To Install
Support files you may need.
Optional but recommended: download and installation of MySQL
After setup - guide to your resulting PixieEngine folder.
Terminal emulator setup.
Suggested exercises and guide to the example programs.

To Install:
Essential with PixieEngine 2.1: Uninstall any previous 1.x version of PixieEngine.

1. Download "PixieEngine.zip"
2. Unzip it into a folder
3. Run "Setup.exe"
4. For an immediate test, run "PixieLink for PixieEngine" from the Menu or installed file folder.  Login as "john" with a password of "john".   Run the suggested terminal exercises and example programs listed at the end of this chapter.

Some older Windows machines may still need Microsoft Data Access Components ("MDAC") (6.5 Meg)
Any need for this will show up as soon as you try to test run, usually with an "Error 91" message.
If you want to confirm its presence, run a search on your hard drive for file "msado21.tlb".

Download from http://www.microsoft.com/data/download_25SP2.htm

If the 7.5 Meg size of that download is a problem, try searching
for it by its filename "MDAC_TYP.exe" on any CD from Microsoft,
they park it on nearly everything, even promotional freebies and demos.

PixieEngine installs initially as "Access/Jet DataStore", but this is a lightweight datastore which makes installation to a working demo stage quick and simple. To see the full performance, you need:

1. MyODBC - install on the same machine as PixieEngine. You do NOT need to create "DSN"s. PixieEngine handles ODBC connections automatically.
2. MySQL - while PixieEngine is a Windows system, it can use MySQL on Linux or MySQL on Unix as its datastore.
3. Expand supplied "dm.zip" and "testpxe1.zip" into MySQL data folders "dm" and "testpxe1".
   Copy these folders to be subfolders of ...mysql\data and they become mysql databases.
4. EITHER create user "john" in MySQL or add an existing MySQL user to the file/table "dm.users".
   Do NOT fill in the password field in dm.users .  That is there only for Access/Jet.
5. Run PxEngConsole.exe to select and configure MySQL as your datastore.
   

Run on Microsoft SQL Server or its "MSDE" Junior Edition.

1. Export the supplied Microsoft Access files "dm.mdb" and "testpxe1.mdb" to MS_SQL_SERVER
2. Create a user, pref with full administrator rights, or at least read/write rights 
   to databases "dm" and "testpxe1".  If you can call this user "john" with a password of "john",
   you will not need to change anything in the supplied example code
   Table "users" in database "dm" is quite optional.  You can enter 0 or 1 in A8 to give a "sys0" or "sys1"
   emulation.  Do NOT fill in the password field in dm.users .  That is there only for Access/Jet.
3. Run PxEngConsole.exe to select and configure MSSQL as your datastore.

By default, Setup.exe installs PixieEngine into folder C:\Program Files\PixieEngine
but you do have the option to change that.

NOTEs on files and folders: in approx descending order of your need to deal with them.

Also installed in parallel folders:

• "PixieMassage.exe",  converter for PICKBASIC to VISUAL BASIC. 
  Installed by default into  "C:\Program Files\PixieMassage"
  
• "PixieLink.exe", terminal emulator and HTML GUI front end. 
  Installed by default into "C:\Program Files\PixieLink"

PixieEngine comes with a "dm.users" file giving you our names as users with the same as passwords. You should mostly use user "john" with a password of "john" who has a macro of "logto testpxe1". Other users eg "andrew"; password = "andrew", start off in "dm" where there is nothing much of interest to do (yet) except to manually "logto testpxe1"

"Classic" Terminal TCL, test1, test2, disptest, pxu1000
We anticipate most PixieEngine users would take advantage of Microsoft Access and other GUI front ends to do TCL-type operations. The reason for providing TCL is to give you a quick and easy way of comparing PixieEngine to classic MVs in a familiar environment. We also found TCL-emulation to be an interesting r&d challenge with good spin-off benefits.

First Test Drive

1. Run "PixieLink" from the Menu.
   Or, via "Windows Explorer", this is file "PixieLink.exe" usually installed into "C:\Program Files\PixieLink\".
   Press F11 or select Menu:PixieEngineDirect to connect to "PixieEngine".
   Login as setup on first install: UserName =  john , Password = john
    
2. Try TCL commands who, listu, listf
    
3. Try SQL queries from TCL.
   select * from banks
   select a0, a1, a2, a3 from prod
   select a0, a1, a2, a3 from prod order by a1
   select a0, a1, a2, a3 from prod where a1 like '%card%'
   select a0, a1, a2, a34 from prod where a34 < 10000
   select * from orders
    
4. New in PixieEngine 2.1
   Try PICK-etc-syntax LIST and SORT queries (aka "Pick Access", "English") from TCL.
   eg
   SORT PROD BY RETAIL WITH RETAIL > 20 DESCR RETAIL
   SORT PROD WITH A1 LIKE "[CARD]" A1 A2 A3
    
5. umenu
   Use this only with the supplied "PixieLink for PixieEngine" GUI front end  PixieLink.exe. 
   Sample App driven by a GUI menu.
    
6. admin
   Also only for use with "PixieLink.exe"  Provides data transfer via Pixie PseudoTape files
   for "TransferBulk" services, and Item-as-text files for "TransferItem" services
   similar to PICK etc "Super-Q-pointers" or UNIVERSE "Type-1-files".
    
7. test1  (or run px1.bp test1 )
   Simple "teletype" style program that does nothing more than echo back your entry on the next line. Quick check that VAR-programming is working. Check out test1 source code in example "PxApp1".
    
8. test2  (or run px1.bp test2 )
   Simple RRead/WWrite/WWriteV checker.
   You can simply keep pressing the Enter key to see a set of default actions.
   Example dialogue:
   
   : test2
   
   Input Table to open: eg prod
   (or X to exit)prod
   
   SUCCESS (0.2265625 sec) ; FileVariable = testpxe1.prod
   Input ItemID to lookup eg 1011 :1011
   RRead SUCCESS (0.3828125 sec), Item =
   Edible Dot Matrix LQ1070 (24 Pin)þ1100þþþtech þþþþþ1þþEachþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþ58700þþþþþþþþþþAppro-Andrew ACCþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþNþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþ
   
   Option: X=Exit, R=new RRead, W=WWrite, V=WWriteV :w
   Enter an Attribute Number to replace :3
   Enter new A3 to test WWrite :TESTXXXX
   
   Optionally, enter a new ItemId to save-as
   OR just press the enter key to rewrite "1011" :
   WWrite SUCCESS (0.109375 sec), program will now start again
   with RRead and you can check this edit by repeating this Item
   Press Enter to continue ......
   
   Input Table to open: eg prod
   (or X to exit)prod
   
   SUCCESS (0.21875 sec) ; FileVariable = testpxe1.prod
   Input ItemID to lookup eg 1011 :1011
   RRead SUCCESS (0.0625 sec), Item =
   Edible Dot Matrix LQ1070 (24 Pin)þ1100þTESTXXXXþþtech þþþþþ1þþEachþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþ58700þþþþþþþþþþAppro-Andrew ACCþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþNþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþþ
   
   Option: X=Exit, R=new RRead, W=WWrite, V=WWriteV :
    
9. stest1
   Same as test1 but achieved with VBSCRIPT.  Look in folder "script1" and find the
   source code as "stest1.txt" and "mycase.txt".
    
10. disptest
    This "display test" runs the TTag function, equivalent to "@(x [,y])
    through some colour variations.
     
11. pxu1000
    This is a data entry screen with simplified navigation: Enter to move to next field,
    "/"+(CR) to go back, "q"+(CR) to quit the sequence then "f"+(CR) to save the edited item.
    The file "cust" has items/records with ItemIDs of oboe, macbeth, maestro, kts
     
12. Startup more than one instance/copy of PixieLink and/or terminal emulator(see below) 
    on more than one machine if possible, and repeat some of these, but especially listu from TCL
     
13. Exit a PixieEngine session with  exit ,  off  or lo 

END of suggested  exercises.

Terminal Emulator Setup

 Setup for Accuterm 97:

The "tag 3" form is shown with the "Advanced" button clicked. Substitute your own host computer name.

Under tag 4, "Term Type", select "PICK PC Monitor"

"Object Oriented" Test Program "PxEngTest.exe" with multi-user stress-testing capability.
Automatically logs in as "john" and opens file "prod". You enter the ItemID.
"prod" has ItemIDs 1011, 1012, 1013, …
Automatically does an item "RReadU", alters the item with a random number generator, and does a "WWrite" back, all on an approx 2.5 sec repeating cycle.
You can start this multiple times to stress-test PixieEngine on your system. Give 2 or more instances the same ItemID to test record locking. Multiple-start is easiest from "Windows Explorer"

NOTE: to use PxEngTest.exe with MySQL, MSSQL, or ORACLE, you will need to create a user "john" with a password of "john".

Top    Next = Chapter 3: VAR-Programming