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I'm currently in the process of converting over 20k database tables from Corel Paradox 4.0 format (DOS Based, with a .db extension) to SQL databases, and rather than using off the shelf software, I'm currently looking into using a light scripting language like Python (or Ruby or PHP, but Python is ideal since I'm working on a Windows desktop setup -- although I could boot one of my Linux VM's for development if needed) for me to write a set of code to simply pull all the .db files in a directory and output a set of .sql databases in just one click.

Now while I know PHP has a limited library built to specifically handle Paradox files, when it comes to Python, Ruby, and other languages I haven't had much luck.

My question now is, when it comes to writing a script to convert formats, how do I go about defining the syntax of the file to be inputted? For example, when it comes to .exe, .zip, .msi, and so on, is there a single format/syntax published for developers to follow, and if so, what are the most comprehensive/solid sources to check?

I currently have a copy of Paradox for Windows which I can use to view the fields and tables, but that isn't helping me with my scripts as it only shows a high-level overview.

Thanks very much for any information,

theonlylos
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Why do not you want to use already existing software? For example, a quick googling yielded this toolset (I do not have Paradox databases to test, but it seems to compile correctly).

Victor Vasiliev
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  • Thanks very much for the link! That actually was the PHP library I was talking about, but I forgot the exact location. The main reason I'm trying to find alternatives is because with PHP I'll have to setup a local server and make it possible to handle the sets of data, but ideally I'd like to have all the work done locally through a native platform. I am however thinking of using one of my Linux VM's since it has PHP/Ruby already built in, so integrating that library would be much easier than on Windows. – theonlylos Sep 12 '11 at 18:41
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    That is not actually PHP; it is pure C. Look at "pxtools 0.0.20" link in downloads section, it leads to the .tar.gz file which you may compile by traditional ./configure && make && make install process. – Victor Vasiliev Sep 12 '11 at 18:49
  • Ah, sorry about that. I must have confused your link with the one I saw a bit back before that was PHP. I recall the library was made in other languages but my eye focused on PHP. Thanks for pointing that out however. C definitely is a great language since it's cross platform and I have been meaning to pick it up, so I'll definitely have a look right now. – theonlylos Sep 12 '11 at 18:51