Specifying Tables
When you create an Append, Browse, or Update frame, Vision identifies the tables in the database used for the frame definition. The tables can exist in the database before you create the frame, or you can create the tables when you create the frame.
Note: You can create a frame that refers to a
synonym or a
view, instead of a table name. A synonym is an alternate name for a table. A view is a virtual table. All discussion about tables in this manual can apply to synonyms and views, except that synonyms and views cannot be created with the Ingres Tables Utility or within Vision as described in
Create a New Frame. You use query language statements to create synonyms and views. For more information, see your query language manual.
The procedures in
Create a New Frame describe the ways in which you can specify Master and Detail tables when you create a Vision frame. Whichever method you use, the following rules apply:
• You must designate one table as the Master table.
• The Detail table is optional.
• You cannot use more than one Master table and one Detail table.
• If you designate that the Master table appear on the form as a table field, then you cannot include a Detail table for the frame.
If you use a table field for the Master table on a Browse or Update frame, you cannot enable the Next Master Menu item frame behavior. For a discussion of these frame behaviors, see
Defining Frames with Visual Queries.
• You cannot change your Master and Detail table designations after you create the frame. If you must change the table names or add a Detail table, you must destroy the frame (as described below) and then recreate it.
• If you change the underlying structure of a table you have specified for a frame--for example, by adding columns or changing data types--you should use the table reconciliation utility described in
Reconciling Tables and Frame Definitions. This utility lets you make sure that the frame definition corresponds to the new table definition.
• If the frame you are creating uses the same Master and Detail tables as an existing frame, you can copy the frame definition from the existing frame. To do this, you can use the Duplicate or Import operation.
Use the Duplicate operation to copy a frame in the application in which you are working. Use the Import operation to copy a frame from another application. You must have rights to the application from which you are copying the frame.
Both the Duplicate and the Import operations let you create frames with the same or similar queries but different frame types; for example, a Browse and an Update frame. Both operations are discussed in more detail in
Copying an Existing Frame Definition.
• Vision lets you include only tables that you have permission to use. However, you must make sure that the users of your application can access the tables you specify.
• You can include tables owned by another user, if that person has granted you permission. In this case, you specify a table by specifying owner.tablename. For more details about using the owner.tablename syntax, see the 4GL Reference Guide. Be sure that the users of your application can also access the tables you specify.