Download user manual - Sine Nomine

Impact
Chapter 24: Advanced Impact use
24.2 Storing databases in diverse locations
By default Impact looks for user databases in a single directory called UserData in the same
directory as the !Impact application. This may not be desirable in all circumstances. You may,
for instance, have several distinct groups of linked databases which you wish to keep separate
for clarity. You may wish to create two databases with the same name. You may wish to keep
one or more databases with other documents relating to the same subject. It is easy to do all of
these things by altering the Impact$Path system variable to contain a comma-separated list of
the directories you wish Impact to look in for databases.
Foreign fields
When you have more than one directory on Impact$Path you need to ensure that all the
databases you wish to link are contained within the same directory. Impact will not allow you
to create foreign fields from a database which is not in the same directory as your local
database.
Databases with the same name
You may create and open multiple databases with the same name if they are located in different
directories. If they have identical card designs, the only way to tell which of the databases you
are looking at is to look at the Info window accessed from the card menu. You should also be
wary of backups. Initially the backup location for a database is set to the BackupData directory
in the same directory as the !Impact application. If you do not change this default then those
with the same name will get muddled up there and overwrite each other’s backups. It would be
advisable, therefore, to set the backup location individually for each database.
The database menu
Databases will be grouped together on the Impact database menu according to the directory in
which they are held. You can choose whether all databases appear on one long menu, or
whether a submenu is created for each directory on Impact$Path, by opting for a two-level
database menu in the Choices window as described in Chapter 21: Choices.
Creating a new database
If there is more than one directory on Impact$Path then the Create option on the iconbar menu
will offer a submenu of directories to select the one in which you wish your new database to be
located.
24.3 Using Impact over a network
Although Impact does not permit simultaneous access of a single database by more than one
user, it is possible to store databases so that they can be accessed at separate times from more
than one computer. Impact will warn the user if a database is already open on another
computer, allowing the user to cancel the operation. Access across a network might be done via
a fileserver which users have to log in to, common in schools and workplaces, or by using peerto-peer networking, such as ShareFS.
Networked fileservers requiring users to log in
This sort of system is generally found in workplaces and educational institutions, rather than at
home. A network licence for Impact may be purchased, and the software can be installed on the
fileserver and executed from any RISC OS computer which is connected. Impact provides the
means for databases to be stored separately in the user root directory of each user, ensuring that
184