Microsoft KB Archive/135307

= Guide to Visual FoxPro Documentation =

Article ID: 135307

Article Last Modified on 8/9/1999

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Visual FoxPro 3.0 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q135307



SUMMARY
This article is a guide to the Visual FoxPro documentation. It lists the printed and online documentation that comes with the Standard (STD) and Professional (PRO) versions of Visual FoxPro, and it also provides a reference to common topics.



Documentation Summary
Documentation      STD   PRO   Description - Installation Guide  X     X    Contains instructions on installing, Master Index                   configuring, and optimizing Visual FoxPro, and a master index that covers all the books.

User's Guide        X     X    Provides instruction on how to use the product interactively (no programming                               necessary). Each chapter focuses on a                               different aspect of the product (tables,                                queries, reports, forms, and so on).

Developer's Guide   X     X    Covers all aspects of creating an                                application in Visual FoxPro. Covers basic programming tasks, and includes material to                               help the move from interactive use to                                programming, and from procedural programming to the new object-oriented programming model.

Quick Reference     X     X    Gives a brief description of all the Visual FoxPro 3.0 commands, system memory variables, and properties, events, and methods.

Professional              X    Covers client-server solutions, creating Features Guide                 help files, distributing applications, and accessing the Visual FoxPro API.

Language Reference        X    Has been updated with all the new commands, functions, properties, events, and methods. Many functions that we                               support for backwards compatibility only are now found in the Help file. Also, lengthy language program examples now appear only in the Help file.

Windows-Style Help   X    X    Standard Edition Help includes all interface, language, how-to topics, and error messages, and lists commands and functions by category. Professional Edition Help includes additional Help topics for Client-Server applications, creating Help files, application distribution, API library construction, OLE controls, and Professional Edition tools, samples, and wizards.

.DBF-Style Help           X    Includes all interface and language reference topics and most other topics available in Windows-style help, except "how to" topics.

Win32API Help File        X    Professional Edition CD-ROM version only.

Autodemo                  X    Professional Edition VFP3.0b CD-ROM version only.

Sample Files, Tools, and Learning Aids --

File               STD   PRO   Description --- CONTROLS.APP        X     X    Allows you to look at examples of object- oriented code and then run them to see how the resulting objects work. Shows examples of new controls available, such as timers, grids, tabbed dialogs, and so on, and it                               demonstrates how to use familiar objects in                                the new OOP methodology.

TASTRADE.APP        X     X    A realistic integrated business application. The Behind the Scenes option (accessible from the menu or toolbar) lets you see the code and find out how a                               particular feature was implemented, while the Case Study provides a summary of the design and implementation methodology used.

Sample Client-Server      X    Provides an example of an application updating remote data through a grid on a                               form, refreshing remote data on demand, and handlng errors. Run Main.prg in the \Samples\Csapp subdirectory to connect to                               the SQL Server sample database "Pubs" by                                selecting from a list of ODBC data sources installed on your system, and use a simple library application.

Professional Edition      X    Includes the BUILDAPP program, the Class Tools and Samples              Browser, the Image Editor, and an OLE Controls sample.

Documentation Set Topic Guide -

Moving from FoxPro 2.x or Other Products:

For information about        Refer to - What's new in 3.0? Search for "Overview of Visual FoxPro                             Features" in the Help menu.

Differences between          Search for "Differences Between FoxPro 2.6 2.6 and 3.0                   and Visual FoxPro" in the Help menu.

Converting 2.x applications  Search for "Converting from FoxPro 2.6" in to Visual FoxPro              the Help menu.

Upgrading to Visual FoxPro   Search for "Switching from dBASE" in from dBASE                    the Help menu.

Basics of objects & classes  Developer's Guide: Chapter 3 - Object-Oriented Programming. Chapter 9 - Creating Forms. Chapter 10 - Designing Classes. Chapter 11 - Using Controls.

Object-oriented code samples Run Controls.app from the Samples directory.

Importing files from other   Search for "Importing Data" in the Help menu. applications

Professional Features -

For information about        Refer to -

Client-server and upsizing   CSAPP - run Main.prg in the Csapp directory applications                 Part 1 of Professional Features Guide (Chapters 1 through 4).

Distributing an application  Professional Features Guide, Chapters 9 and 10.

Creating libraries, and      Professional Features Guide, Chapters 11 using the Visual FoxPro API  and 12.

Creating a Help system       Professional Features Guide, Chapter 5 through Chapter 8.

Product Tools and Features --

For information about        Refer to - Basic interactive use of the User's Guide, Chapter 2, "Up and product                       Running."

Queries and Query Designer   User's Guide, Chapter 6.

Views and View Designer      User's Guide, Chapter 7; Developer's Guide, Chapter 8.

Reports and Labels           User's Guide, Chapter 9.

Forms                        User's Guide, Chapter 10; Developer's Guide, Chapter 9.

Menus                        Developer's Guide, Chapter 12.

General Topics --

For information about        Refer to - Database Design              Developer's Guide, Chapter 6.

Tables and Table structure   Developer's Guide, Chapter 7.

Designing Classes            Developer's Guide, Chapter 10.

Using Controls               Developer's Guide, Chapter 11.

Optimizing Performance       Developer's Guide, Chapter 17.

OLE and OLE Automation       Developer's Guide, Chapter 18.

Multiuser Applications       Developer's Guide, Chapter 19.

International issues         Developer's Guide, Chapter 20.

System Capacities            Search for "system capacities" in Help.

File Structures              Search for "file structures" in Help.

Additional query words: VFoxWin

Keywords: KB135307

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