RE: New engines lack character based tools

John Command line SQL tools are probably not included in the standard = Informix toolset because they are so very simple to write using Unix = shell scripts. Heres a one-liner that I use quite often: SQLtool.sh echo $1 | dbaccess $DBNAME If your DBNAME is not set, then you can replace it by a command line = argument. To use this tool, simply say: SQLtool.sh "select * from mytable where mycolumn =3D myvalue" As for your problem with Informix not giving you results in column = format, it will using this method if you specify few enough columns, = otherwise it will give you results in the row format. I would like to see your tool, however. HTH Sujit Pal ---------- From: John Morgan[SMTP:mudshark@mindspring.com] Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 1997 6:16 AM To: informix-list@rmy.emory.edu Subject: Re: New engines lack character based tools Being a recent convert to Informix I was stunned to find that there is _NO_ command line SQL tool! All that is available is in dbaccess through some stupid menu driven interface! ACK! Both Oracle and Ingres (the dbs I have used for years) have a purely command driven interface which I find incredably usefull for diagnosing nasty database integrity problems. This is very annoying as the results of a previous query are always trashed every time I run a subsequent one and it refuses to understand even the simplest window size changes. I _like_ being able to make my x-window take the entire screen and see n rows in columnar format spreading _across_ the screen! If the lines wrap, I just re-issue the query with fewer fields or n times with few enough to fit, my choice if I don't want a wrap. Sorry, end of bitch. Anyway, I am now writing a tool for this, if anyone likes I will post the source to the group or on my web page when I am done. -john =20