Need information on file read/write sequence format

[David Merrill]

On Wed, Jan 10, 2001 at 02:53:16PM -0600, Alex J.P. wrote:
> Hi All
> 
> Have been reading the mail for the past couple of months. I would like to 
> write a small routine to dump and read gnucash data off a MySQL 
> database/tables. If it works, am thinking of writing a generic routine with a 
> plugin feature to read and write gnucash data off any database realtime.
> (Please let me know if this conflicts with anybody else's plans :) )

I've started working on table schema for a database backend with
rather ambitious goals for the long term. Your idea would be very
helpful to me, and definitely not a conflict, as long as we work
together to the degree that we can rather than separately. Reading and
writing gnucash data to a local db store would be an excellent step on
the road to where we want to be.

The only real concern I have is your choice of MySQL. I was planning
to support only postgres in the initial release. If you really want to
use MySQL, I will have to take a look at it (I have never used it) and
see whether it would be practical to support both.
 
I have some design notes and some sql ddl (for postgres) posted on my
website at www.lupercalia.net/gnc-db/ - none of this is in cvs just
yet, although it probably will go in soon.

See schema.sql for table structures, which is probably what you'll be
most interested in.

> I've looked at FileIO routines and the sample PostgresBackend and they have a 
> lot of information, but a bit confusing.

They are outdated now, and I found them confusing as well. So it's not
just you.

> By the way I've been using Linux for the last 4 years while also using 
> windoze. Gnucash was the last application equivalent that I needed to move 
> completely off windoze. It's an excellent app. (It has grown so fast!!)

Gnucash was the last thing I needed, too, in order to wipe windows
from my machines entirely. There are many, many people in our
situation. Gnucash is one of the most important projects going on
right now in that respect, I think.

-- 
Dr. David C. Merrill                     http://www.lupercalia.net
Linux Documentation Project                dmerrill@lupercalia.net
Collection Editor & Coordinator            http://www.linuxdoc.org
                                       Finger me for my public key

I'm a scheming, conniving bastard who doesn't care for any hurt
feelings or lost hours of work if it just results in what I
consider to be a better system...
I can say "I don't care" with a straight face, and really mean it.
     ...Because I'm a bastard, and proud of it!
		-- Linus Torvalds