How should I proceed if I need to rename a number of columns?

Question

I seem to recall that dbFront would try to catch table column renames and make the internal changes automagically, but I wanted to check.

Answer 1

There is no simple way for dbFront to connect field names before and after rename. There is no common Id or any other marker.

So currently dbFront assumes that a single column deleted and a single column added equals a rename.

Therefore, you need to rename a single column at a time and refresh dbFront so that it can capture the changes before renaming the next column.

The process would be:

1. Open dbFront and view the table you are changing.
2. Change the column name,
3. Refresh dbFront (F5) which would force it to capture and see the column name change.
4. Change the next column name,
5. Refresh dbFront (F5) and repeat...

An easy way to verify the changes is to open the Database Preference and view a diff/compare of the latest backup history. It should clearly show all of the renamed fields. You can also scan the backup for anything that might have been missed.

Comments

Good to know about this feature, it does make renaming easier. FYI, just tested and it appears not to update report filter fields. Filter prompt popup was blank after renaming and I had to manually remove old named column and add new name.

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Fixed: Report Fields are now also renamed in dbFront versions 1.2.6.1185 or better.