Microsoft KB Archive/143304

= Contents of the Visual FoxPro 3.0b for Windows Readme.hlp file =

Article ID: 143304

Article Last Modified on 3/18/2005

-

APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Visual FoxPro 3.0b Standard Edition

-



This article was previously published under Q143304



SUMMARY
This article contains the text of the Microsoft Visual FoxPro Readme.hlp file that is located in the main Visual FoxPro folder.

These release notes contain supplemental information that is not in the Visual FoxPro Help file or in the printed documentation. For more information, visit the following Microsoft Visual FoxPro Web site:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/vFoxPro

The content includes these main topics:

Installing Visual FoxPro

New 3.0b features

Upgrading and configuring Visual FoxPro

Using Visual FoxPro

Using ODBC and OLE in Visual FoxPro

Professional features



Installing Visual FoxPro
Visual FoxPro and Window NT

Installing Visual FoxPro from 3.5-inch disks

Removing Visual FoxPro from a hard disk

Running network versions of Visual FoxPro

Changes to documentation

Sample Visual FoxPro files

Developer Roadmap

Visual FoxPro and Windows NT
If you are running Windows NT, Visual FoxPro 3.0b requires version 3.51. For Windows NT 3.51 upgrade information, contact Microsoft.

Installing Visual FoxPro from 3.5-inch disks
You cannot install Visual FoxPro by copying the floppy disk files to your hard disk. With the exception of the Setup disk (Disk 1), Visual FoxPro disks use a format called DMF (Distribution Media Format). DMF increases the capacity of a 3.5-inch disk, reducing the number of disks needed to install your application, thus speeding the installation process. Because DMF is a new format, many existing utilities such as Norton Disk Doctor, Microsoft ScanDisk, MS-DOS DiskCopy, and Microsoft Windows Copy Disk don't recognize DMF.

CAUTION: Do not use disk utilities to examine a DMF-formatted disk. These utilities can corrupt the DMF disk. You cannot copy DMF-formatted disks using MS-DOS DiskCopy or Microsoft Windows Copy Disk.

To copy the Visual FoxPro disks onto a network server or other permanent storage drive, use the copy switch (/C) with the EXTRACT.EXE utility on Disk 1.

- To copy the Visual FoxPro disks:  Create a directory on the target drive.  Copy all the files from Disk 1 to the target directory. Disk 1 does not use DMF, so you can use the standard MS-DOS COPY command, as in this example: COPY A:\*.* C:\DISKS   Copy the remaining disks to the directory by using the standard MS-DOS FOR command and the Extract.exe utility with the /C switch as shown in this example, issued at the A: prompt: FOR %I IN (*.*) DO C:\DISKS\EXTRACT /C A:\%I C:\DISKS\%I DMF formatting stores many files in a single cabinet (.cab) file. If you need only a single file that is contained in one of the cabinet files, you can search for the file with Extract.exe using the /D switch. Once you find the file, you can use Extract.exe again to copy the file to the desired location. You can also type EXTRACT /? to get help on the EXTRACT command options. 

- To list all files in a cabinet file:

Use EXTRACT.EXE with the /D switch as in this example: EXTRACT /D A:\vfp1.cab - To list a set of files in a cabinet file:

Use EXTRACT.EXE with the /D switch and wildcards. This example displays all .EXE files: EXTRACT /D A:\vfp1.cab *.EXE - To extract a file to the current directory:

Use EXTRACT.EXE without any switches as in this example: EXTRACT A:\vfp1.cab ANY.EXE - To extract a file to a specific directory:

Use EXTRACT.EXE with the /L switch as follows: EXTRACT A:\vfp1.cab /L C:\VFP ANY.EXE

Removing Visual FoxPro from a hard disk
To remove Visual FoxPro from a hard disk in Windows for Workgroups or Windows NT, double-click the Setup icon in the Visual FoxPro program group, and then choose Remove All from the Visual FoxPro Setup dialog box. This process does not remove user files.

CAUTION: Though the removal procedure offers several opportunities to keep files or shared components, it offers no final warning before it starts to delete all Visual FoxPro files. Press ESC to stop the removal process.

- To remove Visual FoxPro from a hard disk in Windows 95:
 * 1) Open the Control Panel and double-click Add/Remove Programs. The Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog box appears.
 * 2) Click the Install/Uninstall tab.
 * 3) Select Visual FoxPro from the list.
 * 4) Click Add/Remove.

The Visual FoxPro Setup dialog box is displayed. Choose Remove All to remove Visual FoxPro from your hard disk. This process does not remove user files.

Running network versions of Visual FoxPro
Do not run Visual FoxPro from the directory created when you choose the Visual FoxPro Network Administrative installation option (SETUP /A). Because the Network Administrative installation option does not register Visual FoxPro on the computer containing the central Visual FoxPro directory; Visual FoxPro should not be run from this directory. The Network Administrative installation option creates a central Visual FoxPro directory on a server. From this central directory you can install Visual FoxPro on network workstations.

Changes to documentation
Language Reference, RIGHTC Function Remove the first paragraph in the Remarks section.

Developer's Guide, Chapter 2: Overview of the Language Page 41 Add the following sentence to the end of the third bulleted item:

Field names in database tables are limited to 128 characters.

Sample Visual FoxPro files
To find more information about Visual FoxPro sample files that demonstrate the new and extended capabilities of Visual FoxPro, choose the Samples button in Help. If you want to rebuild the main sample program, Tasmanian Traders, first set the default directory to the Samples\Mainsamp subdirectory of the Visual FoxPro directory. Otherwise, Visual FoxPro will not find the necessary Include subdirectory and files.

Developer Roadmap
If you have Visual FoxPro on CD-ROM compact disc, you can gain access to the Microsoft Roadmap to Developer Products and Services. The Roadmap has information about Microsoft developer strategies, development tools, databases, operating system standards and specifications, and developer programs and services. It also includes the latest information and demonstrations of Microsoft Developer products, including specific information about Visual FoxPro version 3.0b for Windows.

back to the top

New 3.0b features
Enhanced OLE control support

DBCS overview

New DBCS functions

New collation sequences

New 3.0b functions, properties, and methods

New files installed in 3.0b

Files updated in 3.0b

Files no longer installed in 3.0b

Enhanced OLE control support
Visual FoxPro 3.0b now includes support for all functionality required of a container in the OLE Controls and Control Containers Guidelines version 1.0. This functionally includes support for the following:
 * Embedded objects from in-process servers
 * In-place activation
 * Inside-out activation
 * OLEMISC_ACTIVATEWHENVISIBLE
 * All interfaces listed under Required Interfaces
 * All status bits listed under Misc and Status Bits Support
 * All functionality required under Keyboard Handling
 * IPersistStorage
 * All properties listed under Ambient Properties
 * The Align extender property

Note that Visual FoxPro 3.0b does not support IPersistStream, message reflection, or automatic clipping, nor does it expose an extender control.

DBCS overview
Visual FoxPro 3.0b features new support for DBCS (double-byte character sets), character sets that require more than one byte to represent a character. Some examples of languages that require a double-byte character set are Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Visual FoxPro DBCS support allows you to create international applications. For example, you can create a Japanese application with a U.S. version of Visual FoxPro 3.0b if you are running the Japanese version of Windows. The Visual FoxPro DBCS functions operate properly on the Japanese character set, and the Japanese collation sequence is supported. Visual FoxPro 3.0b includes new functions for manipulating character expressions containing any combination of single-byte or double-byte characters. For more information about the new functions in Visual FoxPro 3.0b, see New DBCS Functions. Note that system capacities have not been increased in Visual FoxPro 3.0b to accommodate double-byte characters. The use of double-byte characters in field names, index expressions, memory variable names, window names, and so on reduces their length. For example, a field name can be up to 10 bytes long in a free table, so a field name can consist of ten single- byte characters, but only five double-byte characters. For additional information about Visual FoxPro system capacities, search for "system capacities" in Help.

New DBCS functions
Visual FoxPro 3.0b includes the following new DBCS functions. For more information, see Visual FoxPro Help. AT_C Function         ATCC Function CHRTRANC Function     IMESTATUS Function ISLEADBYTE Function   LEFTC Function LENC Function         LIKEC Function RATC Function         RIGHTC Function STRCONV Function      STUFFC Function SUBSTRC Function CAUTION: The Visual FoxPro 3.0b DBCS functions are not supported in Visual FoxPro 3.0 and might cause unpredictable results. If you use any DBCS functions in your application, use VERSION(1) to verify that the Visual FoxPro version is greater than 3.0.

Note that Visual FoxPro 3.0b applications (such as the wizards and the sample applications) contain DBCS functions and cannot be run in Visual FoxPro 3.0. Though the Visual FoxPro 3.0b version of Genmenu.prg contains DBCS functions, it has been modified so it can be run in Visual FoxPro 3.0 if necessary. For information, see Running GENMENU in Visual FoxPro 3.0.

New collation sequences
Visual FoxPro supports new collation sequences for Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Collation sequences allow you to properly order character fields in tables for each language. For more information about specifying collation sequences, search for SET COLLATE in Help. The following table lists the new Visual FoxPro 3.0b collation sequence options and the corresponding language. Option     Language JAPANESE   Japanese KOREAN     Korean PINYIN     Simplified Chinese STROKE     Simplified and Traditional Chinese

New 3.0b functions, properties, and methods
The following functions, properties, and methods have been added in Visual FoxPro 3.0b. For more information, see Visual FoxPro Help. Align Property                       DefOLELCID Property GETPEM Function                   OLELCID Property PEMSTATUS Function                ResetToDefault Method SYS(1269) - Property Information     SYS(1270) - Object Location SYS(1271) - Object's .SCX File       SYS(1272) - Object Hierarchy The following properties have been added in Visual FoxPro 3.0b and are reserved for future use. For more information, see Visual FoxPro Help. FontCondense, FontExtend Properties  MacDesktop Property SizeBox Property                     ZoomBox Property back to the top

Upgrading and configuring Visual FoxPro
Upgrading FoxPro 2.6 files

Using dBASE files in Visual FoxPro

Upgrading to Windows 95

Improving network performance

Troubleshooting printing problems with the HPPCL5E printer driver

Running GENMENU in Visual FoxPro 3.0

Controlling warning messages in views

Upgrading FoxPro 2.6 files
When you convert FoxPro 2.6 files to Visual FoxPro, make sure that the files are not read-only. For more information on upgrading your FoxPro 2.6 files to Visual FoxPro, search for "upgrading" in Help.

Using dBASE files in Visual FoxPro
To find information about using your dBASE files in Visual FoxPro, search for "Switching from dBASE" in Help.

Upgrading to Windows 95
If you install Visual FoxPro on your current Window 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups platform and then want to upgrade to Windows 95, remove Visual FoxPro from your hard disk, upgrade to Windows 95, and then reinstall Visual FoxPro to insure that the maintenance mode of Setup works properly. Two additional OLE controls, Msmapi32.ocx and Mscomm32.ocx, available only in Windows 95, will also be installed. When you open Visual FoxPro Help for the first time in Windows 95, there is a delay while the Help index is generated. This index enables full-text search and is generated only the first time you open Help.

Improving network performance
Increasing the size of the network packet for a connection can greatly improve performance on a network, especially on a slow or busy network. The size of the network packet for a connection can be set with DBSETPROP and SQLSETPROP. Note that the network packet size may be limited by the network and the ODBC driver. For more information, see the Visual FoxPro help file.

Troubleshooting printing problems with the HPPCL5E printer driver
If you use the Hewlett Packard HPPCL5E version 1.2 printer driver and receive "Printer not ready" errors when attempting to print from within Visual FoxPro, you should upgrade to the latest version of this driver. The latest version of the HPPCL5E printer driver is included in Windows 95 and Windows NT.

Running GENMENU in Visual FoxPro 3.0
The latest version of Genmenu.prg, included in Visual FoxPro 3.0b, contains DBCS functions. However, the 3.0b version of Genmenu.prg can be run in Visual FoxPro 3.0.

To run the 3.0b version of Genmenu.prg in Visual FoxPro 3.0:
 * 1) Open the 3.0b version of Genmenu.prg.
 * 2) Search for the line containing the text "VFP 3.0" and follow the instructions on that line.
 * 3) Save the program, and recompile it in Visual FoxPro 3.0.

Controlling warning messages in views
You can control the display of warning messages when you use local and remote views.

To control the display of warning messages in views, use SET NOTIFY ON and SET NOTIFY OFF.

back to the top

Using Visual FoxPro
Accessing the Visual FoxPro Command window

Using small icons with Visual FoxPro

Using delimiters in views

Identifying tables on a network

Using TABLEUPDATE with views

Navigating appended records in table buffers

Creating remote views using a Visual FoxPro data source

Using Novell drivers to connect to SQL Server

Using windows named "SCREEN"

Using CLEAR READ with READ DEACTIVATE

Printing MS-DOS reports and labels from Visual FoxPro

Window access in localized versions of Visual FoxPro

Localized return values for SYS functions

Using SEEK with SET COLLATE

Accessing the Visual FoxPro Command window
If the Command window is hidden when you start Visual FoxPro, you can still gain access to it. When you start Visual FoxPro, a Project Manager window appears by default. If the Project Manager window fills most of your screen (typical on smaller monitors), it might be covering the Command window. To gain access to the Command window, choose Command window from the Window menu.

Using small icons with Visual FoxPro
Windows 95 can display small icons in the Explorer and the Start menu. You can use ImagEdit to create small icons for your Visual FoxPro applications running under Windows 95. ImagEdit is included in the Professional Edition of Visual FoxPro. Small icons are created by specifying the Small Icon 16-color 16x16 option when creating a new icon in ImagEdit. If this option is not available when you create a new icon, add the following lines to the IMAGEDIT.INI file located in your Windows directory:   [ImagEdit.Icon] Small Icon=16,16,16

Using delimiters in views
Visual FoxPro accepts ', ", and [ ] as delimiters. You can include spaces in delimited identifiers for table names in local views, but not for column names. Delimited and undelimited identifiers are not equivalent.

Identifying tables on a network
To specify the location of data, you can use a logical drive path. To insure consistent access to data on a network, use the same syntax when creating and accessing databases and tables.

Using TABLEUPDATE with views
If you use TABLEUPDATE with a blank appended record in a view (a record created using the APPEND BLANK command), the update will fail. For a valid update in a view, you must enter data in at least one of the fields marked as updatable before you issue the TABLEUPDATE command.

Navigating appended records in table buffers
To move the record pointer to appended records in a table buffer, use the GO command with a negative value. The RECNO function returns sequential ascending negative numbers on records appended in a table buffer. For more information, search in Help for "records, deleting," then choose "Appending and Deleting Records in Table Buffers."

Creating remote views using a Visual FoxPro data source
When you create a remote view using Visual FoxPro as the data source, the current ODBC driver recognizes only files from FoxPro version 2.6 and earlier.

Using Novell drivers to connect to SQL Server
To connect to SQL Server using Novell real-mode drivers, include the following command before establishing the connection: <pre class="fixed_text">  =SQLSETPROP(0, 'PacketSize', 512)

Using windows named "SCREEN"
In Visual FoxPro, window functions can return ambiguous values for windows whose name contains SCREEN. For best results, avoid using SCREEN as part of a window name. The following functions are affected by this behavior: <pre class="fixed_text">WBORDER   WLAST      WONTOP WCHILD    WLCOL      WROWS WCOLS     WLROW      WTITLE WEXIST    WMAXIMUM   WVISIBLE WFONT     WMINIMUM

Using CLEAR READ with READ DEACTIVATE
If you use CLEAR READ within a READ DEACTIVATE clause, Visual FoxPro, unlike FoxPro 2.6, invokes a READ VALID event. You can restore FoxPro 2.6 behavior by removing CLEAR READ and returning true (.T.).

Printing MS-DOS reports and labels from Visual FoxPro
Printing character-based reports or labels (created in FoxPro for MS-DOS) in Visual FoxPro can produce unexpected results. This method writes directly to the printer and is not recommended on the Windows platform. If you use the PDSETUP clause with REPORT and LABEL commands, you will have more reliable results on the Windows platform by converting to Visual FoxPro format. For more information about the effects of the PDSETUP clause, see _PDSETUP in Help.

Window access in localized versions of Visual FoxPro
In localized versions of Visual FoxPro, specify Visual FoxPro windows, such as the Command window, Debug window, Trace window, or View window by their English names; specify toolbars by their localized names (the name that appears in the title bar of the toolbar window).

Localized return values for SYS functions
In localized versions of Visual FoxPro, the SYS functions SYS(2006) and SYS(2011) return localized values.

Using SEEK with SET COLLATE
If you perform a SEEK when SET COLLATE is not set to MACHINE, the seek fails if the index key contains a trailing blank. Trailing blanks are valid only if SET COLLATE is set to MACHINE.

back to the top

Using ODBC and OLE in Visual FoxPro
Using ODBC desktop drivers

Avoiding ODBC errors in the Remote View Wizard

MS Draw 1.0 objects as Visual FoxPro OLE objects

Using ODBC desktop drivers
The ODBC drivers and driver manager installed in Visual FoxPro 3.0b are the most current versions. Some of the files installed may conflict with ODBC 2.5 components installed by other software. Avoid using DECLARE - DLL, FoxTools, or an .fll file to gain access to ODBC drivers. Doing so can generate errors; use SQLCONNECT, SQLEXEC, or other Visual FoxPro functions to connect to ODBC.

Avoiding ODBC errors in the Remote View Wizard
If you use the Remote View Wizard with backend servers that assign table ownership, such as SQL Server, you must select tables that you own or that have a public owner. To access data from any other table, use the View Designer.

MS Draw 1.0 objects as Visual FoxPro OLE objects
If you are running Visual FoxPro under Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups, Microsoft Draw 1.0 objects are not supported as Visual FoxPro OLE objects.

back to the top

Professional features
Reserved.fll

OLE Custom Controls

Additional API routines

Reserved.fll
Do not open Reserved.fll as a library file. Reserved.fll is an internal Visual FoxPro file that is used by the Spell Checker.

OLE Custom Controls
Visual FoxPro 3.0b includes new versions of the MAPI, PictClip, Outline, and Comm OLE Custom Controls. These controls require the following files: Olepro32.dll

Msvcrt40.dll

Msc40.dll

Different versions of Mscvrt40.dll are installed on 16- and 32-bit systems. Mfc30.dll is no longer required or installed.

Additional API routines
The Professional Edition of Visual FoxPro contains the following additional API routines. For more information, see Visual FoxPro Help. <pre class="fixed_text">_FreeObject              _GetObjectProperty _ObjectCmp               _ObjectReference _ObjectRelease           _SetObjectProperty _WGetObjectClientWindow  _WGetObjectWindow back to the top

Additional query words: read.me readme.txt

Keywords: KB143304

-

[mailto:TECHNET@MICROSOFT.COM Send feedback to Microsoft]

© Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.