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Q207952: PRB: Active Documents Flash and Disappear When Run

Article: Q207952
Product(s): Microsoft FoxPro
Version(s): WINDOWS:6.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbprint kbActiveDocs kbPrinting kbReportWriter kbvfp
Last Modified: 11-SEP-2001

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, version 6.0 
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SYMPTOMS
========

Active Document applications start and then immediately end. This may happen so
quickly that the application does not even appear to start.

CAUSE
=====

Here are three known causes for this behavior:

- There is not a READ EVENTS command in the Run method of the ActiveDoc class.

- The ActiveDoc class is not the main program in the project. This normally
  causes the READ EVENTS in the Run method of the ActiveDoc class not to be
  encountered.

- The Windows' file association with the .app file extension is something other
  than "Visual.FoxPro.Application.6".

RESOLUTION
==========

To troubleshoot the problem, verify the following:

1. Make sure that the ActiveDoc class is the main program in the project. To do
  this, select the ActiveDoc class in the Project Manager Classes tab and
  choose Set Main from the Project menu. The class should now appear in bold
  face.

2. Make sure there is a READ EVENTS command in the Run method of the ActiveDoc
  class. It should be after the menu (if any) and form is run.

3. If the ActiveDoc application still will not run after verifying both of the
  above, check the file association for the .app file name extension in the
  registry. Look under the following two keys:

  HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.app
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\.app

  Both should be set to "Visual.FoxPro.Application.6" for the Active Document
  applications to run properly.

STATUS
======

This behavior is by design.

MORE INFORMATION
================

Active Document applications are like other FoxPro executable files. They need a
READ EVENTS to keep them from ending. This concept has been in FoxPro for many
years with the Foundation Read in FoxPro 2.x and then with the READ EVENTS
command in Visual FoxPro.

When Active Document applications are run either in the Browser or Standalone,
they use the Visual FoxPro runtime files, vfp6r.dll, vfp6run.exe and
vfp6renu.dll. The runactd.prg file that is set as the default ActiveDoc Launcher
in the Options dialog box, File Locations tab is what the Tools menu, Run Active
Document command calls. This program has code to start the Active Document in
the Browser or Standalone. If the .app file extension is not associated
properly, the runtime files are not used.

Steps to Reproduce Behavior
---------------------------

1. Use the steps in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article if you do not
  already have an Active Document application:

  Q182579 HOWTO: Getting Started With Active Documents

2. Set the form in the application to be the main program or remove the READ
  EVENTS in the ActiveDoc class' Run method.

3. Build the project into an application.

4. From the Tools menu, choose Run Active Document. Locate the application that
  was just built. In the Hosting drop-down list box, select either In Browser
  or Stand Alone.

5. Alternately, instead of step 2, change one of the registry values referred to
  in the RESOLUTION section to "FoxPro" or any other text string and then
  follow steps 3 and 4.

REFERENCES
==========

For additional information about Active Document applications, please see the
following article(s) in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q182579 HOWTO: Getting Started With Active Documents

  Q182580 HOWTO: Setting Up a Quick Menu for an ActiveDoc App

  Q186015 HOWTO: Pass Parameters to an ActiveDoc

  Q197861 SAMPLE: ADOCtl.Exe Demonstrates Active Documents, RDS and ADO

  Q190771 FILE: Vfp6rt.exe Distributing Run-Time Files w/ Active Document

Additional query words: kbDSupport kbDSE

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbprint kbActiveDocs kbPrinting kbReportWriter kbvfp 
Technology        : kbVFPsearch kbAudDeveloper kbVFP600
Version           : WINDOWS:6.0
Issue type        : kbprb

=============================================================================

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