Visual FoxPro tips for database developers

Database development in Visual FoxPro requires a range of skills. FoxPro is a relational database so any effective solution must be based on a sound database design and must make the best use of the features of the FoxPro language. We hope that these tips will help you to get the most from FoxPro and VFP.

Most of these tips apply to Visual FoxPro (VFP 3 to VFP 9) although some can be applied to FoxPro 2.6 or earlier versions.

This is not a FoxPro tutorial, you will need to know something about the language in order to get the most benefit from these tips. All are provided for your guidance rather than as solutions to particular problems. Refer to the Visual FoxPro Help system for more detailed information about the syntax of the commands mentioned.

Hints and tips are listed here alphabetically under seven categories:

Code | C# conversion | Data | Forms and controls| Miscellaneous | Queries | Visual Basic conversion

Code and programming

• Advanced features of Find in the Fox editor.
• ASCII codes.
• Assert improves VFP code.
• Autocomplete in VFP 9.
• Autocomplete table structure.
• Base classes.
• Bit manipulation functions in FoxPro.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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#.
• Arrays
• Comments
• Constants
• Case and switch structures.
• For 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 FoxPro.
• Copy 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 and controls

• Add a checkbox 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.
• List box driven by a SQL cursor.
• Multiselect list box.
• Parameters in a VFP form.

Miscellaneous

• Addresses in a consistent format.
• DLLs in Visual FoxPro.
• DLLs in Visual FoxPro - testing.
• DLLs in Visual FoxPro - calling VFP from dotNet.
• DLLs in Visual FoxPro - testing.
• Dynamic formatting of text in the VFP9 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.
• FAQ for FoxPro.
• 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 FoxPro and Visual FoxPro
• Trivia quiz.
• Tutorial for new users of FoxPro.
• Visual FoxPro 8

Queries and SQL

• Cursors in VFP S
• Creating an array with SQL.
• Types of join in SQL.

VBA equivalents to FoxPro commands

• 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

Training courses

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