Modifying database preferences

To modify database preferences, select Design>Options from the menu bar. Some preferences are specific to the database connection; others are specific to the Database painter.

Preferences on the General property page

The Connect To Default Profile, Shared Database Profiles, Keep Connection Open, Use Extended Attributes, and Read Only preferences are specific to the database connection.

The remaining preferences are specific to the Database painter. For information about modifying these preferences, see Connecting to Your Database.

Table 16-4: Database painter preferences

Database preference

What PowerBuilder does with the specified preference

Columns in the Table List

When PowerBuilder displays tables graphically, eight table columns display unless you change the number of columns.

SQL Terminator Character

PowerBuilder uses the semicolon as the SQL statement terminator unless you enter a different terminator character in the box. Make sure that the character you choose is not reserved for another use by your database vendor. For example, using the slash character (/) causes compilation errors with some DBMSs.

Refresh Table List

When PowerBuilder first displays a table list, PowerBuilder retrieves the table list from the database and displays it. To save time, PowerBuilder saves this list internally for reuse to avoid regeneration of very large table lists. The table list is refreshed every 30 minutes (1800 seconds) unless you specify a different refresh rate.

Preferences on the Object Colors property page

You can set colors separately for each component of the Database painter’s graphical table representation: the table header, columns, indexes, primary key, foreign keys, and joins. Set a color preference by selecting a color from a drop-down list.

You can design custom colors that you can use when you select color preferences. To design custom colors, select Design>Custom Colors from the menu bar and work in the Custom Colors dialog box.