FastTips for FoxPro for Mac: Cross-Platform Q&A

Last reviewed: December 12, 1996
Article ID: Q109068
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft FoxPro for Macintosh, version 2.5b

       Microsoft(R) Technical Support Application Note (Text File)
             FC0957: CROSS-PLATFORM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
                                                  Revision Date: 12/93
                                                      No Disk Included

The following information applies to Microsoft FoxPro version 2.5 for Macintosh.

| INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS DOCUMENT AND ANY SOFTWARE THAT MAY    |
| ACCOMPANY THIS DOCUMENT (collectively referred to as an Application|
| Note) IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER     |
| EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED     |
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| the use of this Application Note. This Application Note may be     |
| copied and distributed subject to the following conditions: 1) All |
| text must be copied without modification and all pages must be     |
| included; 2) If software is included, all files on the disk(s) must|
| be copied without modification (the MS-DOS(R) utility diskcopy is  |
| appropriate for this purpose); 3) All components of this           |
| Application Note must be distributed together; and 4) This         |
| Application Note may not be distributed for profit.                |
|                                                                    |
| Copyright (C) 1993 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.     |
| Microsoft, FoxPro, and MS-DOS are registered trademarks and Windows|
| is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.                           |
| Macintosh is a registered trademark and Finder is a trademark of   |
| Apple Computer, Inc.                                               |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTE: You must use a utility such as PC Exchange or Apple File Exchange in order to transfer Macintosh files to and from an MS-DOS formatted floppy disk. PC Exchange is available with System version 7.1.2. Apple File Exchange was available with versions of the Macintosh system.

  1. Q. Can I run my FoxPro for MS-DOS and FoxPro for Windows

           applications with FoxPro for Macintosh?
    

        A. FoxPro version 2.5 is designed to be a cross-platform product. Aside
           from platform-specific features, the command set in FoxPro for
           Macintosh is identical to the command sets of FoxPro for MS-DOS
           and FoxPro for Windows. All objects (databases, screens,
           reports, labels, menus, projects, queries, and so on) created
           in FoxPro version 2.5 can be transported, edited, and run between
           the Macintosh, MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows, and eventually, UNIX
           platforms. When you open an object created with FoxPro version 2.5
           on one platform with FoxPro version 2.5 on another platform, FoxPro
           invokes a transport program, which asks if you would like to
           convert the object to the current platform.
    

  2. Q. Will my FoxBASE+(R) for the Macintosh application run in

           FoxPro for Macintosh?
    

        A. It is unlikely that your FoxBASE+/Mac application will run
           unmodified under FoxPro for Macintosh. The command set of
           FoxPro has evolved significantly since FoxBASE(R) was
           developed. To ease the burden of converting to FoxPro for
           Macintosh, we have provided FB+MIGRATE.APP, a utility that can
           be used to 1) convert your FoxBASE+/Mac screens and reports for
           editing in FoxPro for Macintosh, and 2) analyze your
           FoxBASE+/Mac programs, flag FoxBASE+/Mac commands that are no
           longer supported in FoxPro for Macintosh, and suggest
           alternative commands that produce similar results in FoxPro for
           Macintosh.
    

  3. Q. What are the advantages of using FoxPro for Macintosh over

           FoxBASE+/Mac?
    

        A. There are two main advantages to using FoxPro for Macintosh
           over FoxBASE+/Mac. First, FoxPro for Macintosh is a much more
           powerful database development environment than FoxBASE+/Mac.
           The FoxPro Menu Builder, Project Manager, Screen Builder, and
           Report Writer simplify application development and increase
           developer productivity. FoxPro's Relational Query By Example
           (RQBE) tool provides a user interface to simplify data
           retrieval and opens the door to the significant performance
           gains available through Rushmore(TM) technology. Second, FoxPro
           for Macintosh programs and objects are more compatible with
           FoxPro for MS-DOS and FoxPro for Windows than ever before.
    

  4. Q. What are the disadvantages of upgrading to FoxPro for

           Macintosh?
    

        A. The two main disadvantages of upgrading to FoxPro for Macintosh
           are higher system requirements and conversion
           adjustments. Since FoxPro for Macintosh is more powerful
           and complex than FoxBASE+/Mac, it requires a more powerful
           machine to run. The following table illustrates the differences
           in system requirements between FoxBASE+/Mac and FoxPro for
           Macintosh.
    

    System component       FoxBASE+/Mac requires  FoxPro for Mac requires
    
Microprocessor         68000 or higher        68020 or higher
System software        System 4.2 or later    System 7.0 or later
Memory (RAM)           2 MB                   4 MB (8 MB recommended)
Available disk space   At least 3 MB          At least 10 MB

       The second main disadvantage is that FoxPro for Macintosh is
       not completely backward compatible with FoxBASE+/Mac
       applications. However, the FB+MIGRATE.APP utility does simplify
       conversion. The combination of FoxPro's performance,
       flexibility, and additional development tools should make the
       conversion worthwhile.

  • Q. Why doesn't the ? FULLPATH(CURDIR(<volume>)) command

           behave the same on the Macintosh as it does on the MS-DOS and
           Windows platforms?
    

        A. The Macintosh doesn't treat volumes (a volume is the name of a
           hard disk) the same way MS-DOS does. When you use the SET
           DEFAULT command to change directories on a particular volume in
           MS-DOS, this information is saved even when you move to a
           different volume. Any reference to one volume from another
           volume actually refers to the subdirectory last pointed to on
           that volume. On the Macintosh, when you move from volume to
           volume, your location within the hierarchy of a volume other
           than the one pointed to isn't maintained by the system; thus,
           the ? FULLPATH(CURDIR(<volume>)) command returns only the fully
           qualified path of the volume to which you are currently
           pointing.
    

  • Q. How are paths represented on the Macintosh?

        A. On the Macintosh, volume and folder names, which make up a
           fully qualified path, are normally delimited by colons (:). In
           FoxPro for Macintosh, you can use the MS-DOS path conventions
           to ensure cross-platform compatibility. For example,
           "shiatsu:foxpro:tutorial" can be represented as
           "shiatsu:\foxpro\tutorial."
    

  • Q. Macintosh volume names, which are up to 27 characters

           long, can be somewhat cumbersome. Is there any way I can
           abbreviate them?
    

        A. In addition to 27-character volume (hard disk) names, folders
           and files can have names up to 31 characters long. To
           facilitate cross-platform compatibility with the MS-DOS and
           Windows environments, FoxPro for Macintosh includes a SET
           VOLUME command, which allows you to abbreviate the names of
           volumes by using a single letter. Path names that consist of a
           volume name and one or more folders can also be abbreviated
           with a single letter. See the FoxPro "Language Reference" or
           online help system for more information about the SET VOLUME
           command.
    

  • Q. Will applications I built using TrueType(R) fonts look

           okay on the Macintosh?
    

        A. Yes. TrueType, a technology originally developed by Apple(R)
           and licensed to Microsoft to bridge the gap between the
           Macintosh and Windows environments, is incorporated into the
           System 7 architecture. The Setup disks that come with FoxPro
           for Macintosh include several TrueType fonts for the Macintosh
           that are commonly used by developers in the Windows
           environment.
    

  • Q. What happened to the Filer, Calendar, Puzzle, and

           Calculator items found on the System menu in FoxPro for MS-DOS?
    

        A. The System menu in FoxPro for MS-DOS was largely included to
           emulate the Apple menu on the Macintosh. However, in the
           Macintosh and Windows environments, these tools are largely
           redundant, since they are incorporated as desk accessories on
           the Macintosh and as applications (with the exception of the
           Puzzle) in Windows. For cross-platform compatibility, you can
           access the native FoxPro utilities from the Command window.
    


  • Additional reference words: FoxMac 2.50b ivrfax fasttips appnote
    KBCategory: kbinterop kbenv kbprg kbappnote kbfasttip
    KBSubcategory:


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    Last reviewed: December 12, 1996
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