Microsoft KB Archive/127776

= Path Rules for FoxPro for Macintosh =

Article ID: 127776

Article Last Modified on 12/3/2003

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft FoxPro 2.5b for Macintosh
 * Microsoft Visual FoxPro 2.5c for Macintosh
 * Microsoft FoxPro 2.6a Professional Edition for Macintosh
 * Microsoft Visual FoxPro 3.0b for Macintosh

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This article was previously published under Q127776



SUMMARY
The following information describes differences and similarities in path constructs between the Macintosh and MS-DOS platforms and explains how to use path constructs in FoxPro.



MORE INFORMATION
The rules for naming drives differ on the Macintosh and MS-DOS platforms. The drive name on the MS-DOS platform consists of a single character followed by a colon such as C: or D:. On the Macintosh, a drive name may look like Mac HD: or Barney. The Macintosh drive name can even contain a space between multiple letters whereas the MS-DOS style is limited to one character. Both, however, end with a colon.

NOTE: Volume names, paths, and file names are not case sensitive. The term "volume" is interchangable with "drive" on the Macintosh platform.

File Names
Valid characters in file names are:

A-Z, underscore, and 0-9 but do not begin a file name with a numeral.

Invalid characters according to the Finder are:

Colon - ASCII value 58

Some systems substitute a dash -

Invalid characters according to FoxPro's Fcreate command are:

Double Quotation mark (") - ASCII value 34

Colon - ASCII value 58

Backslash (\) - ASCII value 92

Valid but potentially problematic characters are:

Single Quotation mark (') - ASCII value 39

Period (.) other than the one automatically appended - ASCII value 46

Space - ASCII value 32

Path Strings
A path is a series of directory names or folders separated by a delimiter character such as a colon, which is the Macintosh notation, or a backslash (\), which is the the MS-DOS notation. The path may or may not have a file name at the end or a drive name at the beginning.

NOTE: Most FoxPro for Macintosh commands accept the path in either MS-DOS backslash (\) format or Macintosh colon format regardless of environment settings. However, commands and functions such as FxNewFolder from Foxtools, which interact directly with the System, require a path in Macintosh shorthand notation. Please see SYS(2027) in FoxPro Help for more information.

When to Use Quotation Marks
Surround the path and file name with quotation marks when any element of the volume, path, or file name contains any spaces or characters other than those suggested above. Surrounding a path with quotation marks may or may not be necessary, but if they are extraneous, they will be ignored.

Path Examples
For the following examples, assume the following structure: Barney            <-- A volume with same name as folder +-Fred1.dbf |  +-Folder +-Fred2.dbf |     +-SubFolder1 | +-Fred3.dbf | |      |  +-Barney  <-- A folder with same name as volume |    +-Fred5.dbf |     +-SubFolder2 +-Fred4.dbf Fully qualified paths to open the file FRED5.DBF:

USE Barney:Folder:SubFolder1:Barney:Fred5

USE Barney:\Folder\SubFolder1\Barney\Fred5


 * incorrect USE Barney\Folder\SubFolder1\Barney\Fred5

From root of the default volume to FRED3.DBF:

USE \Folder\SubFolder1\Fred3

USE \:Folder:SubFolder1:Fred3

NOTE: The critical difference between a relative path and a fully qualified path to FRED5.DBF is the colon after but not before the volume name.

More Information on Relative Path Rules
Given that the default folder is SubFolder1 specified by this command: Default=Barney:Folder:SubFolder1 Two valid commands for opening the table in FoxPro are: USE Fred3

This assumes MS-DOS shorthand that does not require a preceding path separator for references relative to the current directory.

USE :Fred3 This Macintosh shorthand does require a preceding path separator for references relative to the current directory.

Valid references to the child folder of current folder to FRED5.DBF are: USE :Barney:Fred5 USE Barney\Fred5 Valid references to the parent folder and FRED2.DBF are: USE ..\Fred2 USE ::Fred2 Valid references to the grandparent folder and FRED1.DBF are: USE ..\..\Fred1 USE :::Fred1 Valid references to the sibling folder and FRED4.DBF are: USE ..\SubFolder2\Fred4 USE ::SubFolder2:Fred4

Additional query words: VFoxMac FoxMac

Keywords: KB127776

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