Why can't I create UDLs?

[Ayman_Metwally]

Greetings everybody,

I'm developing an application with LV7.1 that should communicate (read/write) with Oracle Database.

Anyway, I did it succesfully using database connectivity toolset (using Universal Data Link "UDL")

So what is the problem?

The very strange problem is that when I tried to create a UDL in another machine,simply I couldn't !!!

Usually I Right-click on any area on the desktop, then click New, then select Microsoft Data Link and it's done

Now, I can't see the "Microsoft Data Link" option on the menu ?! (Please see the screen shot attatched).

Isn't this strange? And how can overcome this?!

Thanks in advance.

[tst]

It's probably just a feature of windows that's not installed. Instead, you can go to the control panel>>Administrative Tools>>Data Sources (ODBC) and create a DSN file (in the same way you configure the UDL file), which will do the same thing. Then, you can wire the path to that file into the DB Open Connection VI. This should appear in the manual for the toolkit.

[Ayman_Metwally]

Thanks tst for your reply,

Well, I just copied the UDL file form the other machine and it works well in the current machine, I can modify it also to what ever I need.

I just don't want to move to DSNs (ODBC) is that I saw many Data Base experts ( from other VB forums) saying that using OLE DB (Which uses UDLs) is better that ODBC (which uses DSNs). They said that it's faster and more efficient.

I really don't have a problem now (by coping the UDL and maybe later I'll include it in my exe package) but I wanted to know why I can't create new ones from the scratch. Well, as you said, a Windows's feature.

Thanks again for reply

[smercurio_fc]

This got changed somewhere with Windows 2000. The "Microsoft Data Link" item got removed, but there was still a .reg file that you could merge into the registry that would add it back. That doesn't seem to exist in XP. Still, you can do the same thing by:

1. Select New->Text Document
2. Rename the file with an extension of .udl

You should then be able to edit the UDL by simply double-clicking on it.

-Saverio

[tst]

Actually, I think all you need to do is place a UDL file inside C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME (or All Users)\Templates. Try it and see if it works.

[Ayman_Metwally]

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@smercurio_fc wrote:
This got changed somewhere with Windows 2000. The "Microsoft Data Link" item got removed, but there was still a .reg file that you could merge into the registry that would add it back. That doesn't seem to exist in XP. Still, you can do the same thing by:

1. Select New->Text Document
2. Rename the file with an extension of .udl

You should then be able to edit the UDL by simply double-clicking on it.

-Saverio

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Thanks Saverio for reply, Yes that's a good idea.

[Ayman_Metwally]

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@tst wrote:
Actually, I think all you need to do is place a UDL file inside C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME (or All Users)\Templates. Try it and see if it works.

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No. It doesn't work .. Thanks anyway for helping people.

[falkpl]

I have used the method described by Saverio many times in the past with no problems (changing the extension of a text document), did this work for you?

[tst]

And another option - you can try searching google to see exactly where these settings are hiding. One option is to download TweakUI which is a Microsoft program and includes the option to change the list of options you have when you select New>.

[Ayman_Metwally]

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@falkpl wrote:
I have used the method described by Saverio many times in the past with no problems (changing the extension of a text document), did this work for you?

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Greetings fallpl,

Yes it did work as I mentioned in my last post.