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 | Kovu's X-Files Database 3 |  |
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Author: Kovu | Date: Jan 02 2009
 X-Files is a flat-file database platform developed by me. The idea behind it is to build applications and websites with database functionality, without connecting to database servers such as mySQL. Further, the database files shall be open and editable, hence, simple ASCII data.
The advantage in X-Files is that it works everywhere you have installed PHP (4 or higher) at any time... as long as your program can run, X-Files should do it too. It's cross-platform compatible and easy to implement in your code/use.
I've written the first X-Files back in 2001. It was primarily used for web-projects. With X-Files 2, 2006, it became a mature functions and program collection, written for PHP and the console (compiled version [C++]), coming with various console- and web-based editors (such as the 'x-files 2' editor for 'terrasco.net Desktop Suite') and tools.
The concept of the old X-Files DB (xfi) was pretty basic: no header data (hence, no title and field types...), but simple tables. With X-Files 2, the first row could be interpreted as field names.
X-Files 3, however, comes with a completely new file layout. It finally got header data: Title, Password, Cell Names, Cell Types. In order to avoid errors with this new layout, X-Files 3 DBs got a new file extension: *.xf3.
X-Files 3 is still able to open and save traditional tables, and recognizes the mode that should be used by the file-extensions. Additionally, there's no need for a converter to or from *.csv data, as X-Files 3 is able to handle that layout as well. Additionally it received dBase functionality, allowing to convert from or to dBase tables. Hence, supported file formats are:
- *.xfi (X-Files 1 & 2, traditional)
- *.xf3 (X-Files 3)
- *.csv (comma separated fields, quotation marks for string values)
- *.dbf (dBase Database)
Unlike its ancestors, X-Files 3 has no C++ binary yet. It's simply time that's lacking, and as I primarily develop on PHP (from web over console to GUI) by now, I don't really feel the need to do one.
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| X-Files 3volution (X-Files DB Editor) | |
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 With X-Files 3, X-Files truely goes X. 'X-Files 3volution' for PHP-GTK is a cross-platform compatible GUI-editor for X-Files tables. It's my first PHP-GTK application, and I wish to thank 'kksou' (http://www.kksou.com) who helped me a lot for getting this done.
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| Availability | |
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While I normally do such programming as free software, I'm afraid that I have to say no on that one. X-Files has always been limited to project partners & friends, and I want to keep it that way. It has a really special purpose, and people have to know how to handle it.
However, if you want assistance on how to work with flat db files, I'll gladly help you when you ask your questions on our forums.
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