Table_StartShrink()

The Table_StartShrink() function creates a temporary data table that can be used to store data from an original table that’s being shrunk.

Syntax

Table_StartShrink(product_ID, table table_name, pathname)

Parameters

• product_ID – An integer specifying the product ID of the dictionary containing the table being shrunk.

• table table_name – The name of the table being shrunk.

• pathname – A string indicating the full generic pathname where the temporary file is to be created. Use an empty string ("") if you’re storing the temporary table in the same folder as the original table.

Return value

An integer describing the result of the temporary table initialization. The result is 0 if the temporary table was created successfully. Any other value indicates an error. The following list shows the errors and their corresponding integer values:

0 – No error	20 – Transaction in progress
1 – Low on memory	21 – Not a variable length table
2 – Database manager not initialized	22 – No table definition could be found
3 – Database manager not supported	23 – Attempted to lock two records
4 – Too many tables opened	24 – No lock on update
5 – Record length too long	25 – Table doesn’t match definition
6 – Too many keys for database type	26 – The disk is full
7 – Too many segments	27 – Unknown error
8 – Table not registered	28 – A non-modifiable key changed
9 – Table not found	29 – Not a variable length field
10 – Locked record	30 – A record was changed with a passive lock
11 – Table name error	31 – Deadlocked
12 – Table not open	32 – Path not found
13 – Table not opened exclusive	33 – Buffer error
14 – Invalid command sent to database manager	34 – Error in creating a P.SQL table
15 – Key number doesn’t exist	35 – Invalid key definition
16 – End of file	36 – Maximum number of SQL connections reached
17 – Duplicate record	37 – Error accessing SQL data
18 – Table is missing	38 – Error converting SQL data
19 – A set is already active	39 – Error generating SQL data

Comments

Shrinking is the process of removing unused space from a data table. The process is called a “shrink” because the table will invariably be smaller after the unused space is removed. The Table_CopyShrinkRecords() function copies the contents of the original table to the temporary table created by Table_StartShrink(). This transfer allows the temporary table to store only records from the original table; excess space in the original table isn’t transferred to the temporary table. After the copy is complete, the Table_EndShrink() function finishes the table shrink.

If no location is specified in the pathname parameter, the shrink table will be created in the same location as the original table. If there’s limited disk space at the location of the original table, use the pathname parameter to select a different location for the temporary table that has adequate space to hold the temporary table.

This function will create a temporary table named SRHNKXXX.DAT, with XXX representing a value from 001 to 999, ensuring a unique temporary table name.