Openedge 8.3c Dynamic Query

Question

How will I able to do Dynamic Query in 8.3c? What I can't do in V8.3c is to have a dynamic buffer so I can run all the tables dynamically like these code in 10.2b.

DEFINE VARIABLE QueryHandler AS HANDLE    NO-UNDO.
DEFINE VARIABLE QueryBuffer  AS HANDLE    NO-UNDO.
DEFINE VARIABLE QueryString AS CHARACTER   NO-UNDO.
DEFINE VARIABLE BufferFields AS CHARACTER   NO-UNDO.
_TransactMain:
DO ON ERROR UNDO, LEAVE:
    CREATE QUERY QueryHandler.
    _TableLoop:
    FOR EACH ttTableFields NO-LOCK /* filtered System Table */
        BREAK BY tablename:

        IF FIRST-OF(tablename) THEN DO:
            ASSIGN
                QueryString = "For each " + TableFields.TableName + ":"
                BufferFields = "".
        END.
            /* Delimited Fields */
            /* Loop through fields -1 to avoid null at end */
            ASSIGN
                BufferFields = TableFields.FieldName + ";" + BufferFields.

        IF LAST-OF(TableName) THEN DO:
            /* Create Buffer to selected group of fields */
            CREATE BUFFER QueryBuffer FOR TABLE TableFields.TableName NO-ERROR.
            IF ERROR-STATUS:ERROR = TRUE THEN DO:
                NEXT _TableLoop.
            END.
            /* Set this as current buffer handled by Query */
            QueryHandler:SET-BUFFERS(QueryBuffer) NO-ERROR.
            IF ERROR-STATUS:ERROR = TRUE THEN DO:
                NEXT _TableLoop.
            END.
            /* Prepare query string and also check if correct syntax */
            QueryHandler:QUERY-PREPARE(QueryString) NO-ERROR.
            IF ERROR-STATUS:ERROR = TRUE THEN DO:
                NEXT _TableLoop.
            END.
            /* Execute Query and Check if valid query*/
            QueryHandler:QUERY-OPEN() NO-ERROR.
            IF ERROR-STATUS:ERROR = TRUE THEN DO:
                NEXT _TableLoop.
            END.
            ELSE DO: /* If all above are correct */
                IF QueryHandler:GET-FIRST(NO-LOCK) = TRUE THEN DO:
                    RUN DoReplace(BufferFields).
                END.
                ELSE DO:
                    NEXT _TableLoop.
                END.
            END.
        END.
    END.
END.

Here is my DoReplace Procedure:

DEFINE INPUT PARAMETER chkFields AS CHARACTER NO-UNDO.
DEFINE VARIABLE i AS INTEGER     NO-UNDO.

DO WHILE queryBuffer:AVAILABLE:
    DO TRANSACTION i = 1 TO NUM-ENTRIES(chkFields,";") - 1:
        /* Code Incomplete */
        queryBuffer:BUFFER-FIELD(ENTRY(i,chkFields,";")):BUFFER-VALUE.
    END.
    QueryHandler:GET-CURRENT(NO-LOCK).
    QueryHandler:GET-NEXT(NO-LOCK).
END.

These code can't work in v8.3c because it doesn't support for dynamic query. I can't find a workaround in v8.3c.

Answer 1

Version 8 is, of course, prehistoric.

In version 8 and earlier you would implement this sort of thing via "compile on the fly" (which requires a compiler license).

Something like:

/* q.p
 */

for each {1} no-lock {2}:
  display {3}.
end.

Which you then call passing your variable bits as arguments like so:

run q.p "customer" "where customer.state = 'ma'" "name".

This is much cruder than v9+ dynamic queries and the compiler requirement prevents a lot of uses but it might be good enough for whatever it is that you are doing.

Answer 2

Dynamic queries didn't become available until 9.0, so your 8.* application is out of luck.