BUG: Error in GENXTAB When a Question Mark Is Encountered

• Microsoft FoxPro for Windows, versions 2.5, 2.5a, 2.5b, 2.6
• Microsoft FoxPro for MS-DOS, versions 2.0, 2.5, 2.5a, 2.5b, 2.6
• Microsoft FoxPro for Macintosh, versions 2.5b, 2.5c

SYMPTOMS

When you are creating a cross-tab table with the Relational Query by Example (RQBE) tool and there is a question mark ("?") in the field data that is going to become a field name, you will receive one of the following error messages, depending on whether the question mark is alone or has other alphanumeric characters with it.

If "?" is in a field by itself, the following error message occurs:

   Line No.: 399
   Program GENXTAB
   Error: Unrecognized Phrase/Keyword in command.
   Source: REPLACE (m.f2) WITH &f2 + m.f3

   Line No.: 339
   Program GENXTAB
   Error: Invalid or duplicate field name.
   Source: CREATE CURSOR (outfname) FROM ARRAY outarray

CAUSE

GENXTAB.PRG should have "?" listed as a "bad" character.

RESOLUTION

1. Open GENXTAB.PRG in a editing window.

2. From the Edit menu, choose Find.

3. In the Look For box, type "badchars" (without the quotation marks).

4. On the line that starts with "m.badchars =", type a ? inside the quotation marks after the equal sign.

5. Save GENXTAB.PRG.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Reproduce Problem

NOTE: These steps reproduce only the first error listed above.

1. Create a table with the following structure:

         Field name          Width         Type
         --------------------------------------
   
         FNAME                10             C
         GRADE                 3             C
   
   
   

2. Put three records in the database:

         FNAME       GRADE
         -----------------
   
         Eric          A
         Eric          A
         Eric          ?
   
   

3. Run a cross-tab with the third field being a COUNT() function on GRADE; that is, COUNT(GRADE).

4. Choose the Do Query button.