FastTips for FoxPro for Mac: Interface Differences Q&A
ID: Q109069
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft FoxPro for Macintosh, version 2.5b
Microsoft(R) Technical Support Application Note (Text File) FC0958: INTERFACE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PLATFORMS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Revision Date: 12/93
No Disk Included
The following information applies to Microsoft FoxPro(R) version 2.5 for Macintosh(R).
| INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS DOCUMENT AND ANY SOFTWARE THAT MAY | | ACCOMPANY THIS DOCUMENT (collectively referred to as an Application| | Note) IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER | | EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED | | WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND/OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR | | PURPOSE. The user assumes the entire risk as to the accuracy and | | the use of this Application Note. This Application Note may be | | copied and distributed subject to the following conditions: 1) All | | text must be copied without modification and all pages must be | | included; 2) If software is included, all files on the disk(s) must| | be copied without modification (the MS-DOS(R) utility diskcopy is | | appropriate for this purpose); 3) All components of this | | Application Note must be distributed together; and 4) This | | Application Note may not be distributed for profit. | | | | Copyright (C) 1993 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved. | | Microsoft, FoxPro, and MS-DOS are registered trademarks and Windows| | is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. | | Macintosh is a registered trademark and Finder is a trademark of | | Apple Computer, Inc. |
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General Interface Differences
1. Q. What is QuickTime(TM)?
A. QuickTime is a technology developed by Apple Computer that
allows the display of real-time animated sequences, commonly
referred to as movies, in a standard format on Macintosh
computers. QuickTime is similar to Microsoft Video for Windows,
the technology available on the Windows platform. QuickTime
movie clips can be stored in a general field of any FoxPro for
Macintosh table. QuickTime requires the QuickTime system
software extension available from Apple Computer.
2. Q. Is there a Macintosh substitute for dynamic data exchange
(DDE)?
A. AppleScript(TM), Apple's official language for program-to-
program communication, is a high-level, object-oriented
language akin to HyperTalk(R), Apple's scripting language for
HyperCard(R). AppleScripts work in conjunction with Apple
events, a discrete set of commands and functions that describe
how programs can work together on Macintosh computers running
System 7.
FoxPro for Macintosh supports the required set of Apple events-
-open application, open document, print document, and quit
application. FoxPro for Macintosh also supports the Do Script
event, which allows other applications that support this event
to tell FoxPro to perform almost any action. FoxPro for
Macintosh supports the running of compiled scripts through the
RUN SCRIPT command. For more information about AppleScript,
contact the Apple Programmer's and Developer's Association
(APDA). To learn more about Apple events, see "Inside
Macintosh". For more information about the RUN SCRIPT command,
see the FoxPro for Macintosh "Language Reference."
3. Q. Can I replace the text editor provided with FoxPro for
Macintosh with my own the way I can in FoxPro for MS-DOS and
Windows using the TEDIT=<editor> setting in my CONFIG.FP or
CONFIG.FPW file?
A. TEDIT is not supported in FoxPro for Macintosh. However, you
can use the options found in the Edit Preferences dialog box to
customize the FoxPro editor.
If you still want to use a different editor, try using System
7's task-switching ability. With enough RAM, you can edit your
programs in the editor of your choice and switch back to FoxPro
when you want to test your code. To switch between
applications, either click a window belonging to the
destination application, or choose the appropriate icon from
the list of applications in the Application menu in the upper-
right corner of the system menu bar, next to the Help menu.
4. Q. Does FoxPro for Macintosh support Windows .BMP files?
A. FoxPro for Macintosh lets you view .BMP files or convert them
to PICT files for editing in an appropriate graphics editor.
PICT is the universal picture file format supported most
extensively on the Macintosh. You can view both picture formats
by storing the data in the general field of a FoxPro table, or
by using the Picture tool in the Report Writer or Screen
Builder. FoxPro for Macintosh does not support the editing of
pictures, only their display and storage.
5. Q. What's an alias?
A. A Macintosh alias, a feature available with System 7,
simplifies access to Finder(TM) objects (folders and files). An
alias is simply a pointer to the actual object, which may be
buried deeply in the folder hierarchy of your hard disk. It is
often convenient to place aliases of commonly accessed files on
the Macintosh desktop. The operating system finds and opens the
actual object to which the alias points.
To create a Macintosh alias, select the desired object in the
Finder. From the File menu, choose Make Alias. A new object is
created, about 2K in size, which can be moved virtually
anywhere (including across a network) as a representative of
the original object.
FoxPro commands like DO, USE, and SET DEFAULT TO do not
recognize these aliases. Selecting an alias from within a
dialog box, however, will open the original file since the
dialog box contains the necessary code to resolve the alias.
FoxPro Window Differences
1. Q. Why do the windows in FoxPro for Macintosh have different-
style controls compared with the windows in FoxPro for MS-DOS
and FoxPro for Windows?
A. FoxPro for Macintosh has been designed to conform to the
Apple(R) human interface guidelines for the Apple desktop
interface. The book titled, "Human Interface Guidelines: The
Apple Desktop Interface" (published by Addison-Wesley)
describes these rules. Following its guidelines ensures that
all applications designed for the Macintosh have the same look
and feel, so that once you learn one application it is
relatively easy to pick up another.
2. Q. Why can't I minimize FoxPro for Macintosh like I can
FoxPro for Windows?
A. The Macintosh interface does not provide a control to minimize
a window. Consequently, the MINIMIZE clause of the DEFINE
WINDOW command does not operate in FoxPro for Macintosh.
The Macintosh interface does, however, provide a control in the
upper-right corner of a window to maximize the window or reduce
it to its previous dimensions, a control in the lower-right
corner to size the window, and a control in the upper-left
corner to close the window.
To hide a window, select the window by clicking it or choosing
it from the Window menu. Then choose Hide from the Window menu.
3. Q. Why doesn't the FoxPro Desktop window display the sizing
control when it is the active window?
A. According to the Apple human interface guidelines, you can
define a window with such attributes. However, a design
decision was made to provide the user with the maximum amount
of desktop space. If the grow icon were included, you would
lose several pixels for the display of your own objects.
4. Q. Why aren't my user-defined windows restricted to the
FoxPro for Macintosh Desktop window like they are in FoxPro for
MS-DOS and FoxPro for Windows?
A. In FoxPro for MS-DOS and FoxPro for Windows, windows are
related to and limited by the boundaries of their "parent"
window. DEFINE WINDOW and other commands create "child" windows
that are "clipped" at the window boundaries of the main Desktop
window. On the Macintosh, all windows reside on the Macintosh
desktop, which means that you can move them beyond the
boundaries of any other window, including the FoxPro Desktop
window. A new system setting has been incorporated into FoxPro
for Macintosh, allowing more flexibility in the placement of
windows in the Macintosh environment. This property is
controlled by the MACDESKTOP setting. By default, the
MACDESKTOP setting is ON, so windows you define can be
positioned anywhere on the Macintosh desktop. To emulate the
MS-DOS and Windows platform behavior, issue the following command
in the Command window:
SET MACDESKTOP OFF
NOTE: The MDI and NO MDI clauses of the DEFINE WINDOW command
do not operate in FoxPro for Macintosh.
5. Q. Can I get the FoxPro for Macintosh status bar to restrict
itself to the FoxPro desktop window?
A. By default, the status bar in FoxPro for Macintosh appears
across the bottom of the monitor, as opposed to across the
bottom of the FoxPro desktop window. To emulate the MS-DOS and
Windows products, use the SET STATUS ON command. This displays
the MS-DOS-style status bar within the FoxPro desktop window.
Keyboard Differences
1. Q. Why do some of the keyboard shortcuts in FoxPro for
Macintosh differ from their FoxPro for MS-DOS and FoxPro for
Windows counterparts?
A. Macintosh keyboard shortcuts represent traditional Macintosh
features combined with the cross-platform functionality of the
MS-DOS and Windows systems. The COMMAND key, which often has
the picture of the Apple logo and a clover-leaf on it, is
usually equivalent to the CTRL key on IBM(R) personal
computers. The OPTION key is sometimes equivalent to the ALT
key on IBM personal computers. Although the Apple extended
keyboard contains a set of twelve function keys across the top,
some earlier Apple keyboards lack these keys. You can emulate
the function keys through a combination of the CTRL and numeric
keys. For example, you can use the key combination CTRL+1 in
place of pressing the F1 key.
The Apple user interface guidelines define a set of keyboard
shortcuts that should work the same way in all applications.
Perhaps the most confusing and seemingly contradictory example
of this is COMMAND+O. The equivalent key sequence on the MS-DOS
and Windows platforms, CTRL+O, executes the program or query in
the active window. On the Macintosh, FoxPro maintains
consistency with all other standard Macintosh applications by
invoking the Open File dialog box unless a program or query is
in the active window, in which case the query or program is
executed.
2. Q. How can I emulate the MS-DOS and Windows ALT key on the
Macintosh?
A. To emulate the ALT key, press CTRL+OPTION.
3. Q. How can I make FoxPro for Macintosh better emulate the way
I'm used to navigating, selecting, and using hot keys on the
MS-DOS and Windows platforms?
A. You can set FoxPro for Macintosh to emulate MS-DOS and Windows
key combinations by using the SET KEYCOMP command. This command
affects keyboard and menu navigation. The default KEYCOMP
setting is MAC. For more information about the SET KEYCOMP
command, see the "Language Reference."
Online Help Differences
1. Q. How can I get online help about FoxPro for Macintosh?
A. There are many ways to access the Microsoft Help system for
FoxPro for Macintosh. You can press the F1 key, type HELP in
the Command window and press the RETURN key, or choose
Microsoft FoxPro Help from the balloon menu in the upper-right
corner of the system menu bar.
In addition to the Microsoft Help system, FoxPro also takes
advantage of Balloon Help(TM), a System 7 feature that supplies
information about screen objects. When Balloon Help is active,
a cartoon-like caption bubble or balloon appears, containing
information about the object to which you are pointing. To
activate or deactivate the display of balloons, choose Show
Balloons or Hide Balloons from the Help menu. Balloon Help is
an aid for learning about the various interface features in the
Macintosh environment. You may find it useful as you learn
about the various user-interface objects in the Macintosh
graphical environment.
2. Q. FoxPro for Macintosh includes a Windows-style help system.
Is there any way to access the .DBF-style help system I used in
FoxPro for MS-DOS?
A. By default, FoxPro for Macintosh uses the Windows-style help
system. To access the .DBF-style help system, issue the
following command:
SET HELP TO FOXHELP.DBF
Press the F1 key or choose Contents from the Help menu to open
the .DBF-style help system.
To return to the Windows-style help system, issue the following
command:
SET HELP TO FOXHELP.HLP
To change the default help system to the .DBF-style help
system, add the following statement to your CONFIG.FPM file:
HELP = FOXHELP.DBF
Additional reference words: FoxMac 2.50b ivrfax fasttips KBCategory: kbprg kbfasttip kbappnote KBSubcategory:
Last Reviewed: December 12, 1996
