taimic wrote:Does the potential lack of Java really account for why I can't open a .dbf database table in Base?
thanks
I disabled Java in OOo options and restarted the office. Then I opened a new doc (Writer or Calc) and hit F4. The datasource pane shows:
1. Example database "Bibliography" with table "biblio" of type dBase. I can open the Base document from the context menu and see the properties of the dBase connection. The directory is ~/.openoffice.org2/user/database/biblio
2. another fully functional dBase source
3. Mozilla address books from my default profile in Thunderbird
4. a csv source
5. a test datasource of embedded type hsql which is inaccessible since hsql requires Java.
Error Message wrote:"The connection to the data source "test" could not be established."
SQL Status: HY000
The connection to the external data source could not be established. No SDBC driver was found for the given URL.
A connection for the following URL was requested: sdbc:embedded:hsqldb
When I try to call a wizzard from within a working data source I get
Error Mesage wrote:OOo requires a JRE to perform this task. However, use of a JRE has been disabled. Do you want to enable the use of a JRE now?
My Base component works pretty well as far as no Java is required. However, I always replace any distributor's build with an original Sun build.
You are using a binary made by the Gentoo folks. I don't understand what the Linux distributors are doing to OOo and why, but they are doing it badly.
Edit: Before you start stirring your hard disk with JRE and several flavours of OOo:
Open the Base file
Note Menu:Edit>Database>Properties... <directory of dBase>
See what is in that directory. If there are *.dbf files they should open in Calc and they should be visible in the tables container of the Base file.
If you want to make the tables and queries accessible from Calc/Writer/Impress you need to register the Base file at Menu:Tools>Options>Base>Databases. This registration does not change anything in your database. You may have hundreds of Base files, but only registered ones are usable as datasources in the other components.