LibreOffice Base is Broken

[ArDrakho]

Since JavaScript and Node.js does not exist in Haiku yet, I planned on using LibreOffice Base to create front-ends for my PostgreSQL databases. However, I soon discovered the LibreOffice Base is flat-out broken!

I created two bug reports for LibreOffice Base (#software 15360 & 15361).

The first is critical since I cannot create a local database (#15361). We need to select what type of database to proceed in local DB creation:

We must be able to select what type of database to create locally: Firebird or HSQLDB, where I expected to see this:

The second is just as critical where I cannot add a Class Path for the JDBC driver for PostgreSQL. In the Advanced window, the option to select ‘Use a Java runtime environment’ is blocked and cannot select ‘Class Path’ button:

It should look like this instead:

So, at this point in time, we cannot create a local database or attach an external database. Hopefully, the team that maintains LibreOffice can quickly fix these two items.

Too bad Kexi was not migrated with Calligra Office…that would be another front-end option for me if it existed in Haiku.

[konrad]

Create the same report as an issue here:

haikuports/haikuports

[lelldorin]

You will not get lucky with a bug report in the bug tracker because it is 3rd party application.

[ArDrakho]

I need to duplicate the two bug reports there as well?

[ArDrakho]

Oh I see…thanks.

[return_0e]

@ArDrakho

Since JavaScript and Node.js does not exist in Haiku yet,

It appears that it ‘does exist’ but it is not in the package repos yet. See https://github.com/haikuports/haikuports/blob/master/net-libs/nodejs/nodejs-12.3.1.recipe.

It will just take a rebuild for it to be available in Haiku. So the option on using Node.js might be possible for your usecase instead of LibreOffice Base. But still file the issue on HaikuPorts for others to take a look.

[hey68you]

There’s also Qt (with QML) ported to Haiku - which might be an easier way to create your front end apps. Just need to install the Qt dev packages from Haiku Depot

[lelldorin]

Or yab with postgrsql

[ArDrakho]

I looked for online courses regarding Qt and PostgreSQL development. I could not find any and no tutorials in creating a database app for PostgreSQL via Qt. Not sure what language Qt is…it is a bit confusing.

My extent of knowledge of Javascript and Node.js is from an online course, ‘Learn to build apps using Neo4j’, where “the course starts at the very beginning with databases in general and progresses to actually building an application with NodeJS and JavaScript that employs Neo4J.” It is very basic and that is all I know about Javascript and Node.js where I just needed to create an DB interface to quickly add/update/delete new database nodes in Neo4j. It is wire-frame (I think that is what is called)–but functional. I could change the Cypher code to use SQL instead and point it to PostgreSQL–up and running with some tweaking of what I already know.

MS Access Forms, LibreOffice Forms, or Kexi Forms are more like what I expect to use development-wise in creating a database front-end. I am not a developer–I occasionally have to do something outside my database administration skill-set domain like this on occasion–as usual, I find programming a painful exercise.

I do enjoy database programming using languages as PL/SQL, TSQL (with VB via SSIS), and PL/pgSQL.

I was reviewing a Qt foundation course on Edemy and the instructor was identifying parts of a script, such as ‘deconstructor’, ‘namespace’, and others that have no meaning to me. If that was a foundation introduction–I was already lost at the very beginning. [Even these foundation courses expect you to know something already…not a good start for me.]

So I think this is a good suggestion for another programmer–but not me. Too steep of a learning curve. I do not want spend hundreds of hours learning/reading to do a simple app, where I can do the same thing inside LibreOffice in 1/100th of the time.

[ArDrakho]

I have not had the time to review Yab.

Is it like Visual Basic and has a GUI interface to quickly build a GUI app–similar to MS Access or LibreOffice Base? If so, I will take a look…

Thanks!

[lelldorin]

Yab is base of the yabasic language with haiku addon to create gui apps.

http://old.besly.de/menu/search/archiv/dev/yab_shelltool_gui.html
http://old.besly.de/menu/search/archiv/dev/yab_wasistwas_eng.html
http://old.besly.de/menu/search/archiv/misc/yabapps_eng.html

I never use a database like postgr SQL in yab and there are no command included set, but for a gui im haiku the easiest and fastest way

[ArDrakho]

YABasic could be an option if the JDBC driver could be used and I have no clue how to do that in YABasic. In VB, I designate the JDBC drvier and it just works but VB was designed with databases in mind over the years.

However, I also need it be portable/replicable in Windows, Linux and Haiku since I have databases in three OS environments.

Thanks for info!

[mazbrili]

maybe you @ArDrakho can try freepascal/lazarus you can search on this forum

[dwt]

Node does now exist, as of today!

https://discuss.haiku-os.org/t/node-js-now-available-in-haiku-haiku-project/8946/6

[ArDrakho]

UPDATE:

LibreOffice Base cannot open a created database. It cannot open an embedded Firebird or HSQLDB database that was created by another LibreOffice Base program from Linux or Windows.

For a pre-existing HSQLDB database:

For the FireBird database, here’s the error:

So, the current LibreOffice Base is COMPLETELY unuseable:

1. we cannot create a new local database [GitHub #4187]
2. we cannot attach/connect to an external database (i.e. PostgreSQL) [GitHub # 4188]

And now we cannot open a native embedded database [Git #4252].

Hope they fix LibreOffice Base soon…