Database Server (DBS) API

Introduction

The VA FileMan Database Server (DBS) is an Application Programming Interface (API) for accessing data attributes and data in VA FileMan files. The principal function of these APIs is to separate database access from user presentation. In Classic VA FileMan's roll-and-scroll mode, the interaction with the end user was closely tied to the code that changed the database. Whenever VA FileMan needed information from the user, a READ was done; whenever VA FileMan needed to present information to the user, a WRITE was done.

However, with VA FileMan's DBS calls, no WRITEs to the current device are done. Interaction with the user is managed by the client application. Package developers can manage user interaction from within their own code and can call VA FileMan whenever interaction with the database is needed. The DBS calls are used to update the database in a non-interactive mode. Information needed by the VA FileMan routines is passed through parameters rather than through interactive dialog with the user. Any information that needs to be displayed to the end-user is passed by VA FileMan back to the calling routine in arrays.

This separation of data access from user input/output (I/O) makes possible the construction of alternative front-ends to the VA FileMan database (e.g., a windowed Graphical User Interface [GUI]). In addition, this API can be the basis for data access by applications running outside M.

This section is structured as follows:

• How to Use Database Server (DBS) Calls—Describes the conventions used in the DBS API.
  
  
• How the Database Server (DBS) Communicates—Offers a detailed description of the way DBS calls return information to the client application in arrays.
  
  
• Individual calls are described, including input parameters, output, and examples of their use.

Reviewed/Updated: May 2026