Usually the Linux distributions do not install the unixODBC package during the standard installation procedure, you have to search it in the application list and then install it manually. For example in the OpenSuse distribution the unixODBC package is divided into two parts , the basic unixODBC package that provide all the libraries and the basic functionality (but that does not provide the GUI part), and the package that contains the GUI part (you have to search and install the GUI part as a separate package). If you prefer to compile the unixODBC package yourself you can download the source code from the unixODBC web site http://www.unixodbc.org and follow the compilation and installation instructions that comes with the package.

To enable the Gambas ODBC component, you need to compile Gambas after the unixODBC package installation. If you've compiled Gambas before the unixODBC package installation, you must compile it again. At the compilation's end you'll see all the modules that are configured and enabled in the Gambas environment, if all worked fine the ODBC component should be enabled and installed.

unixODBC Configuration

After the unixODBC installation you have to add, in the DataManager, a driver for each database you want to connect to . Some driver's installation procedure add the driver in the unixODBC configuration automatically, some other doesn't so you'll have to add it manually. In the following image you'll see the ODBCConfig GUI that shows, in the Drivers tab, two different drivers, one is used to connect to the System i DB2 and the other is used to connect to a MySQL database.

The unixODBC Configuration Gui

You can use the Add button to add a new driver for a specific database. In the configuration panel you have to specify the driver's name, the description and the path for both the driver share library and the driver DSN configuration share library. The first shared library is used to connect to the database, the second shared library is used when configuring the data source name (DSN). In the following image you'll see the ODBC driver for the System i DB2 configuration.

Driver Properties

Once you've configured the driver you want to use, you have to add a Data Source. In the Data Source tab you have to specify all the parameters needed to connect to the database, all the parameters are database specific and may vary from database to atabase. The following image shows the DSN tab with two data source configured.

Data Sources

DSN for MySQL	DSN for System i DB2

You must have one Database driver configured for each Database type and one Data Source for each Database you want to use. For example, if you have two MySQL DB running one on remote system A and one on the remote system B, you'll have only one Database driver configured (MySQL driver) but two different Data Source, one Data source will describe the connection (and all the relative parameters) to system A and one Data source will describe the connection (and all the relative parameters) for system B.

unixODBC Configuration Examples

Example of the odbcinst.ini located in the /etc directory. This file contains all the drivers configuration and the Driver Manager's configuration options

Example

odbc.ini

System wide odbc.ini located in the /etc directory

Example

.odbc.ini

User's odbc configuration located in the user's home directory .odbc.ini

Example

Gambas Example

Gambas

Select the type of the database from the list, chose odbc, in the host name insert the DSN configured in the unixODBC driver manager. The Database field is not used for the ODBC connection. Provide the user and the password needed to connect to the Database. You're ready to connect !

Database example application

Blob Example

Following I'll quote an example program that I used to insert image files into a Blob field

' Gambas class file

PRIVATE $hConn AS Connection

PUBLIC SUB Form_Open()
 $hConn = NEW Connection
END

PUBLIC SUB btConnect_Click()

  WITH $hConn
    .Type = "odbc"			<<< The ODBC database type
    .Host = tbDatasource.Text		<<< Text Box with the Data Source Name
    .Login = tbUser.Text		<<< The user used for the connection
    .Password = tbPassword.Text	<<< The user's password
    .Name = ""				<<< Not used in the ODBC connection
  END WITH

  $hConn.Open
  IF ($hConn.Opened = FALSE) THEN
	Message.Error("Error opening the connection")
	PRINT $hconn.Error
  ELSE

    ...

  ENDIF

END

PUBLIC SUB select_and_insert_into_blob_field_a_file()

  DIM hFile AS File
  DIM sLine AS String
  DIM outs AS blob
  DIM path AS String
  DIM hResult AS Result

  Dialog.Filter = ["*", "All Files"]
  Dialog.Title = "Select the file to insert into the BLOB field"

  IF Dialog.OpenFile() THEN RETURN
  path = Dialog.path
  sLine = File.Load(Dialog.Path)

  IF NOT $hConn.Opened THEN $hConn.Open

  hResult = DB.Create("table")	' Table name
  hResult!blob = sLine		' blob is the name of the blob field in the table
  hResult!filename = path       ' filename is a string field in the table
  hResult.Update

  $hConn.Commit
  $hConn.Close
...

END