All

Anyone know the difference between SET and -SET
and whichone to use where ?

Naveen,

This would normally be covered during your initial training.

Press your management to provide this initial training for you, it is not fair on you to have the expectations of using a language without sufficient training.

That said SET sets environmental options whilst -SET is dialogue manager.

T

-SET is used to set the value of amper variables.

-SET &ZIPCODE=12345;

SET is used to set the value of environment settings.

SET ALL = ON

Thanks Tony and Mickey

I'll be the first to admit that sometimes locating information on the IBI.COM tech site can be difficult. For all the mountains of information out there, you sometimes just cannot find what you are looking for which is why we have the Focal Point forum. And... this post, and the one asking about the differences between HOLD, SAVE and SAVEB, are both things I would have thought are easily located on the IBI.COM tech site. If not, then these are things Information Builders definitly needs to hear about. So in addition to giving assistance, I'd like to see instructions on how you can look this sort of stuff up yourself. Let's not just give people a fish - let's teach them how to fish too. Or at least point them in that direction.

Yes...looking thru the documentation can be a quite a nightmare. One thing I find useful is when going to the tech docs site(which you have to have a logon...but everyone should sign up that can)
http://techsupport.informationbuilders.com/tech/search.html


If you un-check everything and then check and search Techniques first...then Symptoms and Trouble Shooting and then Manuals. It breaks it down into smaller more managable searching. Of Course Searching Focal Point is an invaluable tool. I'm not sure some know to do that when they first come to the site. But for the record - I looked when the Set and -Set question was asked...and found no useful way to explain the difference in IBI documentation. Mickey made it as simple to understand as can be.

IMO, the problem is that the manuals are no longer part of the DevStudio help. Seems to me that IBI wants to force programmers into the GUI, therefore, at least theoretically, eliminating the need to know the syntax of the language. As for this programmer, whenever we upgrade I download the latest PDF of all the manuals that I use. As for the GUI, I only use it to produce a sample of the final report. Then I use the text editor to finalize it. For me, it takes too long to find what I want in the GUI.

The following is directly from the 76 devstudio documentation

"When Do You Use the SET Command?
Developing Reporting Applications V7.6 > Customizing Your Environment > When Do You Use the SET Command?
If you are an application developer, use the SET command to:
Help you work efficiently and meet your testing and debugging needs.
Provide a uniform and appropriate run-time environment for your end users with desirable defaults that do not need customization.
In Developer Studio, Managed Reporting developers and administrators can also use SET commands to:
Customize Developer Studio to standardize development and debug procedures.
Customize the administrator environment as they develop domains and reports, and test them before distribution to their end users.
Create a secure, precisely defined environment for their end users.
If you are creating your own ad hoc reports, use SET commands when you need to tailor the report presentation or content to meet your individual needs"

also regarding DM Customizing a Procedure With Variables

"You can customize a procedure and control its execution with variables. This is done dynamically by supplying a variable's value at run time. You can supply a variable's value in the following ways:
Directly in a procedure. The commands -DEFAULT, -SET, and -READ enable you to supply values directly in a procedure.

When calling a procedure from another procedure. You can include the variable names and their corresponding values as parameters in an EXEC command that calls one procedure from another.

When calling a procedure from a Web page. The Web page calls the WebFOCUS script from either a form or a hyperlink. If you use a form, the end user enters the values in the form. If you use a hyperlink, you include the name of the procedure and the variable values directly in the HTML
In a drill-down report. You can use a WebFOCUS style sheet to pass parameters.

From an external file. You can supply values from an external file with the -READ command.

Dialogue Manager variables cannot be used to customize commands in a WebFOCUS Report StyleSheet.

For information on the types of variables and how to use them, see Creating and Working With Local and Global Variables. "

That was Great JG . Thanks for that explanation . .

Any one will accept that its hard to get the relevant information from a document as what you need precisely and what the document presents will not meet in most circumstances . You can get it from the document after you go through it for a short while. .

So by posting these questions in a forum everyone will be posting their views and the information gathered is always more than what you get via a document.

Naveen,

That is so true and very insightful,

but it shouldn't preclude one from searching extensively through the documentation and examples in existance to begin with.

It also detracts from the management responsibility to ensure that their people, that they are expecting to be able to do a piece of work, are fully trained and prepared to be able to carry out that work.

- Basically supply training to those that need it!

It is also irresponsible of any management to expect their staff to learn off of the good nature of Forum contributors, all they are effectively doing is getting someone else to pay for the support and training that their people require.

I understand that without management support and commitment, people have no choice but to seek assistance from where they can - such as this Forum, but it will ultimately spoil the camaraderie that exists on this Forum as people withdraw assistance from individuals who do not do their homework and/or show no evidence of understanding of the basics.

This is not directed at you personally, but anyone placed in your situation by their management trying to get support and training on the cheap!!

As a community we can try and force your managements hand by retaining assistance when it is fairly obvious no basic understanding exists (and therefore no training?), but this community is one of the most helpful there is (a big slap on the back for all eh? Francis ). However, we like it to be a two way street.

Rant over and off of the soapbox

T

Ever so true.

Focal Point is probably one of the best forums around from the point of view of people being very happy to supply help and assistance whenever they can.

But, as Tony says, training is the most productive and cost effective solution for any organization.

Not knowing something is not a crime in the computer industry, expecting others to do your work for you is.

Like has been said, the principle result of only ever demanding is being ignored.