Introducing iBase Designer

The Database Window is a complete view of your database. The Database Explorer tree view on the left of the Database window shows all the objects in the database, and the Details window on the right displays information on the selected object.

Types of object in the database

Type of object	Description
Name of your database	Click this to see a description of the database and statistics for the database, for example how many entity types are defined in the database.
Entity Types	Click this to list the entity types defined in this database. The Details window shows the number of fields, the default icons and the setting of the option in the Selected in 'Expand' list column (this determines which entities are displayed when you expand to a chart).
Link Types	Click this to list the link types in this database. The Details window shows the number of fields, the color used for the link and the setting of the option in the Selected in 'Expand' list column. To view the fields and how they are defined, expand the Link Types, and then click the required link type.
Labeling Schemes	Click this to list the labeling schemes in this database, along with the total number of labels defined for use in iBase
Code Lists	Click this to see the number and type of code lists in the database. For details of the code lists of a specific type, such as their names and the number of items they contain, Expand Code Lists, and then click the list type, such as Pick Lists. To see the actual values in a code list, Expand the list type and select a specific list.
Chart Attributes	Click this to see the chart attributes in the database. The Details window lists the symbols, prefixes and suffixes, and whether these are displayed on charts.
Standard Fields	Click this to see the standard fields that are defined in the database.
Functions	Click this to list some of the tools available in iBase Designer. For example, click Datasheet Manager to list the custom forms in this database. These tools are also available on the Tools menu.

Note: Depending on the database design some of these object types may be empty.

Adding objects

There are three ways of adding a database object, such as a new link type or a new chart attribute:

In the Database Explorer window, right-click on the object type and from the shortcut menu, select New.
Double-click on the icon in the Database Explorer window or the large icon in the Detail window.
In the Detail window, right-click and from the shortcut menu, select New.

Note: To delete objects, expand the object type and then select the specific object, such as a named pick list, then right-click and from the shortcut menu, select Delete.

Copying and pasting between objects

You can copy fields, for example, between entity and link types, like this:

In the Database Explorer window, select the entity type or link type. This displays its fields in the Details window.
In the Details window, select the field that you want to copy, right-click and from the shortcut menu, select Copy.
In the Database Explorer window, select the object to which you want to add the field.
In the Details window, right-click and from the shortcut menu, select Paste.