SQL does-table-exist? (was Re: [V4RB] SQL "Create Table")

[Ruslan Zasukhin]

on 3/11/03 9:33 PM, Erik Mueller-Harder at lists at praxisworks.com wrote:

> On Tuesday, March 11, 2003, Fred.Stephenson wrote:
> 
>>> I wanted to find out whether a particular table exists already in
>>> the database.  Isn't checking the sysItem table the best way to do
>>> this?  What would be a better way?
>> 
>> well I suppose you could do
>> if mydb.baseobject("tablename")= nil then
>> // whatever
>> else
>> //whatever
>> end if
> 
> Yes, thanks.  That's what I've done in past projects with Rb and Valentina --
> it works fine.
> 
> For several unrelated reasons, I'm trying to do everything possible with SQL
> calls, though.  What is the best way to find out whether a table exists (or
> doesn't exist) in a database via SQL?

Well, if you care about Server solution, then good news are that above way
ALSO will work.

This is our headache right now in fact :-)

> I had thought a simple inquiry of the SysItem table (VKernal documentation,
> page 15) would be the ticket -- and it seems to work fine.  Ruslan sounds
> concerned about it though.  Any other thoughts?

Just sys tables of Valentina right now are non-standard.
May be in 2.0 something will be changed
May be no. 

> Ruslan, you say "This is not safe and good way."  Is it not OK to perform
> inquiries on the system tables?

This is not very well tested.

So be careful. 
For example in 1.9.7 was fixed bug on access to sys tables.

-- 
Best regards,
Ruslan Zasukhin      [ I feel the need...the need for speed ]
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e-mail: ruslan at paradigmasoft.com
web: http://www.paradigmasoft.com

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