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Q161054: FIX: COPY TO … TYPE SDF Incorrectly Copies Null Fields

Article: Q161054
Product(s): Microsoft FoxPro
Version(s): WINDOWS:3.0,3.0b,5.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbprogramming kbvfp kbvfp300bBUG kbvfp500aFIX kbvfp500bugkbbuglist kbfixlist
Last Modified: 11-DEC-1999

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, versions 3.0, 3.0b, 5.0 
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SYMPTOMS
========

The COPY TO <filename> TYPE SDF does not properly copy null type fields.
The null fields do not appear in the output text file. The null fields in the
SDF file have a zero width.

STATUS
======

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at
the beginning of this article. This problem has been fixed in Visual FoxPro
5.0a.

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

The following program illustrates this behavior.

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

1. Create a program containing the following code and execute it:

     CREATE CURSOR test (C1 C(5) NULL, C2 C(5) NULL, C3 C(5) NULL, C4 C(5);
     NULL)
     FOR i=1 TO 10
        IF MOD(i,2)=0
           INSERT INTO test (C1,C2,C3,C4) VALUES ('AAAAA',NULL,'CCCCC',NULL)
        ELSE
           INSERT INTO test (C1,C2,C3,C4) VALUES (NULL,'BBBBB',NULL,'DDDDD')
        ENDIF
     ENDFOR
     BROWSE

2. Close the Browse window and type the following commands in the Command
  window:

     COPY TO Test.txt TYPE SDF
     MODI COMM Test.txt

3. Notice the null fields from the cursor are not present in the SDF text file.

Additional query words:

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbprogramming kbvfp kbvfp300bBUG kbvfp500aFIX kbvfp500bug kbbuglist kbfixlist
Technology        : kbVFPsearch kbAudDeveloper kbVFP300 kbVFP300b kbVFP500
Version           : WINDOWS:3.0,3.0b,5.0
Issue type        : kbbug
Solution Type     : kbfix

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