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DVTool is EASY!
- Downloading / Installation
- Creating or Editing A New Schema
- Changing your schema validation properties
- Running the Validation
- Exporting Your Data
- Advanced View - Editing the XML
- Troubshooting
Downloading and Installing DVTool Top
DVTool does not need to be installed in order to run. However, the Java 6 JRE (Java Runtime Environment) DOES need to be installed. Click on the "Download Java 6 JRE" link in the resources panel and read instructions given there on downloading and installing the JRE.
Once you have the JRE installed on your system, simply extract the DVTool.zip file to the root of your C:\ drive (or wherever is convenient). Note: It's important that you keep the program in the directory where you first run it, so choose a place that you consider permanent. Everything will extract into a folder called "DVTool", and inside that you just need to double click on the "DVTool.jar" file to run the program. The program will automatically create two folders (xmlschemas and datafiles) and a file called 'schemas.dat' in the same directory as the jar file. Once you've have executed the program, it's advised that you do not move anything to a different directory. If you have directory/schema problems, you can either contact us, or try deleting both created directories and the schema.dat file and running the program again.
Creating or Editing A New Schema Top
You may either choose "New/Edit Schema" from the "File" menu or right-click on the schemas list on the left and choose "New/Edit Schema". A window will popup (view screenshot) to allow you to enter the information for this schema. Every schema must have a name, and the name should be unique and formed with only alphanumeric (text/numbers only) characters or spaces.
The data file is an important piece in creating a new schema. The data file MUST be tab-delimited (where each field is separated by a tab, and each row is on it's own line). You also need to have a row at the top (before any data starts) that is a tab-delimited list of all the field names. These field names will be used by the program to create the schema. You must also specify the row where the field names are and the row where the data starts. Use the graphic to the right of the field row boxes to help you identify what numbers to put in the fields. Note: The first row is considered row '0'.
Once you have specifed the schema name and data file, you can choose an option to create the schema validation file. The generation tool simply goes through each field name found in the data file and defaults it's schema type to 'string' (text). If the field name happens to contain the word 'date','time' or 'number' it will set the default data type to the appropriate type. After the schema is generated however, you'll have full control as to what the data types and allowed values are for your data.
If you are a Tapestry user, you may be interested in selecting one of the pre-packaged schemas listed in the combo box. If you select one, it will simply copy it from the jar file into your local schemas directory so you can make changes to it.
At any time, you may come back and edit your schema name, data file, or even generate your schema or refresh it from a pre-packaged schema.
Changing your schema validation properties Top
Field names -- Edit the field names by double clicking in the field column and typing the new name. These names will appear as column names (and in any errors) in your validation results. Any non-alphanumeric characters or spaces will be removed from your field names when you click the save button. The program will also append a number at the end of the field name to ensure field name uniqueness (since you may have data files with duplicate field names). You may change the field name to whatever you like, but the field number will always be added to the end of the field to ensure uniqueness.
Field Types -- You can currently choose "string" (text),"int" (which is a number with no decimals),"date", or "time" although it's important to note that "time" validates under the date category, but won't validate that the numbers in the time are correct. Also, if you specify the type to be "string" and include 'name', 'phone', 'email', 'zip' in your field name, the program will assume that field is of the respective type and validate it against standard patterns for each type.
String - Allowed Values -- Allowed values are a series of values that may be entered in the given field. To enter allowed values, select the "string" field type and double click in the allowed values field. You will get a popup (view screenshot) that allows you to enter the allowed values. Use the "+" or "-" buttons to add new rows, and simply double click in the row to edit it and press enter when you are done. When editing a row, be sure and press enter before you press the done button or it won't save your change. If you want to change the order of an allowed value, use the "shift + up arrow" or "shift + down arrow" keyboard shortcuts. If the field is optional, but you still want to enforce allowed values, simply add an empty row to the allowed values.
Int - Min/Max Values -- You may specify a min and max value for each field of the "int" type. Do do this, select int as the data type and then double click on the third column. A popup will appear (view screenshot) that allows you to enter a min and max value. Currently you must either enter both a min and max value to use this feature.
Running the Validation Top
view screenshot
Once you have defined your schema and set all the validation properties, you are ready to run your validation. Make sure your data file location is correct (viewable at the bottom), and click "VALIDATE". For extremely large data sets, this may take a few seconds, but soon you will see a table of all your data, and the first column will be any errors that were reported. The errors will be in the format of "[Field name] ([data found]) is not valid" So you can clearly see what field was being checked and what data in the field was invalid. If you see errors in there that aren't really errors, go back and edit your schema validation properties to handle those cases and validate again.
Once you have your schema validation properties exactly the way you want them, you can use this tool over and over again to check your data. You will be amazed, if you run this tool every evening and then inform the staff that entered the data what records had errors, how quickly you can train your staff to produce less errors each day. They will learn before too long that it's far easier to check the information for errors BEFORE submitting the form, than it is to get a report from their supervisor on how many errors they entered! Some companies have noticed an 80% decrease in record errors over just a few months of using these methods!
Exporting Your Data Top
We have provided a simple button for exporting your data into an Microsoft Excel (.xls) spreadsheet. If you have Excel installed, this button will create the new file (with the same name as your schema, and in the same directory as the jar file), and then launch Excel for you.
Advanced View - Editing the XML Top
view screenshot
To view/edit the actual schema xml, click the "View - Switch to Advanced View", and then click on the XML Editor tab. Note: It is suggested that you NOT edit the XML unless you know what you are doing. Even advanced users can make mistakes, and the DVTool will attempt to provide you with options on correcting those mistakes, but if you can't find and correct your mistake yourself, you may have to regenerate your schema and start over again. However, for those who like dealing with the code and not the UI, we've provided a way for you to edit the XML yourself.
For the time being I will not go into all the details of the XML structure and how to define your values. However, if you'd like more information on this, please email me (Renee) via our Contact Page and I'll be glad to share some of the tips and tricks in the XML that can help you fine tune your validation even further.
Troubleshooting Top
Given that this application is brand new, you may encounter problems or bugs when using the tool. PLEASE bear with us and contact us immediately so we can fix the problem (not only for you, but for everyone else). Our goal is to give you a minimum of a prompt reply followed by a temporary fix until we can find the bug and give you an update on the application. If for some reason, your application becomes unresponsive or you're unable to get out of it, you can use "Ctrl+Alt+Del" function and view the "processes" tab in which it will be located most likely under "javaw.exe". If you end that process and restart the program, you should be able to continue working. However, please still contact us and tell us what happened so we can try to keep it from happening to you again.
Next, I'm going to tell you what very few programmers ever tell you; I'm going to tell you how this application works so that you might be able to fix your problem by editing some of the files. Of course, if you screw up when editing these files, there's not much else you can do but contact us or delete all your directories and re-run the program.
The following directories/files MUST be located in the same place with your "DVTool.jar" file. If you want to start from scratch with everything, simply delete all these files and run the program again. It will create them if it does not find them.
datafiles directory -- This directory is created when the program first runs. Inside this directory are some pre-packaged data files that come with the program. Do not delete these files or your program may not run. However, this directory is mostly just storage, so chances are - if you're having problems - it's not because of this directory.
xmlschemas directory -- This directory will hold ALL your schemas, where the name of the schema file will be the same as the name you choose for your schema when you create it. The pre-packaged schemas will be in here at the beginning, since they are copied directly out of the jar file. Any schemas you create afterward will be stored in this directory. If you get a new update of the program, you may want to unzip the update elsewhere and then copy all the files over into your new directory, thus maintaining whatever is written in the "schemas.dat" file and the saved schemas you have in xmlschemas directory. If you are having problems with your program and think you may want to start over with everything, try COPYING this folder and putting it elsewhere, then copying back individual schemas after you've recreated the schema definition in the program. This might help get back crucial schema validation properties that you spent time working on.
schemas.dat file -- This file is the crux of the whole application. Each line in the file is the definition of a new schema, where each schema property is separated by commas. The first property is the schema name, the second is the schema data file location, the third is a number and represents the "field row" value, the fourth is the "data row" value, and last is the schema file location. The file locations are the MOST IMPORTANT parts. If you having trouble with your application loading, check the schemas.dat file in a txt editor (Notepad), and make sure that all the file locations are correct!. Then try loading the application again.
If you get yourself into trouble, don't be afraid to call or email me (Renée). I'll do whatever I can to help you get everything figured out. After all... you're my user. :)
This product is brought to you by Custom Software and Training, and as a company, we are dedicated to helping you with your data needs. If you need any assistance in using this program, or would like to report bugs or make feature suggestions, please contact us via our Contact page.