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Visual Foxpro
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Software Information

  Name Microsoft Visual FoxPro
  Caption Typical VFP9 editing session
  Author Microsoft Corporation
  Latest Release Version Visual FoxPro 90 Service Pack 1 (SP1)
  Latest Release Date December 8 , 2005
  Latest Preview Version Microsoft Visual FoxPro 90 Service Pack 2 and "Sedna" - Beta
  Latest Preview Date June 25 , 2007
  Operating System Microsoft Windows
  Platform X86 and greater
  Language '''IDE:''' English, German, Spanish<br />'''Runtime:''' Above, French, Chinese, Russian, Czech, Korean
  Status Maintenance Mode
  Genre Database Programming Language
  License Microsoft EULA
  Website msdnmicrosoftcom/vfoxpro


Visual FoxPro is a data-centric -based and Microsoft has stated that they do not intend to create a Microsoft .NET version.

FoxPro originated as a member of the class of languages commonly referred to as "xBase" languages, which have syntax based on the DBase programming language. Other members of the xBase language family include Clipper and Recital . (A history of the early years of xBase can be found in the DBASE entry.)

Visual FoxPro, commonly abbreviated as VFP, is tightly integrated with its own relational database engine, which extends FoxPro's xBase capabilities to support SQL query and data manipulation. Unlike most Database Management Systems , Visual FoxPro is a full-featured, Dynamic Programming Language that does not require the use of an additional general-purpose programming environment. It can be used to write not just traditional "fat Client" applications, but also Middleware and Web Application s.


RECENT HISTORY


In late 2002, some community members demonstrated that Visual FoxPro can run on .http://fox.wikis.com/wc.dll?Wiki~VFPandLinux

Rumors suggesting that Microsoft intends to end support for FoxPro have been common since Microsoft's acquisition of the product, despite the product having one of the longest support timeframes for a Microsoft product (extended support until 2015). In March 2007, Microsoft announced "that there will be no VFP 10"http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/vfoxpro/bb308952.aspx, thus making VFP9 (released to manufacturing on December 17 , 2004 ) the last commercial VFP release from Microsoft. The support of Version 9 is ongoing with a service pack that was released December 8 , 2005 . At the time of the end of life announcement, work on the next release codenamed Sedna which was built on top of the VFP9 codebase had already begun. Sedna consisted mainly of Xbase components to support a number of interoperability scenarios with various Microsoft technologies including SQL Server 2005, .NET, WinFX, Windows Vista, and Office 12. Microsoft plans to release these components as community releases via the CodePlex site.

On and SP2 Beta was in June 2007 .

In December 2005, VFP broke into the top 20 on TIOBE's Programming Community Index for the first time. In March 2007 it is at position 19, making it a "B" language. As of August 7, 2007 it dropped into position 22.

On March 13 2007 A Message to the Community Microsoft stated that it will not be releasing its Visual FoxPro development software past version 9.0, Microsoft will continue to support the Visual FoxPro core until 2015 with standard support through January 2010 and extended support through January 2015 via the developer tools life-cycle support plan.http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?p1=7992

Meanwhile, some of the FoxPro-related technology can be seen in other Microsoft products such as SQL Server, Team Foundation Server and various portions of the .Net Framework.

In late March 2007 a ) to sign a petition to Microsoft to continue updating Visual FoxPro or release it to the community as Open Source . On April 3, 2007 the movement was noted by the technical press.http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=361

Also on April 3, 2007 Microsoft responded to the petitioner's requests with this statement from Alan Griver :


"We're very aware of the FoxPro community and that played a large part in what we announced on March 13th. It's never an easy decision to announce that we're not going to release another version of a product and it's one that we consider very carefully.


"We're not announcing the end of FoxPro: Obviously, FoxPro applications will continue to work. By some of our internal estimates, there are more applications running in FoxPro 2.6 than there are in VFP and FoxPro 2.6 hasn't been supported in many years. Visual FoxPro 9 will be supported by Microsoft through 2015.


"For Microsoft to continue to evolve the FoxPro base, we would need to look at creating a 64-bit development environment and that would involve an almost complete rewrite of the core product. We've also invested in creating a scalable database with SQL Server, including the freely available SQL Server Express Edition. As far as forming a partnership with a third-party is concerned, we've heard from a number of large FoxPro customers that this would make it impossible for them to continue to use FoxPro since it would no longer be from an approved vendor. We felt that putting the environment into open source on CodePlex, which balances the needs of both the community and the large customers, was the best path forward."




VERSION INFORMATION


Operating system compatibility





























































































Supported Windows Versions
Version VFP 3.0 VFP 5.0 VFP 6.0 VFP 7.0 VFP 8.0 VFP 9.0
Windows 3.x Yes No No No No No
Windows NT 4.0 Yes Yes Yes Yes No - VFP8 applications are not supported but can be run under Windows NT 4.0 No - The free patch for VFP 9.0 has been created by the German FoxPro User Group (dFPUG) and is available at the dFPUG document portal in the directory http://portal.dfpug.de/dFPUG/Dokumente/Freeware/. It allows you to run VFP 9.0 applications on NT 4.0. Microsoft has indicated that this will be addressed in VFP 9.0 SP1.
Windows 95 Yes Yes Yes Runtime only No - The second-level menus don't work under Windows 95. No
Windows 98 Yes Yes Yes Yes Runtime only Runtime only
Windows ME Yes Yes Yes Yes Runtime only Runtime only
Windows 2000 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Windows XP Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Windows 2003 ? ? Yes Yes Yes Yes
Windows Vista ? See NoteFunctionally works, however, performance is so slow that it is not worth the effort. Yes Yes Yes Yes



Information on Executable Files

































VersionVERSION() returnsEXE SizeEXE Date DLL SizeDLL Name
VFP 9Visual FoxPro 09.00.0000.2412 for Windows 5,620 kb13-DEC-2004 4,600 kbVFP9R.DLL
VFP 8Visual FoxPro 08.00.0000.3117 for Windows 5,236 kb25-SEP-2003 4,200 kbVFP8R.DLL
VFP 7Visual FoxPro 07.00.0000.9465 for Windows 4,260 kb04-JAN-2002 3,344 kbVFP7R.DLL
VFP 6Visual FoxPro 06.00.8961.00 for Windows 4,091 kb18-AUG-2000 3,295 kbVFP6R.DLL
VFP 5Visual FoxPro 5.0.0.415 for Windows 4,065 kb24-JAN-1997 3,148 kbVFP500.DLL
VFP 3Visual FoxPro 03.00.00.0711 for Windows 4,374 kb16-DEC-1995 3,657 kbVFP300.ESL
FPW 2.6aFoxPro 2.6a for Windows 2,444 kb28-SEP-1994 n/an/a



CODE SAMPLES

Hello World example:


MESSAGEBOX("Hello World")


Object 

loForm = CREATEOBJECT("HiForm")

loForm.Show(1)



DEFINE CLASS HiForm AS Form

  AutoCenter = .T.

  Caption = "Hello, World"



  ADD OBJECT lblHi as Label WITH ;

    Caption = "Hello, World!"

ENDDEFINE


loMine = CREATEOBJECT("MyClass")

? loMine.cProp1   && This will work.

? loMine.cProp2   && Program Error: Property CPROP2 is not found.



? loMine.MyMethod1()  && This will work.

? loMine.MyMethod2()  && Program Error: Property MYMETHOD2 is not found.



DEFINE CLASS MyClass AS Custom

  cProp1 = "My Property"    && This is a public property

  HIDDEN cProp2     && This is a private (hidden) property



  PROCEDURE Init()    && Class constructor

    This.cProp2 = "This is a hidden property."

  ENDPROC



  PROCEDURE MyMethod1()   && This is a public method

    RETURN This.MyMethod2()

  ENDPROC



  HIDDEN PROCEDURE MyMethod2()  && This is a private (hidden) method

    RETURN This.cProp2

  ENDPROC

ENDDEFINE



Data handling

  • Create a table

    • CREATE TABLE randData (iData I)


  • Populate with random data using xBase and SQL DML commands

    • FOR i = 1 TO 50

APPEND BLANK
  • 100)


  • 100)

    • ENDFOR


  • Place a structural index on the data

    • INDEX ON iData TAG iData

CLOSE ALL

  • Display sorted data using xBase-style commands

    • USE randData

SET ORDER TO iData
GO TOP
LIST NEXT 10 && First 10 (end-of-line comment)
SKIP 81
LIST NEXT 10 && Last 10
CLOSE ALL

  • Browse sorted data using SQL DML commands

  • ;

    • FROM randData ;

ORDER BY iData DESCENDING


ODBC Access using SQL Passthrough

  • Connect to an ODBC data source

    • LOCAL nHnd

nHnd = SQLCONNECT ("ODBCDSN", "user", "pwd")

  • Execute a SQL ccommand

    • LOCAL nResult

nResult = SQLEXEC (nHnd, "USE master")
IF nResult < 0
MESSAGEBOX ("MASTER database does not exist!")
RETURN
ENDIF

  • Retrieve data from the remote server and stores it in

  • a local data cursor

  • FROM authors", "QAUTHORS")


  • Update a record in a remote table using parameters

    • LOCAL cAuthorID, cAuthorName

cAuthorID = "1001"
cAuthorName = "New name"
nResult = SQLEXEC (nHnd,"UPDATE authors SET auth_name = ?cAuthorName WHERE auth_id = ?cAuthorID")

  • Close the connection

    • SQLDISCONNECT(nHnd)



BETA CODE NAMES



EXTERNAL LINKS



Microsoft pages



Other pages



REFERENCES