Site Map

This page lists the contents of our site in alphabetical order under the following categories:

• About Us - Legal and contact information.
• Access - development and training courses.
• FoxPro and Visual FoxPro - development and training courses.
• C# - converting Visual FoxPro programs into C#..
• JavaScript - a simple introduction.
• Visual Basic conversion
• General Topics - advice that's not specific to a particular language.
• Training - courses in Microsoft Access and Visual FoxPro.

About Us

Background information about Alvechurch Data, legal requirements, contact details, and a little bit about the village in which we're based.

• Company registration and VAT details.
• Copyright of material on this site.
• Crown Inn at Withybed Green, Alvechurch.
• Data security and privacy.
• Description of Alvechurch village
• Environmental policies.
• Facebook site for Alvechurch Data.
• Features of Alvechurch
• General information about Alvechurch Data.
• Geoff Franklin
• Health and Safety.
• History of Alvechurch
• Home Page
• Legal notes about the company.
• Morris Dancers performing at the Crown Inn, Alvechurch.
• Professional conduct
• Site map
• Slant Design - collaborative projects
• Where is Alvechurch?
• Village Hall on Bear Hill in Alvechurch.
• Where can we buy this picture?
• Web site and provider.
• Worcester and Birmingham canal at Alvechurch.

Microsoft Access

Tips for developers and users of Microsoft Access databases. Covers versions 2.00 to 2010.

• Access 2007 fields with multiple values.
• Access 2007 file extensions.
• Access XP.
• Backup an Access database.
• Centre controls on Access forms.
• Choose the right tool - Access or Excel.
• Common Dialog control to choose a file name.
• Compacting an mdb database file.
• Compacting an Access 2007 mdb database file.
• Constants in Access.
• Control Groups in Access 2007 Layout View.
• Custom toolbars in Access.
• Cut, Copy, and Paste.
• DAO in Access 97.
• Access Database Support.
• Date functions in Access.
• Datestamp as a filename.
• Editing VBA method code.
• Error log to improve debugging.
• Examples of Access database support
• Faster Access queries.
• File and folder commands to match Visual FoxPro.
• Form design.
• Generating primary keys with VBA instead of using AutoNumber
• Getting the top rows from a query.
• Hide the Access window and just show a form.
• ID codes for CommandBarButtons in an Access toolbar.
• Lines on Access forms.
• Linking tables into another Access database with DAO.
• Linking two Access listboxes.
• Links to other Access pages.
• Locking with an ldb file.
• Logical functions in Access.
• Macro arguments in Access 2007
• Migrating to Access XP.
• Multiple parameters in an Access form.
• Navigation buttons on a subform.
• Numeric functions in Access.
• OLEDB connection string.
• Options at startup.
• Options in Access 2007.
• Outer joins using Access SQL.
• Passing a parameter to a form in Access.
• Password generator for Access VBA.
• Pictures in Access forms.
• Queries with "In" and "Between".
• Random numbers from Visual Basic
• Simple backup techniques.
• Search options.
• Shortcuts for entering data into an Access form.
• Splitting an Access database into code and data components.
• SQL date formats.
• Startup options for developers.
• Subqueries in Microsoft Access.
• Switchboards in Access - Part 1
• Switchboards in Access - Part 2
• Switchboards in Access - Part 3
• Switchboards in Access - Part 4
• Tabbed forms in Access 2007.
• Text functions in Access.
• Top ten tips.
• Trust Center in Access 2007.
• Turn off the Office Assistant in Microsoft Office.
• Types of Access Query - Modify and Delete.
• User name in VBA.
• User startup options in Access.
• Wild cards in searches.
• Wrap the calls to MsgBox.

Microsoft FoxPro and Visual FoxPro

Tips for developers who are building databases with the FoxPro family of databases. Covers versions from FoxPro 2.6 to Microsoft Visual FoxPro 9.00.

• Add a checkbox to a grid.
• Add buttons to the Fox desktop.
• Addresses in a consistent format.
• Advanced features of Find.
• ASCII codes.
• Assert improves VFP code.
• Autocomplete in VFP 9.
• Autocomplete table structure.
• Base classes.
• Bit manipulation functions in FoxPro.
• Calculate, an alternative to SQL.
• Calculator tool in FoxPro.
• Cannot Quit Visual FoxPro.
• Calendar and Diary.
• Checksum to improve security.
• Clipboard transfer in FoxPro.
• Converting from FPW26 to VFP.
• Converting from FPW26 to VFP - Data.
• Converting from FPW26 to VFP - Program Code.
• Converting from FPW26 to VFP - Menus.
• Converting from FPW26 to VFP - Reports.
• Converting from FPW26 to VFP - Screens.
• Converting from FPW26 to VFP - Strategy.
• Command line switches.
• Configuration file.
• Copy data to delimited text files.
• Cursors in VFP SQL.
• Creating an array with SQL
• Custom controls on the FoxPro Form Design toolbar.
• Database Support for FoxPro users.
• Date functions in FoxPro.
• DLLs in Visual FoxPro.
• DLLs in Visual FoxPro - building.
• DLLs in Visual FoxPro - calling VFP from dotNet.
• DLLs in Visual FoxPro - testing.
• Displaying messages in FoxPro.
• Dynamic formatting of text in the VFP9 report writer.
• Examples of FoxPro database support
• FAQ for FoxPro.
• Fast way to lookup Fox data.
• Files required to distribute a VFP application.
• Fonts for data entry.
• Forms in an executable flash on the screen and vanish.
• Foxtools.fll includes some useful (but unsupported) functions.
• Functions for file names in FoxPro.
• Functions for file names - AddBS() adds a backslash to a path.
• Functions for file names - DefaultExt() adds a default extension if the file lacks an extension.
• Functions for file names - ForceExt() gives the file a new extension - replacing any existing extension.
• Functions for file names - ForcePath() gives the file a new path repacing any existing path.
• Functions for file names - JustDrive() returns the drive letter from a path.
• Functions for file names - JustExt() returns the extension of a file.
• Functions for file names - JustFName() returns the name of a file - including the extension.
• Functions for file names - JustPath() returns the path to a file.
• Functions for file names - JustStem() returns the stem of a filename without the extension.
• Gotcha!
• Hide the main FoxPro window.
• HTML from FoxPro.
• Intellisense.
• List box driven by a SQL cursor.
• Lotus Approach data in Visual FoxPro.
• Low level file handling.
• Low level file handling - FCREATE()
• Low level file handling - FOPEN()
• Low level file handling - FREAD()
• Low level file handling - FWRITE()
• Low level file handling - FCLOSE()
• Links to other FoxPro sites.
• Merge data into text files
• Multiselect list boxes
• Numeric functions in FoxPro.
• Object parameters
• OLEDB connection string.
• Parameters, in a VFP form.
• Replace your FoxPro system
• Replace - don't replace FoxPro
• Replace - use Access
• Replace - use SQL Server
• Replace - wait and see
• Save files to the Windows Desktop
• Scan records in a FoxPro table.
• Service Pack 1 for VFP 8.
• Scope of FoxPro commands: All, For, Next, Rest and While.
• Starting FoxPro
• Suspend FoxPro execution with an API call.
• Switching between Development and Runtime
• Table functions in FoxPro.
• Text functions in FoxPro.
• Top ten tips
• Trivia quiz.
• Trivia answers.
• Tutorial for new users of FoxPro.
• Tutorial - Advanced features.
• Tutorial - Building an executable.
• Tutorial - Databases.
• Tutorial - Development environment.
• Tutorial - Do Case selection.
• Tutorial - Do ... While loop.
• Tutorial - For ... Next loop.
• Tutorial - Form designer.
• Tutorial - Goto statement.
• Tutorial - If ... Else ... EndIf structure.
• Tutorial - Navigation buttons.
• Tutorial - Program code.
• Tutorial - Program structure.
• Tutorial - Project manager.
• Tutorial - Scan loop.
• Tutorial - Tables.
• Tutorial - Variables.
• Upsizing VFP to SQL Server.
• Useful FoxPro commands.
• Using ODBC to connect to SQL Server.
• VFP 8
• WinZip and FoxPro.
• Wrap the calls to MessageBox.
• ZDEF and ZLOC

Comparing C# and FoxPro

In many ways, the combination of C# and the smaller versions of SQL Server seems to be the natural replacement for many FoxPro systems.

• Comparing Visual FoxPro and C#.
• Arrays
• Comments
• Constants
• Case and switch structures.
• For loops.
• If and Else.
• Loops
• Procedures, methods and functions
• Scan through a table.
• Variables

JavaScript

We are building up a tutorial in JavaScript as we're learning more about the language.

• Introduction.
• Tools for writing JavaScript.
• Using NotePad++.
• Using FireFox and NotePad++.
• A simple program.
• Getting input from the user.
• Debugging.
• Variables.
• Strings.
• Variable names.
• Comments.
• Writing HTML.
• Parameters.
• Calculations.
• ParseInt()
• NaN
• Program control structures.
• Comparing two values.
• Testing for equality.
• If and Else.
• While loops
• For loops
• Links to other sites.

Comparing Visual Basic and FoxPro

• Comparing Visual FoxPro and Visual Basic.
• Arrays
• Case and Select Case structures.
• Change characters within a string.
• Change case of a string.
• Comments
• Concatenate strings.
• Constants
• Convert from one data type to another.
• Find characters within a string.
• For loops.
• Format text and numbers.
• If and Else
• Procedures and functions
• Repeat characters in a string
• Scan through a table
• Substrings
• Text delimiters.
• Trim spaces from a string.
• Variables
• While loops

General Topics

General advice on programming and databases that will apply to all languages and systems.

• Address formats
• ASCII codes.
• Automatic backups
• "Data", singular or plural?
• Database Support
• Design a form to make data entry easier.
• Duplicate records
• Error handling
• Facebook site for Alvechurch Data.
• Fonts for data entry
• Golden ratio in form design
• Hints and Tips
• Normalising a database
• Searching the site
• Software Development
• Delivering a database
• OLEDB connection string.
• Specifying software
• Top ten tips
• Tower of Hanoi pattern of backup
• Types of join in SQL.

Database training

Descriptions of our training courses.

• Access
• Database Design
• FoxPro
• General Conditions for training courses.
• Training
• Workshops for database programmers and developers.