Q143304: Content of the README.HLP That Ships with Visual FoxPro 3.0b
Article: Q143304
Product(s): Microsoft FoxPro
Version(s): 3.0b
Operating System(s):
Keyword(s): kbvfp300
Last Modified: 06-FEB-2002
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The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, version 3.0b
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SUMMARY
=======
This article contains the content of the Visual FoxPro Readme.hlp file located
in the main Visual FoxPro directory.
These release notes contain supplemental information that is not in the Visual
FoxPro Help file or in the printed documentation. For additional information,
check the Microsoft Visual FoxPro Web site at:
http://www.microsoft.com/vFoxPro
The content includes these main topics:
Installing Visual FoxPro
New 3.0b Features
Upgrading and Configuring Visual FoxPro
Using Visual FoxPro
Using ODBC and OLE in Visual FoxPro
Professional Features
MORE INFORMATION
================
INSTALLING VISUAL FOXPRO
------------------------
Visual FoxPro and Window NT Installing Visual FoxPro from 3.5-inch Disks Removing
Visual FoxPro from a Hard Disk Running Network Versions of Visual FoxPro Changes
to Documentation Sample Visual FoxPro Files Developer Roadmap
Visual FoxPro and Windows NT:
If you are running Windows NT, Visual FoxPro 3.0b requires version 3.51. For
Windows NT 3.51 upgrade information, contact Microsoft.
Installing Visual FoxPro from 3.5-inch Disks:
You cannot install Visual FoxPro by copying the floppy disk files to your hard
disk. With the exception of the Setup disk (Disk 1), Visual FoxPro disks use a
format called DMF (Distribution Media Format). DMF increases the capacity of a
3.5-inch disk, reducing the number of disks needed to install your application,
thus speeding the installation process. Because DMF is a new format, many
existing utilities such as Norton Disk Doctor, Microsoft ScanDisk, MS-DOS
DiskCopy, and Microsoft Windows Copy Disk don't recognize DMF.
CAUTION: Do not use disk utilities to examine a DMF-formatted disk. These
utilities can corrupt the DMF disk. You cannot copy DMF-formatted disks using
MS-DOS DiskCopy or Microsoft Windows Copy Disk.
To copy the Visual FoxPro disks onto a network server or other permanent storage
drive, use the copy switch (/C) with the EXTRACT.EXE utility on Disk 1.
- To copy the Visual FoxPro disks:
1. Create a directory on the target drive.
2. Copy all the files from Disk 1 to the target directory. Disk 1 does not use
DMF, so you can use the standard MS-DOS COPY command, as in this example:
COPY A:\*.* C:\DISKS
3. Copy the remaining disks to the directory by using the standard MS-DOS FOR
command and the Extract.exe utility with the /C switch as shown in this
example, issued at the A: prompt:
FOR %I IN (*.*) DO C:\DISKS\EXTRACT /C A:\%I C:\DISKS\%I
DMF formatting stores many files in a single cabinet (.cab) file. If you need
only a single file that is contained in one of the cabinet files, you can
search for the file with Extract.exe using the /D switch. Once you find the
file, you can use Extract.exe again to copy the file to the desired location.
You can also type EXTRACT /? to get help on the EXTRACT command options.
- To list all files in a cabinet file:
Use EXTRACT.EXE with the /D switch as in this example:
EXTRACT /D A:\vfp1.cab
- To list a set of files in a cabinet file:
Use EXTRACT.EXE with the /D switch and wildcards. This example displays all .EXE
files:
EXTRACT /D A:\vfp1.cab *.EXE
- To extract a file to the current directory:
Use EXTRACT.EXE without any switches as in this example:
EXTRACT A:\vfp1.cab ANY.EXE
- To extract a file to a specific directory:
Use EXTRACT.EXE with the /L switch as follows:
EXTRACT A:\vfp1.cab /L C:\VFP ANY.EXE
Removing Visual FoxPro from a Hard Disk:
To remove Visual FoxPro from a hard disk in Windows for Workgroups or Windows NT,
double-click the Setup icon in the Visual FoxPro program group, and then choose
Remove All from the Visual FoxPro Setup dialog box. This process does not remove
user files.
CAUTION: Though the removal procedure offers several opportunities to keep files
or shared components, it offers no final warning before it starts to delete all
Visual FoxPro files. Press ESC to stop the removal process.
- To remove Visual FoxPro from a hard disk in Windows 95:
1. Open the Control Panel and double-click Add/Remove Programs. The Add/Remove
Programs Properties dialog box appears.
2. Click the Install/Uninstall tab.
3. Select Visual FoxPro from the list.
4. Click Add/Remove.
The Visual FoxPro Setup dialog box is displayed. Choose Remove All to remove
Visual FoxPro from your hard disk. This process does not remove user files.
Running Network Versions of Visual FoxPro:
Do not run Visual FoxPro from the directory created when you choose the Visual
FoxPro Network Administrative installation option (SETUP /A). Because the
Network Administrative installation option does not register Visual FoxPro on
the computer containing the central Visual FoxPro directory; Visual FoxPro
should not be run from this directory. The Network Administrative installation
option creates a central Visual FoxPro directory on a server. From this central
directory you can install Visual FoxPro on network workstations.
Changes to Documentation:
Language Reference, RIGHTC( ) Function Remove the first paragraph in the Remarks
section.
Developer's Guide, Chapter 2: Overview of the Language Page 41 Add the following
sentence to the end of the third bulleted item:
Field names in database tables are limited to 128 characters.
Sample Visual FoxPro Files:
To find more information about Visual FoxPro sample files that demonstrate the
new and extended capabilities of Visual FoxPro, choose the Samples button in
Help. If you want to rebuild the main sample program, Tasmanian Traders, first
set the default directory to the Samples\Mainsamp subdirectory of the Visual
FoxPro directory. Otherwise, Visual FoxPro will not find the necessary Include
subdirectory and files.
Developer Roadmap:
If you have Visual FoxPro on CD-ROM compact disc, you can gain access to the
Microsoft Roadmap to Developer Products and Services. The Roadmap has
information about Microsoft developer strategies, development tools, databases,
operating system standards and specifications, and developer programs and
services. It also includes the latest information and demonstrations of
Microsoft Developer products, including specific information about Visual FoxPro
version 3.0b for Windows.
New 3.0b Features
-----------------
Enhanced OLE Control Support
DBCS Overview
New DBCS Functions
New Collation Sequences
New 3.0b Functions, Properties, and Methods
New Files Installed in 3.0b
Files Updated in 3.0b
Files No Longer Installed in 3.0b
Enhanced OLE Control Support:
Visual FoxPro 3.0b now includes support for all functionality required of a
container in the OLE Controls and Control Containers Guidelines version 1.0.
This functionally includes support for the following:
- Embedded objects from in-process servers
- In-place activation
- Inside-out activation
- OLEMISC_ACTIVATEWHENVISIBLE
- All interfaces listed under Required Interfaces
- All status bits listed under Misc and Status Bits Support
- All functionality required under Keyboard Handling
- IPersistStorage
- All properties listed under Ambient Properties
- The Align extender property
Note that Visual FoxPro 3.0b does not support IPersistStream, message reflection,
or automatic clipping, nor does it expose an extender control.
DBCS Overview:
Visual FoxPro 3.0b features new support for DBCS (double-byte character sets),
character sets that require more than one byte to represent a character. Some
examples of languages that require a double-byte character set are Simplified
Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Visual FoxPro DBCS support
allows you to create international applications. For example, you can create a
Japanese application with a U.S. version of Visual FoxPro 3.0b if you are
running the Japanese version of Windows. The Visual FoxPro DBCS functions
operate properly on the Japanese character set, and the Japanese collation
sequence is supported. Visual FoxPro 3.0b includes new functions for
manipulating character expressions containing any combination of single-byte or
double-byte characters. For more information about the new functions in Visual
FoxPro 3.0b, see New DBCS Functions. Note that system capacities have not been
increased in Visual FoxPro 3.0b to accommodate double-byte characters. The use
of double-byte characters in field names, index expressions, memory variable
names, window names, and so on reduces their length. For example, a field name
can be up to 10 bytes long in a free table, so a field name can consist of ten
single- byte characters, but only five double-byte characters. For additional
information about Visual FoxPro system capacities, search for "system
capacities" in Help.
New DBCS Functions:
Visual FoxPro 3.0b includes the following new DBCS functions. For more
information, see Visual FoxPro Help.
AT_C( ) Function ATCC( ) Function
CHRTRANC( ) Function IMESTATUS( ) Function
ISLEADBYTE( ) Function LEFTC( ) Function
LENC( ) Function LIKEC( ) Function
RATC( ) Function RIGHTC( ) Function
STRCONV( ) Function STUFFC( ) Function
SUBSTRC( ) Function
CAUTION: The Visual FoxPro 3.0b DBCS functions are not supported in Visual FoxPro
3.0 and might cause unpredictable results. If you use any DBCS functions in your
application, use VERSION(1) to verify that the Visual FoxPro version is greater
than 3.0.
Note that Visual FoxPro 3.0b applications (such as the wizards and the sample
applications) contain DBCS functions and cannot be run in Visual FoxPro 3.0.
Though the Visual FoxPro 3.0b version of Genmenu.prg contains DBCS functions, it
has been modified so it can be run in Visual FoxPro 3.0 if necessary. For
information, see Running GENMENU in Visual FoxPro 3.0.
New Collation Sequences:
Visual FoxPro supports new collation sequences for Simplified Chinese,
Traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Collation sequences allow you to
properly order character fields in tables for each language. For more
information about specifying collation sequences, search for SET COLLATE in
Help. The following table lists the new Visual FoxPro 3.0b collation sequence
options and the corresponding language.
Option Language
JAPANESE Japanese
KOREAN Korean
PINYIN Simplified Chinese
STROKE Simplified and Traditional Chinese
New 3.0b Functions, Properties, and Methods:
The following functions, properties, and methods have been added in Visual FoxPro
3.0b. For more information, see Visual FoxPro Help.
Align Property DefOLELCID Property
GETPEM( ) Function OLELCID Property
PEMSTATUS( ) Function ResetToDefault Method
SYS(1269) - Property Information SYS(1270) - Object Location
SYS(1271) - Object's .SCX File SYS(1272) - Object Hierarchy
The following properties have been added in Visual FoxPro 3.0b and are reserved
for future use. For more information, see Visual FoxPro Help.
FontCondense, FontExtend Properties MacDesktop Property
SizeBox Property ZoomBox Property
UPGRADING AND CONFIGURING VISUAL FOXPRO
---------------------------------------
Upgrading FoxPro 2.6 Files
Using dBASE Files in Visual FoxPro
Upgrading to Windows 95
Improving Network Performance
Troubleshooting Printing Problems with the HPPCL5E Printer Driver
Running GENMENU in Visual FoxPro 3.0
Controlling Warning Messages in Views
Upgrading FoxPro 2.6 Files:
When you convert FoxPro 2.6 files to Visual FoxPro, make sure that the files are
not read-only. For more information on upgrading your FoxPro 2.6 files to Visual
FoxPro, search for "upgrading" in Help.
Using dBASE Files in Visual FoxPro:
To find information about using your dBASE files in Visual FoxPro, search for
"Switching from dBASE" in Help.
Upgrading to Windows 95:
If you install Visual FoxPro on your current Window 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups
platform and then want to upgrade to Windows 95, remove Visual FoxPro from your
hard disk, upgrade to Windows 95, and then reinstall Visual FoxPro to insure
that the maintenance mode of Setup works properly. Two additional OLE controls,
Msmapi32.ocx and Mscomm32.ocx, available only in Windows 95, will also be
installed. When you open Visual FoxPro Help for the first time in Windows 95,
there is a delay while the Help index is generated. This index enables full-text
search and is generated only the first time you open Help.
Improving Network Performance:
Increasing the size of the network packet for a connection can greatly improve
performance on a network, especially on a slow or busy network. The size of the
network packet for a connection can be set with DBSETPROP( ) and SQLSETPROP( ).
Note that the network packet size may be limited by the network and the ODBC
driver. For more information, see the Visual FoxPro help file.
Troubleshooting Printing Problems with the HPPCL5E Printer Driver:
If you use the Hewlett Packard HPPCL5E version 1.2 printer driver and receive
"Printer not ready" errors when attempting to print from within Visual FoxPro,
you should upgrade to the latest version of this driver. The latest version of
the HPPCL5E printer driver is included in Windows 95 and Windows NT.
Running GENMENU in Visual FoxPro 3.0:
The latest version of Genmenu.prg, included in Visual FoxPro 3.0b, contains DBCS
functions. However, the 3.0b version of Genmenu.prg can be run in Visual FoxPro
3.0.
To run the 3.0b version of Genmenu.prg in Visual FoxPro 3.0:
1. Open the 3.0b version of Genmenu.prg.
2. Search for the line containing the text "VFP 3.0" and follow the instructions
on that line.
3. Save the program, and recompile it in Visual FoxPro 3.0.
Controlling Warning Messages in Views:
You can control the display of warning messages when you use local and remote
views.
To control the display of warning messages in views, use SET NOTIFY ON and SET
NOTIFY OFF.
USING VISUAL FOXPRO
-------------------
Accessing the Visual FoxPro Command window
Using Small Icons with Visual FoxPro
Using Delimiters in Views
Identifying Tables on a Network
Using TABLEUPDATE( ) with Views
Navigating Appended Records in Table Buffers
Creating Remote Views Using a Visual FoxPro Data Source
Using Novell Drivers to Connect to SQL Server
Using Windows Named "SCREEN"
Using CLEAR READ with READ DEACTIVATE
Printing MS-DOS Reports and Labels from Visual FoxPro
Window Access in Localized Versions of Visual FoxPro
Localized Return Values for SYS( ) Functions
Using SEEK with SET COLLATE
Accessing the Visual FoxPro Command window:
If the Command window is hidden when you start Visual FoxPro, you can still gain
access to it. When you start Visual FoxPro, a Project Manager window appears by
default. If the Project Manager window fills most of your screen (typical on
smaller monitors), it might be covering the Command window. To gain access to
the Command window, choose Command window from the Window menu.
Using Small Icons with Visual FoxPro:
Windows 95 can display small icons in the Explorer and the Start menu. You can
use ImagEdit to create small icons for your Visual FoxPro applications running
under Windows 95. ImagEdit is included in the Professional Edition of Visual
FoxPro. Small icons are created by specifying the Small Icon 16-color 16x16
option when creating a new icon in ImagEdit. If this option is not available
when you create a new icon, add the following lines to the IMAGEDIT.INI file
located in your Windows directory:
[ImagEdit.Icon]
Small Icon=16,16,16
Using Delimiters in Views:
Visual FoxPro accepts ', ", and [ ] as delimiters. You can include spaces in
delimited identifiers for table names in local views, but not for column names.
Delimited and undelimited identifiers are not equivalent.
Identifying Tables on a Network:
To specify the location of data, you can use a logical drive path. To insure
consistent access to data on a network, use the same syntax when creating and
accessing databases and tables.
Using TABLEUPDATE( ) with Views:
If you use TABLEUPDATE( ) with a blank appended record in a view (a record
created using the APPEND BLANK command), the update will fail. For a valid
update in a view, you must enter data in at least one of the fields marked as
updatable before you issue the TABLEUPDATE( ) command.
Navigating Appended Records in Table Buffers:
To move the record pointer to appended records in a table buffer, use the GO
command with a negative value. The RECNO( ) function returns sequential
ascending negative numbers on records appended in a table buffer. For more
information, search in Help for "records, deleting," then choose "Appending and
Deleting Records in Table Buffers."
Creating Remote Views Using a Visual FoxPro Data Source:
When you create a remote view using Visual FoxPro as the data source, the current
ODBC driver recognizes only files from FoxPro version 2.6 and earlier.
Using Novell Drivers to Connect to SQL Server:
To connect to SQL Server using Novell real-mode drivers, include the following
command before establishing the connection:
=SQLSETPROP(0, 'PacketSize', 512)
Using Windows Named "SCREEN":
In Visual FoxPro, window functions can return ambiguous values for windows whose
name contains SCREEN. For best results, avoid using SCREEN as part of a window
name. The following functions are affected by this behavior:
WBORDER( ) WLAST( ) WONTOP( )
WCHILD( ) WLCOL( ) WROWS( )
WCOLS( ) WLROW( ) WTITLE( )
WEXIST( ) WMAXIMUM( ) WVISIBLE( )
WFONT( ) WMINIMUM( )
Using CLEAR READ with READ DEACTIVATE:
If you use CLEAR READ within a READ DEACTIVATE clause, Visual FoxPro, unlike
FoxPro 2.6, invokes a READ VALID event. You can restore FoxPro 2.6 behavior by
removing CLEAR READ and returning true (.T.).
Printing MS-DOS Reports and Labels from Visual FoxPro:
Printing character-based reports or labels (created in FoxPro for MS-DOS) in
Visual FoxPro can produce unexpected results. This method writes directly to the
printer and is not recommended on the Windows platform. If you use the PDSETUP
clause with REPORT and LABEL commands, you will have more reliable results on
the Windows platform by converting to Visual FoxPro format. For more information
about the effects of the PDSETUP clause, see _PDSETUP in Help.
Window Access in Localized Versions of Visual FoxPro:
In localized versions of Visual FoxPro, specify Visual FoxPro windows, such as
the Command window, Debug window, Trace window, or View window by their English
names; specify toolbars by their localized names (the name that appears in the
title bar of the toolbar window).
Localized Return Values for SYS( ) Functions:
In localized versions of Visual FoxPro, the SYS( ) functions SYS(2006) and
SYS(2011) return localized values.
Using SEEK with SET COLLATE:
If you perform a SEEK when SET COLLATE is not set to MACHINE, the seek fails if
the index key contains a trailing blank. Trailing blanks are valid only if SET
COLLATE is set to MACHINE.
USING ODBC AND OLE IN VISUAL FOXPRO
-----------------------------------
Using ODBC Desktop Drivers Avoiding ODBC Errors in the Remote View Wizard MS Draw
1.0 Objects as Visual FoxPro OLE Objects
Using ODBC Desktop Drivers:
The ODBC drivers and driver manager installed in Visual FoxPro 3.0b are the most
current versions. Some of the files installed may conflict with ODBC 2.5
components installed by other software. Avoid using DECLARE - DLL, FoxTools, or
an .fll file to gain access to ODBC drivers. Doing so can generate errors; use
SQLCONNECT( ), SQLEXEC( ), or other Visual FoxPro functions to connect to ODBC.
Avoiding ODBC Errors in the Remote View Wizard:
If you use the Remote View Wizard with backend servers that assign table
ownership, such as SQL Server, you must select tables that you own or that have
a public owner. To access data from any other table, use the View Designer.
MS Draw 1.0 Objects as Visual FoxPro OLE Objects:
If you are running Visual FoxPro under Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups,
Microsoft Draw 1.0 objects are not supported as Visual FoxPro OLE objects.
PROFESSIONAL FEATURES
---------------------
RESERVED.FLL
OLE Custom Controls
Additional API Routines
Reserved.fll:
Do not open Reserved.fll as a library file. Reserved.fll is an internal Visual
FoxPro file that is used by the Spell Checker.
OLE Custom Controls:
Visual FoxPro 3.0b includes new versions of the MAPI, PictClip, Outline, and Comm
OLE Custom Controls. These controls require the following files: Olepro32.dll
Msvcrt40.dll
Msc40.dll
Different versions of Mscvrt40.dll are installed on 16- and 32-bit systems.
Mfc30.dll is no longer required or installed.
Additional API Routines:
The Professional Edition of Visual FoxPro contains the following additional API
routines. For more information, see Visual FoxPro Help.
_FreeObject( ) _GetObjectProperty( )
_ObjectCmp( ) _ObjectReference( )
_ObjectRelease( ) _SetObjectProperty( )
_WGetObjectClientWindow( ) _WGetObjectWindow( )
Additional query words: read.me readme.txt
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Keywords : kbvfp300
Technology : kbVFPsearch kbAudDeveloper kbVFP300b
Version : :3.0b
=============================================================================
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