Automatic insertion of field descriptions for standard tables

Hi Dirk,

This is an interesting challenge you have presented.

I think it can be down through a macro but not necessarily through a huge macro.  I agree creating a look-up dictionary is probably the way to go.  You could create it in Excel but for ease of use it should be imported into IDEA so the script can more easily access it.  So here are my thoughts on your questions:

1.  Yes you can.  In IDEAScript you can read each record and each cell.  You need to use the RecordSet object to get the information in a record and then the Record object to get the contents of an individual cell.  In the RecordSet object there is a function call GetAt that will point to a record, such as in your case record 5.  The example code would be something like this:

Set db = client.OpenDatabase("My Database.IMD")

Set rs = db.RecordSet

rs.GetAt(5)

2.  To get the information from a cell in the record you just use the column name or location in the file.  So continuing on with the above example you would use:

Set rec = rs.ActiveRecord 'in this example it would be record 5

rec.GetCharValue("Test1") 'or Test2 or Test3

If you want to loop through all of the columns you could use rec.GetCharValueAt(3) which would get the information in the third field.  Doing this you can loop through all of your fields.

3. For renaming the field descriptions, assuming that you have a data dictionary, I would create a script that loops through each field.  I would extract the field information:

Set db = Client.OpenDatabase("MyDatabase.IMD")

Set table = db.TableDef

count = table.Count 'get the number of fields in the database

for i = 1 to count

    Set Field = table.GetFieldAt(i) 'loops through each field

       sDescription = Field.Description 'get the current fields description

      sDescription = LookUpNewFieldsDescription(sDescription) 'call a function that does the lookup and returns with the translation

      call ChangeFieldDescription()

    Set Field = nothing

next i

So in the above you would get the current description, look it up the translation and then save the the new description.

Let me know if you need any help creating the script.  Shouldn't be a big problem.  If you need help example files would be nice.

Good luck.

Brian

Thank you very much, Brian!In the meantime I have discovered recordsets, too. I will proceed implementing the loop you have suggested and let you know if it worked out for me.
As a next step I will have to export a list of the fields and field descriptions to a word document, which will then be send to the tax authorities to explain the data set /data base tables. Might I ask if you already have a script at hand, that would allow to save the table structure in an index.xml file or index.dtd?Thank you for your help!

Hi Dirk,

Check your private messages.

Brian