DataFlex - Clear a data dictionary but keep its parents

Overview

Often you find yourself creating a collection of child records, but you want them all to have the same parents.

If you only have one parent, then doing Set Constrain_File to Parent.file_number will ensure the parent isn’t cleared, but then other parents are still cleared and you can only have one contrain file.

Sourced from DataFlex forums.

Code

Procedure Clear_Retain_Parents
    // The standard Clear message also clears (non-Constrained) server DDOs.
    // This does not.
    Handle hoServer
    Handle[] hoServerList   // the object ids of all this DDO's servers
    Integer iCount iMax
    Get Data_Set_Server_Count to iMax
    Decrement iMax
    For iCount from 0 to iMax
        Get Data_Set_Server 0 to hoServer
        Move hoServer to hoServerList[iCount]
        Send Detach_Server hoServer
    Loop
    Send Clear
    For iCount from 0 to iMax
        Move hoServerList[iCount] to hoServer
        Send Attach_Server hoServer
    Loop
End_Procedure