Tutorial Overview:

This tutorial covers the moving of forms from one case to another, updating the case structure and making a custom standard form.

Copying a form from one case to another.

Often a custom form is created that needs to be moved to another case. The forms cannot be separated from the database and moved individually, but the structure of the database, which contains the form, can be moved without the data. There is a basic method for doing this. Cloning is a method that can be used regardless of whether or not the source case contains any data. The instructions for cloning a database are given below.

Tutorial Steps

Cloning

This is a method that can be used regardless of whether or not the source case contains any data. The instructions for cloning a database are given below.

Cloning essentially separates the structure of a database from the data contained. It takes all the forms connected with the database being loaded, and includes the lookup tables. You have the option of moving the data in the lookup tables along with the clone, in case you are working with several different cases containing the same issues, authors, etc.

Steps

1. In Summation go to Options -> Utilities -> Clone Database
   
   
2. Choose the location in which you would like to place the structure file. It is best to put the cloned database in a temporary location.
   
   
3. Choose the name for the database. If you are planning to use this set of forms and tables as a permanent master database structure to be used in all future cases, see 'Creating a Custom Standard Form' below. Otherwise, make the name of the clone identical to the name of the database files you want to add the custom forms to.

Replacing the original form in the target case

After the source database is cloned, it needs to replace the target database. There are two methods that are to be followed, depending on whether or not there is data in the target case.

A. If the target case contains data, you must export the data from the case and import it into the clone, carefully following the Export/Import instructions in the Help System. Make sure to remember that you must also Export/Import the data in the IMGINFO table, because it contains the imaging data. Once the Import has been checked (the clone should be in the temporary directory) and verified you can take the steps below.

Steps

1. Close the program and using the windows explorer, go to the Database folder in the directory of the case you are working with.
   
   
2. Verify that the database file names are identical to the names of the files in the temporary directory.
   
   
3. Rename the database files. These are the <dbname>.frm, <dbname>.se1, <dbname>.se2 and <dbname>.se3. The Blaze files (<dbname>.sei and <dbname>.set) can be deleted. To rename the files, right click on the file, click on Rename and put an "x" at the beginning of each filename. This will insure their availability until the replacement has been verified.
   
   
4. Go to the temporary directory holding the cloned database that contains your custom forms and the data from the original. Use Ctrl+A to select all the files in that directory (if you blazed after the Import as prompted, you should have blaze files - make sure to select them as well). Use Ctrl+C to copy these files to the clipboard.
   
   
5. Go back to the database folder and use Ctrl+V to paste the copies of the cloned files into the database directory.
   
   
6. Open the program, go to Case -> Customize, and select the correct folder to reload your Core database. Verify that the new forms have been included by going to File -> Select Form and selecting them.

OR

B. If the target case contains no data (i.e. it is a new case), the process is much easier.
You may have many cases that have custom forms that were created originally in Summation 5.x and converted to 2.0 format. There may also be custom forms created in iBlaze/LG 2.0 that have been moved into cases originally created in 5.x and converted. In either case, they will lack the eTable for loading edocs and email, as well as several other structures necessary for the new functions in LG/iBlaze version 2.0. Their structure can be updated to contain all the necessary structures for the new features using a script provided with version 2.0.

Steps

1. In the Administrator Console, select the "Groups" tab and click on the "Case Paths" button and then click the "Add" button. You will then be prompted with a message stating: "\\<path>\Cases\ was not found, do you want to keep this path?" Please select "NO" to this message.
   
   
2. In the next dialog box labeled "Case Info Paths", you must select your desired case listing location on the network. To do so, click on the "Add" button, browse to the location of the "Network Cases" folder, highlight it and click on the "Select" button. When you click the "Select" button you will be prompted with a message stating, "Do you wish to make this a Case Tree Root? This will create a "CI" and "CaseData" subdirectory." You must click "Yes" to this message. A "CI" and a "CaseData" folder will then be created automatically within the "Network Cases" folder. This dialog also gives you the option of giving the new case root a description.
   
   
3. After the Root is created, click "OK" to close the Case Paths dialog box. You will have to repeat this process for each group you create. After you finish setting up all groups and Roots, click "OK" to close the Administrator Console.
   
   
4. Once all steps have been completed, click on the "Set Network Case Location" button (second button from the right) in the "Select a Case to Load" dialog on the mobile/stand-alone system. Browse to the directory on the network where you would like the mobile/stand-alone users cases to be created. The user will now be able to see all local cases, as well as network cases created in the directory they have identified.

Updating the case structure

In LG/iBlaze version 2.0 and above, there is a script that automates the updating of the case structure so that a case converted from an older version will have the necessary columns and tables to take advantage of the new features in version 2.0.

This script is meant to perform basic updating of the structure of existing tables as well as create completely new tables.

The table structures ("Table Templates") the script is capable of adding to a database are the following:

Document/Event/Party Summary Tables:
Chron
People
Stdform
StdTable
E-Table

Image Information Tables:
ImgInfo

Lookup Tables:
_Compani
_DOCTYPE
_ISSUES
_Media
_NAMES
_Priorit
_PRIVLGE
_Prprtie
_Reviewe
_Yesno

Legacy and UtilityTables:
FORMS
SHRTAB$$
LGDBInfo
LGUsers

The columns associated with these tables can be added to existing tables, or entirely new tables.

Using this script:

ALWAYS BACKUP your database before altering its structure with this script. You will need to know the exact spelling of the name of the table to be altered. You will need to know the exact spelling of the name of the table whose "table template" you'd like to copy (see list above).

In order to run the script, do the following:

Steps

1. Go to the Script item on the menu, and go to Scripting -> File -> Open
   
   
2. Select "All Users Script Dir for Summation"
   
   
3. You will see a folder called UpdateStructure - the file in that folder (structure.vs) will do the job, prompting you for the information the system needs. Run the script, and it will update the case.

Creating a custom standard form

The situation may arise that you need to customize the standard form so that every new (future) case created has a common customized form or set of forms. There are two ways to go about this, depending on whether or not the forms have already been created in a given case.

A. If the custom form you wish to standardize has not been created yet, use the following method:

Steps

1. Make sure you are the only person using LG/iBlaze at the time you do this
   
   
2. Go to the LG/iBlaze Case Directory
   
   
3. Find the files STTDB.FRM, STDDB.SE1, STDDB.SE2 and STDDB.SE3. Use Ctrl+<Mouse Click> to highlight them all. Right click and copy them, open a temporary directory, then right click and paste the four files into this temporary directory.
   
   
4. Go back to the program directory and rename the 4 files by adding an "x" at the beginning of the filename.
   
   
5. Open the program and go to Case -> Customize and load the STDDB in the temporary directory.
   
   
6. Customize the form as you need
   
   
7. Close the program and go to the temporary directory
   
   
8. Copy the 4 files back into the LG/iBlaze program directory
   
   
9. Open the program, create a new case, and verify that your custom forms were created automatically with the new case.

OR

B. If the custom forms you wish to standardize have already been created, follow this method.

Steps

1. Open the case that has the forms you want to standardize.
   
   
2. Clone the database to a temporary directory, giving it the name STDDB.
   
   
3. Use Case -> Customize to load the STTDB in the temporary directory and verify that the customized forms are present.
4. Close the program and go to the program directory.
   
   
5. Rename the STDDB.FRM, STDDB.SE1, STDDB.SE2 and STDDB.SE3 by adding an "x" at the beginning of the filename.
   
   
6. Go to the temporary directory and copy the STDDB.FRM, STDDB.SE1, STDDB.SE2 and STDDB.SE3 files to the LG/iBlaze program directory.
   
   
7. Open the program and create a new case. Verify that the custom forms exist in the new case

It is recommended that you retain copies of the original standard database files. You can leave them in the program directory with the x at the beginning of their filenames, but it would be a best practice to move them to a well-marked directory (you could create a folder called "Original STDDB" within the program directory), and rename them so as not to cause confusion at a later date. If you have several standard database forms you would like to use for different types of cases, you could create a folder called "Custom Standard Forms" and put your different standard databases in sub-folders, clearly marked as per their purpose.