new name by selecting the option "Save query settings" in the context menu (which can be reached by right-clicking in the results data) and there you select the sub-entry "(new)". You will receive a dialog in which you can enter the name of the new query setting. You save the current query settings under an existing name by selecting an existing name in the sub-entries of the menu option "Save query settings". This replaces the settings which were saved up to now under these settings with the current settings in the query window.

To load the saved query settings select the menu option "Load query settings" in the context menu and in the submenu select the preferred query setting. You can immediately start a query with these settings.

If you have made changes to query settings which have already been saved or loaded, these will not necessarily be saved automatically under the name previously assigned. It depends on the setting "If a stored query has been changed..." in the Viewer settings, as listed here:

Do not save
the query settings that have been loaded, are only saved again under this name if you specifically indicate this
Ask user
If you switch the table or quit the viewer, a check is made as to whether the last query settings you loaded have changed. A dialog box then asks you whether you would like to save the changes.
Always save
Changes to a loaded query are always saved without a query beforehand.

If you would like to see a list of the saved queries and their properties, you can select the menu option "Query overview" from the context menu of the result data. You will then be provided with the following dialog.

Query list

You will see the a list of all the saved query settings for the current table plus most of their properties.

You can also delete query settings which you no longer require (Delete button or DELETE key) from the list.

If you select a query setting and press the "Accept" button (or ENTER key), this will be accepted in the query window and the settings will be loaded in. If you press "Cancel" (or ESC) you leave the window without changing the current query settings.

To rename a query you must load the query setting and save under the new name. Subsequently you can delete the old name in this dialog.

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Key information window

In the query window you can display the detail information of a key for the current table either using the context menu of the table list or the Info button adjacent to the key list.

Key information dialog

Here follows information about the key:

Key name
Name of key in abas ERP as it should be entered in the @sort entry of the $ selection in abas ERP
Key fields
The fields of the key, their sorting
Table key?
Code yes/no if the key is a table key
Key type
Type of key indicates the properties automatic/field filled/field empty plus whether it is a header key or table key
Condition field
Field on which the key condition depends on
Filing mode (code)
Code if filed/not filed records are contained in the key
Database
Database number of the key
Group numbers, Group names
List of the numbers and names of the groups that are included in the key.
Internal key number
Internal identification number for the key
Key name in the primary language
Name of the key in the primary language (currently always German), with which the selection is always possible.
Key identifier
Program identifier for the key, e.g., in AJO.
Estimated number of key values
Estimated total number of values in the key

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Database information window

A window with information about the available databases and their groups can be opened within the main window. The database information window includes a list of the available databases and there properties, as well as a second list to display the groups within the selected database and their properties.

There are three variations of the information about the groups, which you can select between in this dialog:

All groups
Lists all groups for a database
Selectable groups
Lists all groups with which the data selection is possible.
Groups for new creation
Lists all databases and groups which can be used to make a new creation. Several of these groups cannot be used for data selection, but exist specially for the editing of data.

The database information window can remain open adjacent to the query windows. Both lists can updated at any time using the F5 key.

Database information window

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Infosystem information window

A window with information about the available infosystems in the client can be opened within the main window. The following restrictions can be set for listing the infosystems:

If an infosystem is selected in the list of infosystems, then the fields of this infosystem will be displayed in the second list.

From the list of infosystems you can open the corresponding GUI screen for running an infosystem by double-clicking on it, using the RETURN key, or from the context menu. You can open the description of the infosystem using the F11 key or from the context menu.

Infosystem information window

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Enumeration information window

Within the main window you can open a window with enumeration information. The enumeration information window contains a list of all enumerations in abas ERP on the left side and on the right side the items for the currently selected enumeration.

The enumeration information window can remain open adjacent to the query windows.

Enumeration information window

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Reference information window

Within the main window you can open a window with reference information. The reference information window contains a list of all databases on the left side and also a list of all groups per database. On the right side the reference information about the selected database/group on the left side is displayed.

Please note that the reference information "Reference to DB/group" must be collated from all existing vartab information. For this reason structuring the reference information can take some time. The progress is displayed on the bottom left of the window. The structuring of the reference information can also be canceled using ESC or by clicking the Cancel button.

There are two types of reference information:

To reduce the amount of displayed data, the global polymorphic reference types (VP87, VP88, VP98, VP99) can be excluded from the evaluation of the references.

The enumeration information window can remain open adjacent to the query windows.

Reference information window

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Message information window

The message information window for displaying message texts from abas ERP can be opened within the main window.

You have the option of displaying texts by their number (multiple, separated by spaces) or using a textual search using the German text. When searching by text uppercase and lowercase can be ignored.

When searching by number you must specify the dictionary from which the texts should be read. When searching by texts you can select "(all)" as the dictionary. In this case the first result in a dictionary search sequence, as determined internally by the program, will be displayed.

You can also specify the language the text should be output in. If you do not select a language, then the texts will be output in the current operating language.

Message information window

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Client information window

In the client information window all general information about the abas ERP client, about the current database connection and about the EDPViewer is displayed.

Client information window

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Settings

EDP connection settings

The EDP connection settings serve to control the way that the EDP server prepares specific data.

Page 1: Display mode and corresponding display options

EDP connection settings: Display mode and corresponding display options

Setting options:

Display mode
Operating language based: texts available in multiple languages are output in the operating language. Contents with a language dependent display (e.g., real numbers) will be output according to the configuration for the operating language.
Output language based: texts available in multiple languages are output in the language that is specified in the print settings. Contents with a language dependent display (e.g., real numbers) will be output according to the configuration for this language.
Universal display: texts available in multiple languages are output in the operating language. Contents with a language dependent display (e.g., real numbers) will be output in a universal, language independent display.
Output language (only for the display mode "Output language based")
Language for displaying language dependent contents for the display mode "Output language based".
Reference display
References are displayed with ID or search word if "As in screens" has been activated, as in abas ERP
If you choose "Reference", the unique reference definition will be used.
For the reference display "Identity number", references will always be displayed with the identity number of the referencing data record.
For the reference display "Search word", references will always be displayed with the search word of the referencing data record.
Boolean representation
In the case of a boolean representation "As in screens", boolean values are displayed as in abas ERP. That is to say, "yes"/"no" in German or the corresponding values in the current operating language.
In the case of the boolean representation "numerical", "True" is always displayed as "1", "False" always as "0".
Enumeration representation
In the case of enumeration setting "As in screens", the text of the enumeration fields is output as in screens.
In the case of enumeration setting "Code", a language-dependent code in the format "(nnn)" is output for the enumeration field. This can be used any time as an entry for the respective value. nnn is the item code, as displayed in the enumeration information window.
In the case of enumeration setting "Brief description" the brief description is output for enumeration fields, if available.
Date representation (for date and week specifications)
If you select "As in screens", the date will be displayed exactly as it is in abas ERP
If you select "As in screens, 4 digits", the date will be as it is in abas ERP, the only difference being that the year always has 4 digits.
If you set "Sortable", the date will be displayed in the format YYYYMMDD.
Number representation
If you select the number display "EDP specific", then numbers will be formatted with the decimal character set at the EDP level and without thousands separators. The decimal character can be set to "Comma" or "Period".
In the case of number representation "roh", numbers are not formatted. Decimal point is always a period, a minus character is placed before negative values.
If you select the number display "As in screens", then numbers will be displayed exactly as they appear in screens, i.e. depending on the configuration and field type.

Page 2: Further EDP connection settings

Further EDP connection settings

Setting options:

Free text representation
In the case of free text representation "As in screens", the free texts are displayed as in the abas ERP screens. That is to say, as an empty field in the case of an empty free text and a "*" in the case of a filled free text.
In the case of free text representation "Text", the contents of free texts are displayed with a maximum specified length. Note: If you set the length to 0, the whole free text will be displayed!
Line break display in text fields
This setting determines whether line breaks in text fields will be transferred to the client only with a linefeed (ASCII Code 10, common for Unix) or with a carriage return and linefeed (ASCII Code 13+10, common for Windows).
Operating language in abas ERP
The current abas ERP operating language is displayed here. If foreign languages are configured and the field "Use operating language from password record" has not been selected, the abas ERP operating language can be changed here. Then all data will immediately be displayed in the new operating language if possible.
The EDPViewer itself appears automatically in English if a language other than German or French was set in the country settings in Windows, or if the language was already specified per command line option.
Output trimmed field values?
With this setting you can specify that leading and trailing spaces should be removed from all field contents before being output.
Data set size
You can specify how many records from the EDP server should be sent in one block (data set). This setting is linked to the speed and performance of the EDPViewer. Which values make sense on a specific PC can be tested by trying out different settings. A change made to these settings becomes effective only in newly opened windows.
Tips:
Language of the variables
Displays the language in which variable names are output and must also be input. This setting can currently not be changed in EDPViewer.

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Viewer settings

The Viewer settings are used to control the behavior of the EDPViewer and have nothing to do with the EDP server.

Page 1: General settings

Viewer settings 1

Setting options:

Logging
If the field "activate" has been marked, the EDP data traffic with the server is logged in the specified file.
Note: As Windows generally buffers write access to text files, the status of the file is mostly current only after exiting the EDPViewer.
Tip: if you would like the current status of a file at some point, deactivate the logging and activate it again immediately. Through the activation, the file is closed and the buffered data are written.
Using the "Open log file" button you can view the log file directly in the standard editor for the file extension of the specified file name.
Save settings
Save settings when quitting
If this field is activated, the EDP connection settings are saved when the EDPViewer is quit and are restored when you restart it.
Save window settings when quitting
If this field is activated, the current window size and location are saved when you quit the EDPViewer and are restored when you restart it. Furthermore, the column width of the display lists is saved for all windows apart from the query window.

Page 2: Query settings

Viewer settings 2

Setting options:

Save queries
automatic
If this field has been activated, the current query definition is automatically saved for each table and when the Viewer is reactivated, or after switching from the queried table, reloaded. The selected fields, query conditions and modalities and also the column widths of the data display are saved.
user-related
If this field has been activated, the queries per user are saved separately, otherwise together for all users (the Windows PC).
In individual path
If this field is activated, the queries are saved in files in the specified directories.
In the client
If this field is activated, the queries are saved in a subdirectory of the abas ERP client. In doing this it is possible for a user to access his queried queries from any workstation.
In the directory
Here you enter the directory in which the query settings should be saved. If the field "In client" is activated, the directory must be found under the client directory.
If an already loaded query has been changed...
controls the behavior of the EDPViewer, if a query has been loaded and then edited.
Do not save
the changes made to the query definition are canceled
Ask user
The user is asked if the changes made to the query definition should be saved.
Always save
The changes to the loaded queries are always saved.
Column headings in data list
Field names
The column headings in the result display contain the names of the fields
Field description
The column headings in the result display contain the description texts of the fields

Page 3: Fonts

Viewer settings 3

Setting options:

Forms and labels
Here you set the font, the font size and further font attributes which should be applied when displaying the forms and labels in EDPViewer.
Data lists
Here you set the font, the font size and further font attributes which should be applied when displaying data in the EDPViewer.
Attention: You can change this setting to a font which supports Chinese characters, for example. However, the EDPViewer can only display characters of the codepage corresponding to the language which has been set in the Windows configuration in the region and language options as "Language for programs which do not support Unicode". It is therefore not possible to display Chinese characters and German umlauts.

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export

The following dialogs describe the export using the export menu and the export from the results data display. For all export dialogs the settings are saved for each table so that they are available for the same table during the next export.

In file

When exporting in file, a text file is created which contains the read data records line by line. You can choose whichever character you like as the field separating character and the character to indicate wordwrap.

A typical format of such an export file is the CSV format where the fields are separated with a semi-colon ";" and can be imported directly from MS Excel, for example.

Dialog for file export

Setting options for the export in file:

Using ENTER or by clicking on "Start data export" you start the export process. Whilst the export process is running, a dialog is displayed in which the number of already exported records is displayed. The entry can be overwritten at any time. The EDPViewer cannot be used during the export process.

In MS Excel

If MS Excel has been installed on the workstation, it is also possible to export data from abas ERP directly to Excel. A new work sheet is constantly exported. You can also create a new workbook (Excel file).

Attention: Exporting directly to a workbook can take a long time. In the case of larger data sets you should use a CSV file (see export in file) because this is imported considerably faster.

Dialog for export to Excel

Setting options for the export in Excel:

In database

The export to a database creates a new table in a Microsoft Jet database file (MS Access format). You can also create a new database file. To do this, the data access components of Microsoft must be installed, which is the case for installed MS Office products.

Dialog for database export

Setting options for the export into an Access or ODBC database:

Using ENTER or by clicking on "Start data export" you start the export process. Whilst the export process is running, a dialog is displayed in which the number of already exported records is displayed. The entry can be overwritten at any time.

The EDPViewer cannot be used from the data list during the export process. During the export using the export menu, you can continue to work in the EDPViewer; however, the export pauses during the execution of new queries in the EDPViewer.

In XML file

When exporting to an XML file, a XML file with the data is generated to abas XML format. The schema description for the XML schema can be found in the client directory in the xmlprint/abasdata.xsd file.

Dialog for XML export

Setting options when exporting into an XML file:

In HTML file

When exporting to a HTML file, a HTML file is generated from data which you can pass on or immediately view in the browser, for example. You can determine the colors of the generated HTML file yourself.

Dialog for HTML export

Setting options when exporting to an HTML file:

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Command line options

The EDPViewer provides several command line options for the immediate adoption of specific information at the start. These options are particularly useful for creating Windows shortcuts with a preset connection and language. If a certain connection and password are specified, a connection to the client is created without any need for the user to enter login details.

Overview:

Option Effect
-c <connection name> Sets the selected connection to default.
-u <username> Only together with -p: Immediately establishes a connection with the specified user name, so long as the connection is appropirately configured.
-p <password> Immediately logs in with the specified password; poss. together with the option -u.
-l <language> Sets the language with which the EDPViewer presents itself. The Windows language setting can be overridden using this option. Possible language setting:
D or de
German
E or en
English
F or fr
French
-L <erp-language> Sets the operating language for abas ERP, i.e. translated texts from abas ERP are displayed in this language. The possible language settings depend on the configuration of the client. You must always enter the ERP or ISO language code, i.e. "D" or "de" for German, "E" or "en" for English.
-? / -h Displays the call options of the program (usage) in the information box "About EDPViewer".

Note: If the argument of an option contains spaces (e.g. the connection name), this argument must be contained in quotation marks, e.g. -c "abas demo client".

Example of the entry in the "Target" field for a Windows connection:

C:/Programme/EDPViewer/EDPViewer.exe -l e -L e -c erp -p gast

This data runs the EDPViewer with an English user interface, a connection to the "eks" client is created for the "gast" password. English is the operating language, regardless of the operating language set in the password record.

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