At 09:25 PM 12/01/2004 +0000, you wrote:

>gotta start somewhere...
>
>I just downloaded Firebird (1.0.3) and the trial IBObjects.
>
>I thought I'd start easy and create a database
>(they're no longer called Tables, right?).

Erm, a database never was called a table. A table is an object in a database.

Firebird isn't Paradox or even slightly like it. At its simplest, a
database is a file with an internal layout divided into blocks of disk
according to a convention known and controlled by a server program. (In
fact, it can be multiple files logically linked in a way known only to the
server. That has no impact on applications, since they communicate with
the server via a library of client functions and never perform I/O
themselves...)

A database starts off as a big, empty container. Once it is created, you
then proceed to add objects to it - tables, indexes, views, stored
procedures, triggers, etc. etc. (Actually, a new database isn't empty at
all - it's created with a lot of stuff - system tables, pointer pages, etc.
etc. that will be used to store and manage metadata...)

>On a form I placed a tEdit (to enter the name of the new
>database/table), an IBConnection, an IBTransaction, and an IBQuery.

Won't go through and analyse all that stuff... [snip]

To create a database and objects programmatically, you need to use a
script. IBO has a TIB_Script component for this purpose. There are code
examples in the ..\Samples directory of your IBO root.

This is actually quite advanced stuff. As a newbie, you're advised to
experiment with an existing database. Most people use employee.fdb, in the
\examples dir of your Firebird installation. There are SQL scripts there
for them, too (*.sql). There are also a couple of InterBase databases
installed with Delphi, in c:\Program Files\Common Files\Borland\data; and
some of Jason's demos in the IBO\Samples.

>Can some please help walk me out of the woods?

Get an admin tool - ib_sql source is in your IBO root directory so install
IBO, open that project and Ctrl-F9 to compile it. Or download it
ready-compiled from the IBO website and get the helpfile with it.

Use it to connect to a sample database...connection string for e.g.
employee.fdb is

localhost:C:\Program Files\Firebird\Firebird_1_5\examples\employee.fdb

user is SYSDBA
password is masterkey (case-sensitive)

Click the Browse button to look at the objects in the database.

For Firebird support, subscribe to the firebird-support list. Click this
and send:

mailto:firebird-support-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

You can't assume that Firebird is like Paradox. Arm yourself with the
documentation for Firebird which, currently, consists of:

the IB 6 beta manuals (withdrawn by Borland but still available from some
sites, find by googling e.g. "LangRef.pdf")

Release notes for Firebird 1.0 and Firebird 1.5 (latest versions available
from www.ibphoenix.com)

Firebird Quick Start Guide (link to download is at top of page
www.ibobjects.com)

That's just "for starters". :-)

Helen