VFP Tutorial - Project Manager

The Visual FoxPro Project Manager controls the components of a project and lets you build then into an executable or DLL. It also provides an easy way for you to create and modify files for programs, forms, reports and classes. Rather than having to use the menu or the Command Window to open a file you can just double-click on it in the Project Manager. This shortcut applies to all types of file, not just to VFP programs. If you have added a file of type bmp to the project then FoxPro will open Paint when you double-click on it.

Although the Project Manager looks very like the Database Window from an older version of Access it does not hold the program code or the design of the project components. It is in fact just a table of project information with details of the files required, where they are stored, and any comments you want to associate with them. This means that many database projects can share the same files of common procedures or class libraries.

Create a new project by typing CREATE PROJ in the Command Window:

This shows an empty project. As files are added to the project the nodes on the TreeView will expand. As an example, the Data node will expand to show 'Databases', 'Free Tables' and 'Queries'. Each of the main nodes of the tree has its own tab and if you wanted to concentrate forms and reports then you could see them on the 'Documents' tab.

There are six buttons on the right of the Project Manager. The first three let you create a new file, add an existing file to the project, and modify one of the files from the project. The Run button will execute a program file, display a form file, or print a report file. Remove removes the file's reference from the project and Build will build the project files into a DLL or executable.

Using the Project Manager

The first thing to do with the Project Manager is to get it out of the way. If you click on the title bar then you can drag it up onto the main menu and dock it clear of the desktop area. Click on a tab to drop down a list when you need one of the files. This saves a lot of space on the desktop.

The screenshot shows the Project Manager docked with the documents tab expanded to show that there are two forms in this project. The mycd form is shown in bold because this is the main form in the project, the one that will appear when the executable runs. Note that, unlike in Microsoft Access, you do not have to have a form as the main component of the project. In fact it is more normal to start with a program that sets up the correct environment and displays a menu.

None of the buttons from the full display are visible when the Project Manager is docked like this but all their functions are available on a right-click menu.

If you do want to able to keep one of the pages visible whilst the Project Manager is docked then you can tear that tag off. Just click on its caption and drag it onto the FoxPro desktop. A close widget will appear on the tab. Click that to close the floating tag and return it to the docked position.

Introduction to FoxPro | Environment | Project | Tables | Forms | Navigation | Executable