At 04:47 a.m. 27/05/2015, johnpayton759@... [firebird-support] wrote:

>Have downloaded Firebird SS2.5.4 and new user was set up but can't access any commands from either my or Firebird user.

Neither will give you access to a Firebird server. To get you started, you need a client application, e.g., isql, a database (to keep it simple) and a user name and password that are known to the Firebird server.

>have tried as suggested
>
>export FIREBIRD_HOME=/Library/FRameworks/Firebird.framework/resources
>
>export PATH$PATH:$FIREBIRD_HOME/bin

The Mac build is done according to Apple rules. I don't have a Mac so I'm guessing locations based on the standard POSIX setup.

So, go to /Library/Frameworks/Firebird.framework/resources and see whether there is a file there called SYSDBA.password.
-- if so, open that file using a text editor and copy the password that was generated for the SYSDBA during installation
-- if the file is not there, then my guess is that the Mac build has simply provided the world-known password for the SYSDBA, masterke

There is a sample database in $FIREBIRD_HOME/examples/empbuild/EMPLOYEE.FDB

To avoid volumes of typing in the shell, go to
/Library/Frameworks/Firebird.framework/resources and open aliases.conf in your text editor.
Create an alias for the employee database as follows:
emp = /Library/Frameworks/Firebird.framework/resources/examples/empbuild/employee.fdb
and press the Enter (Return?) key once. Save the file.

To log in to the Fb server and open this database, go to $FIREBIRD_HOME/bin and type
./isql localhost:emp -user SYSDBA -password whatever
("whatever" being either the password you copied from the file, or masterke). Passwords are case-sensitive.

Keep watching, as someone is likely to chip in with more exact info about the locations of things in the Mac installation.

>I have used Pascal and Microsoft Access before but no unix experience before I converted from Windows to Mac.

Firebird is nothing like Microsoft Access. Tools excepted, you write your own user interface for Firebird, in your programming language of choice and communicate with the database server through the API. You'll need an appropriate language driver (wrappers for the API functions) and a knowledge of standard SQL. BTW, Access's pseudo-SQL won't work in Firebird.

>Have set up Lazarus and getting to know that.

Probably wise to join the Lazarus boards and find out what people are using as a Firebird driver for your preferred language.

>Any simple suggestions to get me started would be welcome

The most obvious starting point would be to study the document Firebird-2.5-QuickStart.pdf, which should be in /Library/Frameworks/Firebird.framework/resources/doc. If it isn't there, you can download a copy from http://www.firebirdsql.org/en/reference-manuals/ or read it there online.

You might also find this useful, if you prefer a graphical interface tool:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/flamerobin/files/flamerobin/0.9.2/flamerobin-0.9.2-osx.dmg.gz/download


Helen Borrie, Support Consultant, IBPhoenix (Pacific)
Author of "The Firebird Book" and "The Firebird Book Second Edition"
http://www.firebird-books.net
__________________________________________________________________