At 07:36 PM 17/02/2006, mitch_landor wrote:

>If this works without, why would I ever need TIBOTransaction?

Don't take offence, as offence is not intended...but the
VCL-compatible data access components are "dumbed down" to the lowest
common denominator. Paradox - on which the BDE is built - doesn't
support transactions and, traditionally, Delphi programmers cut their
database teeth on Paradox. So the BDE/VCL model has only this one
embedded transaction and doesn't support many of the advanced
features of IB/Fb. It has been a common route to go from Paradox +
BDE to InterBase + BDE and then to graduate to InterBase/Firebird +
IBO sans BDE.

So think of the TIBO - "TDataset-compatible" - components as a route
into non-BDE application development for those who still need to get
their head around a multi-user database management system and
specifically, how to use transactions to advantage.

>How do I find out exactly which TIBO components must be used versus
>which standard Delphi objects can be used?

That part is really simple. If the component belongs to the TIBO--
prefix series, you use the VCL's TDatasource and
controls. Period. The "native IBO" components, with the prefix
"TIB_---" comprise a complete series that has its own bottom-up
hierarchies, including controls, that must be linked to native IB_--
datasets via the native TIB_Datasource.

>I must say the IBO documentation seems very cryptic for mere mortals
>to understand. It would be great if there were a short "idiots guide"
>to getting up and running quickly.

The "idiot's guide" is the Delphi documentation. There is the IBO
Getting Started Guide, which introduces a lot of the concepts used in
the native TIB_ classes, but it's not designed for those who are
"rusty" in either Delphi or SQL database programming.

Sorry, I don't know what else to recommend, other than hunting up
some articles on the Web on the subject of client/server programming
with Delphi -- they ABOUND! And, to get acquainted with the database,
you could do yourself a favour and join the firebird-support
list. If you have a birthday coming up, you could drop hints about
this for a present:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1590592794

:-)
Helen