Delphiman,

the solution Helen showed you is a quick and general way to do things in
large applications. For simple applications you can simplify quite a bit
(well, you're actually doing the same, but it may be more readable for a
newbie):

with <myDatamodule> do begin
if not <TIB_Connection>.connected then
<TIB_Connection>.Connect;
<Dataset>.First; //repeat this line for every dataset
end;

Just replace <myDatamodule> with your data module, <TIB_Connection> with
your actual connection and <dataset> with your queries/cursors. You may
want to set LoginPrompt to true for your connection.

The next problem you're likely to run into is why you cannot change any
values. Simply set RequestLive to true. And when you start doing changes
through code, remember that IBO is "datasentric" and that you'll find many
properties at the dataset level rather than at the grid.

My experience with IBO is quite contrary to yours. True, it was a bit
difficult to install the first time I tried, but once I got past that
hurdle I found most things working quicker than expected (I wrote something
and thought I should try it and start debugging, but then it just worked in
the first attempt (excepting LookupCombos in a grid)). You may easily drown
if looking at all the components and their properties and methods, but the
vast majority of them you can leave until later to discover (it takes years
to master IBO). One very nice thing with IBO is that Jason has already done
what you want to do, so you need to code very little.

The Getting Started Guide is well worth it's $29.50 (at least that was what
I paid for it a long time ago). You'll be amazed at how little you'll have
to do to get a TIB_LookupCombo to work in a grid (just follow the recipe
very carefully). And it is not accidental that IBO has won the Best
Database Connectivity award from Delphi Informant for the last two years
(that's as long as the award has existed).

My advice for you will be to stick to IBO, but try to become a bit lazier
as a programmer.

Good luck,
Set

>Anyway I still get exceptions with the rest of your suggested code - and am
>getting very frustrated at the amount of time I am have wasted in merely
>getting IBO installed (through no fault of my own) for Delphi 4 Professional
> - and now to be able to do anything sensible with it.
>
>At this moment in time all I need is a very (very) simple and very (very)
>basic application of IBO which I can demonstrate to students - and I can
>"grow" from. I am taking the liberty of sending you the simple and very
>basic Project which I have created - by seperate e-mail. You can then

include

>whatever is supposed to go at //connect ib_queries.