Rapidfile database

Introduction to Rapidfile

RapidFile is the name of a flat-file database program released in the late 1980s to run on personal computers with the DOS operating system.  Although marketed as a very simple product it is actually very versatile if you take the trouble to get to know what it is capable of.  As well as being very adaptable it is also fast to use, fast to perform and, unlike many subsequent products, it is almost entirely reliable (though pressing Ctrl-Break in the middle of certain operations is definitely not a good idea).  In the year 2008, the 1986 edition of Rapidfile (the most recent release) is still alive and well and in use around the world and can be used on both MS-Windows and GNU/Linux based systems.

Rapidfile is an excellent platform for preprocessing data obtained from some other source and any general purpose record keeping operations.  In years gone by we have used it to create an accounting system and a sophisticated stock control system.  At MW Enterprises the Rapidfile product is (in 2008) still used in certain situations.  In particular we use it to hold data that will be incorporated into assembly language programs or C-language programs.  Sometimes we use it to generate HTML pages that contain large numbers of links.  It is also still used occassionally to pre-process large sets of data obtained from other sources such as information gathered by data-loggers, the results from experiments or internet log files.

Alas, the RapidFile product was not adapted either for use with MS Windows or Linux although it will run in the DOS box of most Windows versions including XP and we have also had it working through the DOSEMU program in a KDE window under SuSE Linux 9.2.  However although Rapidfile never seemed to be valued by those who owned the copyright, there has never been, to our knowledge, any other product quite like RapidFile and consequently, although it was last updated in 1986, it continues, even in 2008, to be an excellent choice of tool for many tasks. 

Rapidfile data extraction service

We are able to extract information from Rapidfile databases.  If you have a Rapidfile database file (the .RPD file) and you need the information within it but no longer have a working copy of the program, we might be able to help.  Please contact us if you need this service.  We could export the data to one of the standard formats or create a file in a format of your choosing.  We might also be able to extract information from damaged or corrupted database files.

C-language access functions

RapidFile is a super tool for entering, maintaining and manipulating data but, to make our lives even easier, we have developed a few crude C-language functions to allow us to extract the data directly from the RapidFile database file, without having to manually export it.  This means that it is possible for us to include the data extraction in a “make” step and thus include it in the automated compile sequence.

The source code files included in the ZIP package are not complete and they will only be useful to you if you are able to understand C-language source code and create your own programs.    We have used these functions and data structures to create programs that extract data from RapidFile databases, however that doesn't mean that they will do everything you want them to do.  Also this source code is not guaranteed to be accurate, nor even to do what it might claim to do.  In other words, if you wish to download and use it you may do so, but you do so entirely at your own risk.  We have determined the purpose of various parts of the file structure by trial and error using our own databases but some parts of the file structure continue to be mysterious.  It is nonetheless possible to create a program that will reliably extract information from the database file.

RapidFile database access functions in ZIP file 
Please note, the access functions referred to by the above link are NOT the Rapidfile database software.  The access functions are just some C-source code that can be used to make programs that can read Rapidfile database files and, as such, the access functions will only be useful to C language computer programmers.

If you need to get data out of a file but cannot create your own software to do so then please contact us for our rapidfile data export service.

Other DOS utility programs useful with Rapidfile

Many years ago we created a few DOS utility programs that were intended to make it possible for DOS batch files to provide useful features.  If you are intending to continue to use Rapidfile under Windows or in the DOSEMU environment under GNU/Linux then you might want to take a quick look at the DOS utility software page and see if anything looks useful for you.  Certainly we are still using some or all of these utilities.

External Links

You might also be interested to have information about Rapidfile configuration and using Rapidfile with DOSEMU in Linux.  Perhaps you were looking for a copy to download — that might infringe somebody's copyright and get you into trouble but, if you look hard enough, who knows what you might find ...

The original creators of Rapidfile were Miller Microcomputer Services, working apparently on behalf of a company called Ashton Tate.  In the year 2004, Miller Microcomputer Services appeared to still exist and function while Ashton Tate apparently expired long, long ago — possibly because they weren't smart enough to recognise that Rapidfile was a product they should have continued to market and develop.