Article ID: 136017
Article Last Modified on 10/15/2003
APPLIES TO
- Microsoft Visual FoxPro 3.0 Standard Edition
- Microsoft Visual FoxPro 6.0 Professional Edition
This article was previously published under Q136017
SYMPTOMS
When Buildapp.prg is used to build an .exe file, the following error may occur:
CAUSE
The application name parameter passed to Buildapp included an .app extension.
RESOLUTION
If Buildapp is being used to build an .exe file, the application name parameter should either have no extension or have an .exe extension.
STATUS
This behavior is by design.
MORE INFORMATION
Located in the Visual FoxPro Tools\Buildapp directory, Buildapp.prg strips the method and event code of .scx and .vcx files from .app and .exe files for distribution purposes.
In Visual FoxPro, source code is usually stored in the Methods field of all .scx and .vcx tables. When you build an application, these fields are included in the build, and the code is included in the .app file. Buildapp strips the code from the methods field before the final application build and restores files to their original state following the build. By building files without source code, your .app files are smaller and more secure. The syntax is:
DO BUILDAPP WITH cProjectName, cAppFileName, lDebugMode, lBuildEXE
The cAppFileName parameter should either have no extension or reflect the extension of the type of file you are building (.app for application, or .exe for executable). In the process of building an executable, FoxPro builds a temporary .app file with the name you specified in the cAppFileName parameter. This will cause a problem in the next step when it tries to create an executable file with a .app extension from the temporary .app file it has already created.
Steps to Reproduce Behavior
The following example uses the Tastrade.pjx file in the Samples\Mainsamp directory under the Visual FoxPro directory.
Issue the following commands in the Command window:
SET DEFAULT TO SYS(2004)+'SAMPLES\MAINSAMP'
DO SYS(2004)+'TOOLS\BUILDAPP\BUILDAPP.PRG' ;
WITH "tastrade.pjx", "tastrade.app", .F., .T.
At this point, the error occurs. To prevent the error, use one of the following commands to build the executable:
DO SYS(2004)+'TOOLS\BUILDAPP\BUILDAPP.PRG' ;
WITH "tastrade.pjx", "tastrade", .F., .T.
-or-
DO SYS(2004)+'TOOLS\BUILDAPP\BUILDAPP.PRG' ;
WITH "tastrade.pjx", "tastrade.exe", .F., .T.
Keywords: KB136017
