[GRASSLIST:4894] Re: Using FileMaker Pro 7.0 as a DBMS

GRASS GRASS user
1

My efforts in linking FileMaker through the OBDC has been somewhat bazaar. I tried to spent part of Saturday trying to figure out how to set my FileMaker database up as a OBDC data source. It appears I can import from an OBDC source, but there does not appear to be a way of exporting. I tried to link it and got an error message. I then tried to just import my old site file using s.to.vect. This is what happened:

GRASS 5.7.0:~ > s.to.vect input=wedge_tombs output=wedge_tombs
bash: s.to.vect: command not found
GRASS 5.7.0:~ > v.in.sites input=wedge_tombs output=wedge_tombs
Input format: dimension: 2 strings: 1 FP:1
DBMI-ODBC driver error: SQLConnect():
[unixODBC][Driver Manager]Invalid string or buffer length (0)

ERROR: Cannot open database
       /Users/Documents/grass_stuff/Wedge_Tomb_Data.fp7
GRASS 5.7.0:~ >

Why is it associating my site file with the database? More importantly, how do I make it stop?

Somewhere in the struggle it mentioned something about the file being to big. Is there a limit to how big a site file can be imported into a vector file?

Also, creating a location in graphical mode is still not working right.

One other thing. When creating the location, I needed to use the list command. I've forgotten how to get out of the list once I find what I need. I could not find the correct key sequence in the book or manual.

I want to thank every one for there advice.

Later

Kurt D. Springs, M.Litt
University at Buffalo
Social Systems GIS Laboratory

2

Kurt,

Here are a couple other thoughts.

On 11/22/04 12:11 AM, "Kurt Springs" <ferret_bard@mac.com> wrote:

My efforts in linking FileMaker through the OBDC has been somewhat
bazaar. I tried to spent part of Saturday trying to figure out how to
set my FileMaker database up as a OBDC data source. It appears I can
import from an OBDC source, but there does not appear to be a way of
exporting.

To set up Filemaker as an ODBC data source, you need an ODBC driver for
FileMaker. With Filemaker 6, this came with the Windows version but you had
to buy a commercial one for the Mac version (don't know why). I haven't used
7 to know if it is different. I hope so.

I forgot, the other, easy way to access data in a filemaker database is to
export to dbf. This is then directly readable by GRASS 5.7. If you have a
key field that matches the cat field of a set of vector shapes, you can
connect the exported dbf to the vector shapes via v.connect. If you have xy
coordinates in your database, you can create points via v.in.db.

I tried to link it and got an error message. I then tried

to just import my old site file using s.to.vect. This is what happened:

GRASS 5.7.0:~ > s.to.vect input=wedge_tombs output=wedge_tombs
bash: s.to.vect: command not found
GRASS 5.7.0:~ > v.in.sites input=wedge_tombs output=wedge_tombs
Input format: dimension: 2 strings: 1 FP:1
DBMI-ODBC driver error: SQLConnect():
[unixODBC][Driver Manager]Invalid string or buffer length (0)

ERROR: Cannot open database
       /Users/Documents/grass_stuff/Wedge_Tomb_Data.fp7
GRASS 5.7.0:~ >

Why is it associating my site file with the database? More importantly,
how do I make it stop?

You need to reset your database driver to dbf (you've set it to ODBC).

Somewhere in the struggle it mentioned something about the file being to
big. Is there a limit to how big a site file can be imported into a
vector file?

I don't know

Also, creating a location in graphical mode is still not working right.

It works for me using Mac OSX 10.3.5

One other thing. When creating the location, I needed to use the list
command. I've forgotten how to get out of the list once I find what I
need. I could not find the correct key sequence in the book or manual.

This was a secret that stumped me and I wish that this was done a different
way. The secret letter is 'q' (for quit).

Cheers,
Michael

____________________
C. Michael Barton, Professor of Anthropology
School of Human Evolution and Social Change
PO Box 872402
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ 85287-2402
USA

Phone: 480-965-6262
Fax: 480-965-7671
www: <www.public.asu.edu/~cmbarton>

3

> One other thing. When creating the location, I needed to use the
> list command. I've forgotten how to get out of the list once I find
> what I need. I could not find the correct key sequence in the book
> or manual.

This was a secret that stumped me and I wish that this was done a
different way. The secret letter is 'q' (for quit).

... Lorenzo Moretti's MacOSX binaries use the "less" program for g.list.
Personally, I prefer the "more" program for this role. Change it by adding

export GRASS_PAGER=more

to a file called ~/.grass.bashrc
(if your default shell is bash. For OSX 10.2 it is probably csh, use setenv)

see:
http://grass.ibiblio.org/grass57/manuals/html57_user/variables.html

Hamish

4

Hamish wrote:

> > One other thing. When creating the location, I needed to use the
> > list command. I've forgotten how to get out of the list once I find
> > what I need. I could not find the correct key sequence in the book
> > or manual.
>
> This was a secret that stumped me and I wish that this was done a
> different way. The secret letter is 'q' (for quit).

... Lorenzo Moretti's MacOSX binaries use the "less" program for g.list.
Personally, I prefer the "more" program for this role. Change it by adding

export GRASS_PAGER=more

to a file called ~/.grass.bashrc

Personally, I prefer to configure xterm to use a decent-sized
scroll-back buffer (5000 lines, rather than the default of 64 lines)
and set GRASS_PAGER to "cat" (i.e. don't do paging).

You can configure the size of xterm's scroll-back buffer by adding
e.g.:

  *vt100.saveLines: 5000

to a suitable X resource file, e.g. ~/app-defaults/XTerm, or
~/.Xdefaults (you may need to use ~/.Xresources instead if your X
startup runs xrdb automatically).

--
Glynn Clements <glynn@gclements.plus.com>