From: Ezra Zygmuntowicz <ezra@...>
Date: 2005-10-11T07:40:22+09:00
Subject: Re: [ANN] KirbyBase 2.3 Production Version

Hey thanks Jamey. This stuff is great! Keep 'em coming.

Cheers-
-Ezra

On Oct 10, 2005, at 11:20 AM, Jamey Cribbs wrote:

> I would like to announce the production release of version 2.3 of  
> KirbyBase, a small, pure-Ruby database management system that  
> stores it's data in plain-text files.
>
> You can download it here:
>
> Windows:  http://www.netpromi.com/files/KirbyBase_Ruby_2.3.zip
> Linux/Unix:  http://www.netpromi.com/files/KirbyBase_Ruby_2.3.tar.gz
>
> Here's whats new since the 2nd beta:
>
> * A lot of code cleanup and some bug fixes.
>
> * The manual has been updated with the new features.  By the way,  
> the manual really needs to be re-organized/re-written, something  
> I'm a little too burnt out to do right now.  If anyone enjoys  
> writing documentation ( :-) ) and would be interested in helping  
> with this, please let me know.
>
> * And, the most dramatic addition, the implementation of *The Hal  
> Fulton Feature* (TM).  I have implemented the shortcut designation  
> for a Lookup field that Hal has requested for some time.  Check out  
> the example in the example/lookup_field_test directory or the  
> manual to see what this is.
>
> Here are the other new features rolled in from betas 1 and 2:
>
> * New column type:  :YAML.  If you designate a column as a :YAML  
> type, then you can store anything that YAML can handle in this  
> field.  This opens up the possibility for now storing arrays and  
> hashes in KirbyBase.  KirbyBase takes care of calling YAML.load()  
> and #to_yaml for you, so you can just use the field as a normal  
> native Ruby type.  One nice side effect of this is that you can  
> even use :YAML fields in your #select queries.  Many thanks to  
> Logan Capaldo for this idea!
>
> * Two new methods:  #add_table_column and #drop_table_column.
>
> * You can now define one-to-one relationships and one-to-many  
> relationships between tables.  I hesitate to call KirbyBase  
> "relational", because I know that the term, in its pure form, is  
> supposed to refer to whether the dbms supports relational algebra,  
> not relations between tables.  That being said, KirbyBase now  
> supports the ability to link a field in one table to another table,  
> so that when you perform a select, you automatically have available  
> in that field a reference to either a single record (for one-to-one  
> links) or multiple records (for one-to-many) links.
> * You can now define calculated fields in a table.  These are  
> "virtual" fields that don't get populated with data until runtime.   
> For example, you can create a field called "total" and specify that  
> it's value is "quantity * price".  During a #select, KirbyBase  
> will, for each record, calculate the value of "total" by  
> multiplying the "quantity" field by the "price" field.  Check out  
> the example in the calculated_field_test directory.
>
> * Two new fields types are available for table fields:  Memo and  
> Blob.  Check out the example in the memo_test directory.
>
> * KirbyBase now makes available "crosstab" functionality in the  
> result set of a #select.  I am probably not using the term  
> "crosstab" correctly, but I am having a hard time finding the right  
> word to use.  Basically, you now have available all of the values  
> for a particular column of the result set.  Probably the best way  
> to see what this is is to take a look at the example in the  
> crosstab_test directory.
>
> * KirbyBase now has the ability to take advantage of indexes if you  
> specify them when you create a table.  Both single and compound  
> indexes are supported.
>
> I would like to thank all of the people who provided bug fixes,  
> suggestions, and ideas for version 2.3.
> Enjoy!
>
> Jamey Cribbs
> jcribbs@twmi.rr.com
>
>
>
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>

-Ezra Zygmuntowicz
Yakima Herald-Republic
WebMaster
http://yakimaherald.com
509-577-7732
ezra@yakima-herald.com