PocketBase - how to interface with Access code ? (2 Viewers)

[amorosik]

Not sure how polling is relevant in this case. Although I did do it many years ago in a mainframe environment but we had a limited number of clients to interrogate. Are you talking about each user computer polling each table to see if there has been a change? Doesn't sound like a good plan.

It is not possible to achieve the performance of a Firebase type system using continuous database interrogation
We are talking about delays of a few milliseconds between the data change on db and the notification that arrives on the client
This thing is essential for example for a chat systemwith many client connected
But getting it via data polling would be out of the question

 

[amorosik]

If you want an example of a database server capable of handling events and communicating them to clients, you can take a look at Firebird
At page 7, a clear description
A tcp socket is open between client and server (in addition to the channel used by the client to send commands to the server), and used exclusively to allow the server to send to the client notifications of subsequent events

 

[Minty]

You are still looking at some sort of polling if the data isn't stored in an Access table.

You can run a Data Macro on an Access table that can fire on a Data change, this could notify a user.
As soon as you involve storage outside of Access you have to poll that external data to see the change.

There's no magic bullet I'm aware of that can get you away from that. Access has no TCP handling I'm aware of.

 

[MajP]

Ok, then we hope MajP can see this 3d and can help us somehow

Sorry, this is well beyond my skillset. I would know how to trap another office application's event through automation, but no idea how you would create the interface to pocketbase.

 

[Pat Hartman]

Are you going to tell me HOW Pocketbase notifies the users of a change or do you not know yourself? I'm getting pretty bored with this conversation.

You are still looking at some sort of polling if the data isn't stored in an Access table.

That isn't polling. That is notifying. Polling is when one party asks another party for info. Notifying is when one party tells another party something. @amorosik wants the database engine (or maybe the Access FE - but we still don't know if he even wants to use an Access FE) to tell some or all users (we have no idea which since details are lacking in the thread) that something changed in a table. We don't know what type of change (add/change/delete or all) he cares about either but that is less important at this stage.

@Minty Do you KNOW if a data macro can send an email or PM? I thought they were very limited. I haven't used them because most of my BE's are SQL Server rather than ACE so I haven't had a reason to dig in.

 

[Pat Hartman]

Does ANYONE even know if Pocketbase supports ODBC????

I don't think the OP has any pressing need to use Pocketbase or Firebase. I think he wants whatever he uses to somehow "notify" the user of some event.

We don't know what the FE will be, we don't know the purpose of the notification or even if it has to be real time. We know virtually nothing about the actual requirements.

 

[CJ_London]

If you want an example of a database server capable of handling events and communicating them to clients

Sql server has events of that nature and ACE has data macros. Creating an event on data change/add/delete/whatever is not the issue. I would say it is common to most rdbms's. The issue is how that is communicated to the client.

The OP is interested in pocketbase, no one else is, so it is for the OP to determine how that event is communicated.

 

[Minty]

@Minty Do you KNOW if a data macro can send an email or PM? I thought they were very limited. I haven't used them because most of my BE's are SQL Server rather than ACE so I haven't had a reason to dig in.

I'm in a similar boat Pat, but assume that they can call some code to do something like an email or similar.
TBH any (vaguely instant) notification of data change is going to involve some form of timer event in an Access front end.

 

[Pat Hartman]

Back in #13, I got this out of the OP

Yes, all in lan
The function that interests me to understand if it can be exploited is the possibility for PocketBase to 'inform' the clients that something has changed on the db
It would allow you to have an 'event' handling of some database changes, WITHOUT using polling

It would seem that the only interest in Pocketbase is because it has some mysterious feature that the OP thinks he needs.

 

[amorosik]

Sql server has events of that nature and ACE has data macros. Creating an event on data change/add/delete/whatever is not the issue. I would say it is common to most rdbms's. The issue is how that is communicated to the client.

The OP is interested in pocketbase, no one else is, so it is for the OP to determine how that event is communicated.

"..The issue is how that is communicated to the client..."
Yessss, this is the point

 

[amorosik]

Back in #13, I got this out of the OP

It would seem that the only interest in Pocketbase is because it has some mysterious feature that the OP thinks he needs.

The functionality is not at all mysterious
That's what any mqtt server (or broker as everyone calls it) do, and even some db server do
The fact that this feature is not present among the classic db server systems does not make it less useful
Finally, I would ask you to avoid silly sentences like "..feature that the OP thinks he needs .." add no useful information in this discussion

 

[Pat Hartman]

And we're back in the same tight loop. I tried to find info on Pocketbase and only got links to downloads. I'm not downloading it to figure out how it works. Life is too short.

 

[amorosik]

Does ANYONE even know if Pocketbase supports ODBC????

I don't think the OP has any pressing need to use Pocketbase or Firebase. I think he wants whatever he uses to somehow "notify" the user of some event.

We don't know what the FE will be, we don't know the purpose of the notification or even if it has to be real time. We know virtually nothing about the actual requirements.

"..I don't think the OP has any pressing need to use Pocketbase or Firebase.."
Second time

 

[Pat Hartman]

As we have all told you, ACE has data macros and SQL Server (and pretty much all other RDBMS) has triggers. Either should be able to "notify" the user. What you have never told us us what EXACTLY you want for notification or what should cause it or does it need to be real time.

You are obsessed with Pocketbase and haven't even determined if it supports ODBC because if it doesn't, you're posting in the wrong forum because you won't be using an Access FE.

 

[amorosik]

As we have all told you, ACE has data macros and SQL Server (and pretty much all other RDBMS) has triggers. Either should be able to "notify" the user. What you have never told us us what EXACTLY you want for notification or what should cause it or does it need to be real time.

You are obsessed with Pocketbase and haven't even determined if it supports ODBC because if it doesn't, you're posting in the wrong forum because you won't be using an Access FE.

"..You are obsessed with Pocketbase and.."
Third time

 

[Minty]

It appears to only support various SDK's as a web-based interface for the data, or supports a REST API and is an embedded SQLite backend. So my take is that it won't support natively an ODBC style connection.

So unless someone builds an ODBC connector Access is out.
It's designed primarily for web clients.

 

[Pat Hartman]

Thanks @Minty, that's what I thought so the answer to:

Has anyone managed to use it in conjunction with the Microsoft Access work environment?

Not without an ODBC driver. There would be absolutely no reason to try to use Access (the RAD tool) as a FE to a BE that does not support ODBC. You would lose the biggest positive aspect of Access which is bound objects. If you're going to write all that code that you wouldn't need to write if you could use ODBC, you might as well use a FE that doesn't come with the overhead and limitations that Access comes with.

I looked at the Data Macros for ACE, they can send email

 

[amorosik]

Dear Pat Hartman, it may be that I have expressed myself badly
English is not my native language
And therefore in order to avoid my problems of correct communication, I re-propose the initial question:
------------------------------------------------
Does anyone in the forum know how to use Microsoft Access, I'm talking about front-end only, in combination with PocketBase for data storage? I ask this thing because PocketBase, like the very famous Firebase from Google, seems to allow you to have a notification system from the database to the clients who have subscribed to the desired events, and being OpenSource it can also be installed locally, obtaining a completely system ' in-house '
------------------------------------------------
This was the original question, and it still is

That said, I would encourage you to use less offensive terms when writing about other people's business

The fact that there is CURRENTLY no odbc driver available does not mean that it is impossible to communicate between Access code and PocketBase
It just means that there is no odbc driver available FOR NOW
Even if it were available, it would not allow for autonomous communication from server to client
If it is easier for you to think of a db server that has an odbc driver then let's talk about Firebird
It also has an 'event' management that allows you to increase the effectiveness of the userinterface-database system as a whole
And therefore on all posts try to replace PocketBase with Firebird
The substance does not change, via odbc each client cannot '' subscribe '' to the events that the db server can be programmed to intercept
This is to say that the presence of the odbc driver does not change the substance of the matter

Lastly, a piece of advice, try to broaden your horizons, because from what you write it seems that leaving the client-server confort-zone is a mortal sin to be avoided at any cost
On the contrary, there is a whole world out there (and soon there will also be Mars), just waiting for us to build new systems, new projects, solve new problems, with increasingly effective tools
One of which, i think, is PocketBase

Peace and smile (and love)

 

[CJ_London]

@Minty

notification of data change is going to involve some form of timer event in an Access front end.

Not necessarily - if the nature of the app is for users to continually open/close forms or select new records you can use things like the form open, close and current events. If they are not happening then presumable the user is not using the app. But repeat, it does depend on the nature of the app.

@amorosik We do understand what you are asking but (I at least) do not understand what the facts are around

'autonomous communication from server to client'
'allows you to increase the effectiveness of the userinterface-database system as a whole'

What does this actually mean?
What sort of notification? a message? an image? a recordset?
How is a notification sent?
Where is it sent? client email? client subscription account? clients IP address?
How is it received by the user? - using windows notifications perhaps?
What is expected to happen when the message is received? update/add a record?

Finally, can you provide an example where one rdbms (not firebird/pocketbase) receives notifications from firebird/pocketbase, how it receives them and what does it do with them.

 

[Pat Hartman]

The fact that there is CURRENTLY no odbc driver available does not mean that it is impossible to communicate between Access code and PocketBase
It just means that there is no odbc driver available FOR NOW

Most people don't have years to wait for a solution.
It is the ODBC driver that lets Access work with Pocketbase as the BE to get and put data.
It is the BE (Pocketbase, ACE, SQL Server, etc.) that has the functionality you are looking for to send notices to the clients. Even Access forms can send notifications AND they have all of VBA to use as well as windows API's so forms have the most flexibility of all but you won't even consider them as an option. Since you won't tell us what form you want those notifications to take, it is really hard to move on. Both ACE and SQL Server (and probably many other RDBMS options) support at least email notifications. But we don't know if that is sufficient for your requirement. Without knowing exactly what the requirement is, we cannot tell you what other RDBMS might solve the problem if you want to stick with Access as the FE.

Lastly, a piece of advice, try to broaden your horizons, because from what you write it seems that leaving the client-server confort-zone is a mortal sin to be avoided at any cost

You are posting in an Access forum, therefore, you are at least thinking about using Access (the RAD tool) as the FE. Access runs on Windows. If you don't want to run on a client/server platform, you need to look for a different FE than Access. I wasn't by any stretch of reality telling you that Access was the only correct solution. All along, I have been telling you that given your interest in only Pocketbase and not ACE and not SQL Server and not the functionality available with Access forms, Access is not going to work as a FE for you.

On the contrary, there is a whole world out there (and soon there will also be Mars), just waiting for us to build new systems, new projects, solve new problems, with increasingly effective tools
One of which, i think, is PocketBase

I'm sure there is but PocketBase and Access do not run in the same circles so you are probably going to have to make a choice. Are you committed to an Access FE? Are you committed to a Pocketbase BE?

I understand language can sometimes be an issue. Your English is better than that of a lot of native speakers so I didn't pick up on that.

A little advice to you.
1. if you have a language problem, tell us early and we will simplify our explanations so the translator has less trouble.
2. Always answer the questions asked of you. We were up to post #11 before I got you to tell me why you were trying to marry Access with Pocketbase. And we still have no idea HOW you want the notifications to happen. NOT the technical method as I stated earlier.
3. Now we're at post #40 and no where closer to helping you because you are not answering questions.