Opening a Microsoft Works Database (.wdb file)

[l)arkzer0]

I have a data file in .wdb format, because that is the format the company uses for it's client entries. I need to be able to open, get information, edit, delete, add, and close this data file in this format, but I can't seem to find an existing class or package in which to do this. Can anyone help me by giving an example of java code that opens a data file and shows how to do these actions?

Thanks,
Joshua

[Euphoracle]

Microsoft Works isn't a supported format; it's the budget version of Office. The ever changing office format is a complex one, but there are open source solutions. However, these exist for Microsoft Access, as Works is the overlooked "home" product for cheap productivity. There are a few converting tools (written in java) which allow you to go from WDB->Excel. I would recommend you visit those sites; perhaps they have a source code available. If not, you can attempt to find a website which has documented the file format. If all else fails, you might have to work with the file yourself and create your own parsing method. This isn't something that will be easy, as it is an unused, unsupported by many format which is not meant to be a standard. Unfortunately, I don't think there's going to be a prewritten class to achieve what you desire.

[btiffin]

This may or may not help;

If you can't track down a wdb read/writer check Works to see what export options are available. It's been a long time since I used Works, but I've used data in dBASE III format with Save/As. Check through the list of available formats, see if any match a Java class that you can find, and (if allowed), Save/As to that, run your Java mods and then Import back into Works.

There are a lot of assumptions in that advice. Are you allowed to Save/As, are you allowed to Import, can you find Java class code that does read/write (safely) to one of those formats, the read/writer can handle all the options of the destination format etc, etc.

That last one is important. You may find a Java dBASE class and it may work great for a long time; then someone adds a field to a structure that is not handled properly by the Java code and ... data dependant bugs. Data dependant bugs blow. Especially if no one finds out for a few months or years and you, the key developer, have moved on to bigger and better things.

Or convince management to use Ooo OpenOffice.org Way more bang for your money, but will require a little training. And hey, it's in Java (mostly). Downside ... it's a beast of a system, not friendly to lower end machines like Works is. The MS Works import/export to Open Office (not to be confused with MS's own Office Open format) may or may not handle all the ins and outs of the company's structures, but I'd bet it does.

Cheers