Is ACT! evil?

[Blorf]

I am a programmer, and I have to work with data from Act 6. After reading and playing around, I learned that most of Act 6's data is stored in old school .Dbf files. Act renames them to something else, I am guessing so you have to buy third party junk.

Renaming to dbf has allowed me to get all data except notes/history. Data exchange does not allow this data to be exported within Act. To get this, I am thinking I will have to pay 200 bucks for a one time use piece of software (trial versions being limited of course).

Before I spend the money, does anyone know the secret to the blb files? I had thought they would be like old school DBase fpt memo files, but I can't seem to make it work.

Thanks,
ChaZ

There Are 10 Types Of People In The world:
Those That Understand BINARY And Those That Don’t.

 

[Storyteller]

Hello ChaZ,
Yes, Sage (use to be Best) has much ground to cover before their customers have the bitter taste removed from their mouths.

How much time have you spent already trying to get the blb file? I was in the same boat as you and decided that "$200.00 bucks for a one time use piece of software" was money better spent than me trying to re-invent the wheel.

This is what I used:

http://www.nwoods.com/act/exportpro.htm

It works very well.

If you still want to pursue your own solution, have you downloaded the ACT!6 SDK? or how about tapping into the blb file via Crystal Reports?

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Michael

 

[Blorf]

Hi Storyteller. Thanks for the reply.

I considered the 200 buck solution also, and may go that route. The application is odd. Our owner wants a very specialized report from the salse folks that I can't produce using crystal, or the built in report writer. The sales folks travel, so I would need the solution to work on about 10 machines, so a single user liscense won't work.

I have not downloaded the sdk, but will probably do that next.

What ever solution I come up with has to "automatic", because the sales folks are not real computer literate.

I will let you know when I resolve it.

ChaZ

There Are 10 Types Of People In The world:
Those That Understand BINARY And Those That Don’t.

 

[Storyteller]

Hello ChaZ,
How specialized is the report?
Take a look at this

http://www.crystalclearreports.com/

They might be able to help to develop the custom solution you are looking for.

Hope this helps.

Michael

 

[Blorf]

Hi.

Thanks, I will take a look.

ChaZ

There Are 10 Types Of People In The world:
Those That Understand BINARY And Those That Don’t.

 

[Blorf]

I ended up buy a 3rd party item for like 200 bucks. O well.

If it's bitter, spit it out. That's what the ancients did (Frank Herber).

I will commit my life's work to ensuring that the helpless are defended from these folks. I liken it to preying on the elderly with scams.

Ahhh well, what can you do.

ChaZ

There Are 10 Types Of People In The world:
Those That Understand BINARY And Those That Don’t.