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Q217174: FIX: APPEND FROM TYPE XL8 Makes VFP 6 Disappear

Article: Q217174
Product(s): Microsoft FoxPro
Version(s): WINDOWS:6.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbvfp600bug kbXBase KbDBFDBC kbVS600sp4fix kbVS600sp5fix
Last Modified: 26-JUL-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
========

Issuing the APPEND FROM <xlfile.xls> TYPE XL8 command makes Visual FoxPro
either disappear or produce an error. In Visual FoxPro 6.0 running under Windows
NT 4.0, the following error message may appear before the application closes:

  Fatal error: Exception code=C0000005

After selecting OK, Visual FoxPro disappears.

In Visual FoxPro 6.0 Service Pack 3 running under Windows NT 4.0, FoxPro simply
disappears after executing the APPEND FROM command. No error mesage appears.

In Visual FoxPro 6.0 Service Pack 3 running under Windows 98, the following error
appears:

  Microsoft Excel file format is invalid.

CAUSE
=====

This is known to happen if over approximately 350 cells in the Excel spreadsheet
have been copied and then the Paste Special, Values option is used. The actual
number of cells varies.

RESOLUTION
==========

Here are a few possible resolutions to this problem:

- Save the Excel file as an Excel 5.0/95 workbook, or earlier, and use the
  APPEND FROM command to transfer the data.

- Save the Excel file as a tab or comma delimited (.csv) text file and use the
  APPEND FROM command to transfer the data.

- Use the Import command in Visual FoxPro. Import is on the File menu or you
  can code:

     IMPORT FROM append.xls XL8

STATUS
======

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed at the
beginning of this article. This bug was corrected in the next service pack for
Visual Studio 6.0.

For additional information about Visual Studio service packs, click the article
numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q194022 INFO: Visual Studio 6.0 Service Packs, What, Where, Why

  Q194295 HOWTO: Tell That a Visual Studio Service Pack Is Installed

You can download the latest Visual Studio service pack from the following
Microsoft Web site:

  Visual Studio Product Updates
  (http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/downloads/updates.asp)

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

This mainly happens with files in an Excel 97 format, which for purposes of
Visual FoxPro's APPEND command, is version 8.0. The TYPE XL8 clause for Excel 97
files was added in Visual FoxPro 6.0. Visual FoxPro 5.x and earlier did not have
this option.

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

WARNING: The following steps cause Visual FoxPro to crash. Please make sure that
you save all important data or code before following the steps. It is also a
good idea to save all information in any other running applications before you
use these steps:

1. In Excel 97, create a new file.

2. Place the following data in the corresponding cells:

A1: 1
A2: 2
A3: 3
B1: =CONCATENATE("Hello",A1)

3. Press the F5 key to open the GoTo dialog box, then type the following and
  then click OK:

A1:A4000

4. From the Edit menu, point to Fill, then choose Series. In the Series dialog
  box, select OK. This fills the column with numbers from 1 to 4,000.

5. Press the F5 key again, then type the following and then click OK:

B1:B4000

6. From the Edit menu, point to Fill, then choose Down. This fills the columns
  with the formula.

7. While B1:B4000 is selected, from the Edit menu, select Copy, then select
  Edit, Paste Special. In the Paste Special dialog box, select Values, then
  choose OK. Before doing anything else, press the ESCAPE key to get rid of the
  copy marquee. Pressing the ESCAPE key after pasting is important because if
  you press the ENTER key, the formulas will be pasted back in the cells.

8. Save the Excel file. By default, it should save as a Microsoft Excel
  Workbook. For these steps, call the file Append.xls and place it in your
  Visual FoxPro default directory to avoid pathing problems.

9. Close Excel.

10. In Visual FoxPro 6.0, issue these commands in the Command window to create a
  new table and append in the Excel file. Remember that Visual FoxPro should
  disappear after the APPEND FROM command so make sure everything is saved:

     CREATE TABLE appendtest (num I, char C(40))
     APPEND FROM append.xls TYPE XL8

Additional query words: sp4

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbvfp600bug kbXBase KbDBFDBC kbVS600sp4fix kbVS600sp5fix 
Technology        : kbVFPsearch kbAudDeveloper kbVFP600
Version           : WINDOWS:6.0
Issue type        : kbbug
Solution Type     : kbfix

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

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