By Finian Lennon
We all know that to add a table to a new or existing database in Alpha Five, we click in the white area, select "Add Table" and select the table from the dialog box that is presented. It's very simple, but tedious if for any reason you need to add more than two or three at one time!
This morning I needed to use Alpha Five to examine tables from another program. There were 50 or 60 tables to be added to the database container. Believe me, the "Add Table" method was not looking very attractive. From somewhere in the recesses of my memory I had a flash. There was a better way. I opened Windows explorer and highlighted the list of tables (*.dbf) I wanted to add to my database. Then, while holding the Control Key down, I used the mouse to drag the files selected in the Explorer window into the white area of the Tables/Set tab of the Alpha Five Control Panel. I released the mouse and Alpha did the rest. It saved me time and clicks and, believe me my fingers and wrist were grateful! This will a real time saver for anyone who needs to quickly set up a database from existing tables or who is migrating a database from another program like Alpha Four or Alpha Five V1.
Finian is an Alpha developer from New York City and an active contributor to Alpha's user-supported message board. He can be reached at finianl@ix.netcom.com