I'm starting a new application.  One of the features required is for
the database to be in a single OS file.  The redeeming feature is that
this is a single user application.  It's OK to read the database out of
the single file and populate memory tables with the data so that the
whole database is held in memory.  The users know that if their machine
crashes all their changes will be lost.  That's OK.

Can anyone point me to a complete example of this please?  Several
memory tables being compressed into a single stream, then encrypted and
finally written out to disk.  And the reverse of course so that several
memory tables can be reconstructed from the single file.

Thanks in advance for your help.
Kit Jackson

> Can anyone point me to a complete example of this please?  

Not a complete example, but I recall someone explaining how he/she used
compression routines to unzip the tables from a single zip file to a
temporary directory, use it as normal, then re-zip it, removing the
temporary directory, when closing.

This has the added advantage of leaving all current work intact if the PC
goes down, allowing the program to offer to recover everything on the next
start-up, which is much appreciated by the user.

--
Chris

Kit,

<< Can anyone point me to a complete example of this please?  Several memory
tables being compressed into a single stream, then encrypted and finally
written out to disk.  And the reverse of course so that several memory
tables can be reconstructed from the single file. >>

If you're using DBISAM 4.x, just use the TDBISAMDatabase.Backup and Restore
methods to do what you want:

http://www.elevatesoft.com/dbisam4d5_backing_up_restoring_databases.htm

--
Tim Young
Elevate Software
www.elevatesoft.com

OK, thanks guys.  Too easy.

Kit Jackson