KnowledgeBase Archive

An Archive of Early Microsoft KnowledgeBase Articles

View on GitHub

Q130603: How to Use SET PATH to Control Which Table Opens First

Article: Q130603
Product(s): Microsoft FoxPro
Version(s): WINDOWS:3.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbcode
Last Modified: 11-FEB-2000

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, version 3.0 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY
=======

Visual FoxPro uses SET PATH to determine which file opens first when multiple
files have the same name and no database (.DBC file) is current. This behavior
matches the behavior of prior versions of Microsoft FoxPro.

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

To see this behavior, assume the following directory structure:

     C:\MAIN
     C:\MAIN\ONE
     C:\MAIN\TWO

Directory MAIN contains two .DBC files (d_one and d_two). Both databases are
open, neither is current.

     SET DEFAULT TO C:\MAIN
     OPEN DATABASE d_one
     OPEN DATABASE d_two
     SET DATABASE TO

The d_one database contains a T_ONE.DBF table that resides in C:\MAIN\ONE. The
d_two database also contains a T_ONE.DBF table that resides in C:\MAIN\TWO.

Given this scenario, no table is opened if the following command is issued:

     USE t_one

This is because the current directory is MAIN where no table named "t_one"
resides, and no database container (.DBC file) is current. Visual FoxPro looks
for a free table named T_ONE.DBF in the current MAIN directory and doesn't find
one, so it generates this error:

     File C:\MAIN\T_ONE.DBF does not exist.

However, if you had used SET PATH to set the path, Visual FoxPro would have
located the file in which ever directory occurred first. For example:

     SET PATH TO C:\MAIN\TWO;C:\MAIN\ONE
     ** T_ONE.DBF in directory TWO is opened.

     SET PATH TO C:\MAIN\ONE;C:\MAIN\TWO
     ** T_ONE.DBF in directory ONE is opened.

To guarantee that a particular table in a database container (.DBC file) is
opened, use Visual FoxPro's exclamation (!) symbol notation. For example:

     USE d_one!t_one

However, if the t_one tables did not belong to a database container (.DBC file),
the exclamation (!) symbol notation could not be used. This behavior is
consistent with FoxPro versions 2.x. For tables that don't belong to a Visual
FoxPro database, you must use the FoxPro version 2.x method to open a specific
table:

     USE TWO\t_one     && Assumes current directory is C:\MAIN

Additional query words: VFoxWin

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbcode 
Technology        : kbVFPsearch kbAudDeveloper kbVFP300
Version           : WINDOWS:3.0

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

THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.