Replace Context

[Replace Parameters]new values[/Replace]

Replaces each found record in a database with the new field values.

Typhoon Note: Typhoon will only allow a single database to be opened.

SQL/ODBC Note: To replace records in an ODBC-compliant table controlled by a SQL server, use the [SQL] context.

To replace records in a database, put a Replace context into a template (alternately, you may use the Replace command from a URL or a FORM). Whenever WebCatalog encounters a Replace context, it immediately searches for the specified records in the database, and replaces those records' fields with the named field values inside the Replace context.

Example (normally you would put the following text into a .tpl file on your server and use a web browser to link to it):

[Replace db=SomeDatabase.db&eqNAMEdata=Grant]name=John&address=1492 Somewhere Lane&zip=90000&date=[date][/Replace]

Try It!

The database "SomeDatabase.db" is opened, all records whose name field is "Grant" are found, and fieldname "name" is set to "John", fieldname "address" is set to "1492 Somewhere Lane", fieldname "zip" is set to "90000", and fieldname "date" is set to the current date. Notice that any WebCatalog [xxx] tags inside the context are first substituted for their real values before being written to the database. The name of the database itself may also be an [xxx] tag, as in "[Replace db=[FormVarable]]".

Any fieldnames that do not exist in the database are ignored, and if you leave some existing fieldnames out of the replace context, they will remain unchanged in the database. Certain letters are illegal, such as <tab> or <carriage return>, so they are converted to <soft tab> and <soft return> before being added to the database. Some computers use the two-character sequence <carriage return><line feed> to indicate a single end of line, which is automatically converted to a single <soft return> character before being added to the database. These 'soft' characters are automatically converted back to 'hard' versions (the originals) whenever you retrieve fields from a search of the database.

You may specify an absolute or relative path to the database file, as in "/WebCatalog/GeneralStore/SomeDatabase.db" or "../SomeDatabase.db".

New for 3.0: normally all database filepaths are relative to the local template, or if they begin with "/" they are relative to the web server's virtual host root (MacOS and Unix versions only; PC versions treat the DBServer.exe folder as root regardless of the virtual host). As of version 3.0, you may optionally put "^" in front of the filepath to indicate that the file can be found in a global root folder called "Globals" inside the WebCatalog folder. This global root folder is the same regardless of the virtual host.

Parameter Description

db
path to database file, relative to this template

SearchParameters
Search information that describes which records should be found and replaced. Can be any complex search criteria, works exactly like Search command or [Search] context.

Append
(Optional) "T" if you want a new record to be added to the end of the database in the case where no records were found to be replaced. Any fields you do not specify are left blank in the new record.

Parameter	Description
db	path to database file, relative to this template
SearchParameters	Search information that describes which records should be found and replaced. Can be any complex search criteria, works exactly like Search command or [Search] context.
Append	(Optional) "T" if you want a new record to be added to the end of the database in the case where no records were found to be replaced. Any fields you do not specify are left blank in the new record.