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Q110480: Table & Alias Names Not Always the Same in FoxPro for Mac

Article: Q110480
Product(s): Microsoft FoxPro
Version(s): MACINTOSH:2.5b,3.0b
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): 
Last Modified: 05-FEB-2000

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Macintosh, version 3.0b 
- Microsoft FoxPro for Macintosh, version 2.5b 
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SUMMARY
=======

In FoxPro for Windows and FoxPro for MS-DOS, the alias of a table is often the
same as the name of the table. Therefore, many FoxPro commands and functions
appear to work on the table name even though they actually work on the alias
name. (These commands are listed below.) This can cause confusion for FoxPro for
Macintosh users because alias and table names are sometimes different in FoxPro
for Macintosh.

To verify a database's alias name in FoxPro for Macintosh, use the ALIAS()
function. For example:

     USE "Macintosh HD:Long Database Name.DBF"
     ? ALIAS()

The above program will print "LONG_DATAB" as the alias name.

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

FoxPro transforms Macintosh-like table names to Windows/MS-DOS-like aliases,
with an underscore (_) substituted for the spaces allowed in Macintosh
filenames. For example, in FoxPro for Macintosh, the table name "my table" would
have the alias "my_table".

Several functions that use work area aliases work only on alias names as rendered
by FoxPro. For example, "my table" has the alias "my_table"; thus,
FLOCK("my_table") works, but FLOCK("my table") generates an error.

In addition to the underscore substitution for spaces, filenames longer than 10
characters are truncated to the first 10 characters.

The following is a list of FoxPro functions and commands that operate with alias
names rather than table names:

  ALIAS()                         ORDER()
  BOF()                           RECCOUNT()
  CDX()                           RECNO()
  DBF()                           RECSIZE()
  DELETED()                       RELATION()
  EOF()                           RLOCK()
  FCOUNT()                        SEEK()
  FIELD()                         SELECT <specified work area>
  FILTER()                        SET RELATION
  FSIZE()                         SET SKIP
  FLOCK()                         SKIP
  GO/GOTO                         SYS(14)
  JOIN                            SYS(2021)
  KEY()                           TAG()
  LOCK()                          TARGET()
  LUPDATE()                       UNLOCK
  MDX()                           USED()
  NDX()

Additional query words: vFoxMac FoxMac converted conversion naming substituted automatic

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Keywords          :  
Technology        : kbHWMAC kbOSMAC kbVFPsearch kbAudDeveloper kbFoxproSearch kbFoxPro250bMac kbVFP300bMac
Version           : MACINTOSH:2.5b,3.0b

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