Visual FoxPro tips for database developers

Foxpro is a mature development tool. It's been around for twenty years so there's a lot to learn for anybody new to the language. We hope that these tips help you explore some of the features of the language.

Compatibility has been maintained as FoxPro has developed. Some of these tips are specific to Visual FoxPro 9 but many can be applied to all versions of VFP and to the earlier FoxPro legacy systems from the Windows and DOS versions.

These pages are only meant as hints, not as full tutorials. They are a guide towards a solution rather than being solutions in their own right. Use them with the VFP Help system to decide whether they are suitable.

There are seven broad categories here and pages are in alphabetical order within each category.

VFP Code | FoxPro to C# conversion | FoxPro Data | VFP Forms | Miscellaneous | VFP Queries | FoxPro to Visual Basic conversion

Code and programming

• Advanced features of Find in the FoxPro editor.
• ASCII codes.
• Assert improves VFP code.
• Autocomplete in VFP 9.
• Autocomplete table structure.
• Base classes in VFP.
• Bit manipulation functions in VFP.
• C# equivalents of VFP functions.
• Calculate a checksum.
• Calculate, an alternative to SQL.
• Cannot Quit Visual FoxPro.
• Clipboard transfer in FoxPro.
• Date functions in FoxPro.
• Functions for file names in FoxPro.
• HTML from FoxPro.
• Intellisense in Visual FoxPro
• Low level file handling.
• Merge text and data to a disk file or memory.
• Numeric functions in FoxPro.
• Objects as parameters in Visual FoxPro.
• Save files to the Windows Desktop
• Scan records in a FoxPro table.
• Scope of FoxPro commands: All, For, Next, Rest and While.
• Starting Visual FoxPro
• Switching between Development and Runtime versions.
• Table functions in FoxPro.
• Text functions in FoxPro.
• Useful FoxPro commands.
• VBA equivalents of VFP functions.
• Wrap the calls to MessageBox.
• ZDEF and ZLOC show constants and locals in the FoxPro editor.

C# equivalents

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

Data and databases

• Checksum to improve data security.
• Clipboard data storage in Visual FoxPro.
• Copy FoxPro data to delimited text files.
• Lotus Approach data in Visual FoxPro.
• Merge data into text files
• ODBC connection to a SQL Server database.
• OLEDB connection string.
• Scan and process a FoxPro table.
• Upsize to Microsoft SQL Server.

Forms

• Add a checkbox or other controls to a grid.
• Add a command button to the Visual FoxPro desktop.
• Calculator tool in FoxPro.
• Calendar and Diary.
• Custom controls on the Form Design toolbar.
• Design a form to make data entry easier.
• Displaying messages in FoxPro applications.
• Fast way for the user to look up FoxPro data.
• Fonts for data entry
• Forms in an executable flash on the screen and vanish.
• Hide the main FoxPro window.
• Multiselect list box.
• Parameters in a VFP form.

Miscellaneous

• Address formats
• Dynamic formatting of text in the FoxPro 9 report writer.
• FoxPro executable cannot be closed.
• Converting from Fox 2 in DOS or Windows to Visual FoxPro.
• Command line switches control FoxPro start-up.
• Configuration file.
• Files required to distribute a VFP application.
• Gotcha!
• Links to other FoxPro sites.
• Replace Visual FoxPro.
• Service Pack 1 for VFP 8.
• Top ten tips for Visual FoxPro developers
• Trivia quiz.
• Tutorial for new users of FoxPro.
• Visual FoxPro 8

Queries and SQL

• Creating an array with SQL.
• Joins in SQL.

Visual Basic equivalents to Visual FoxPro commands

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

Training courses

If you need to know more about database development we run a series of FoxPro workshops, tutorials and FoxPro training courses to help you.