KB Articles Answer Frequently-Asked FoxPro Questions

Last reviewed: February 12, 1998
Article ID: Q121931
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft FoxPro for Macintosh, versions 2.5x, 2.6a
  • Microsoft FoxPro for Windows, versions 2.5x, 2.6, 2.6a
  • Microsoft FoxPro for MS-DOS, versions 2.0, 2.5x, 2.6, 2.6a

SUMMARY

This article is a reference to some of the most requested Microsoft Knowledge Base articles as well as to the on-line services available. The Knowledge Base articles listed here provide answers to some of the frequently asked questions about Microsoft FoxPro. But this is just a small sample of the articles available in the Knowledge Base.

For additional information, you can query the complete Microsoft FoxPro Knowledge Base or you can obtain individual articles from the Internet.

MORE INFORMATION

FoxPro Resource Kit

You can also obtain the FoxPro Resource Kit. It is available as application note number FW1003.

To obtain this Application Note (number FW1003) and the files included with it, download FW1003.EXE, a self-extracting file, from the Microsoft Software Library (MSL) on the following services:

  • Microsoft Download Service (MSDL)

          Dial (425) 936-6735 to connect to MSDL
          Download FW1003.EXE (size: 365774 bytes) 
    
  • Internet (anonymous FTP)

          ftp ftp.microsoft.com
          Change to the \SOFTLIB\MSLFILES directory
          Get FW1003.EXE (size: 365774 bytes) 
    

If you are unable to access the sources listed above, you can have this Application Note mailed to you by calling Microsoft Technical Support Monday through Friday, 6:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. Pacific time. If you are outside the United States, contact the Microsoft subsidiary for your area. To locate your subsidiary, please go to the Microsoft Web site http://www.microsoft.com/worldwide/default.htm

For more information about the Resource Kit, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID:Q112311
   TITLE     :FILE: Fw1003.exe FoxPro for Windows 2.5x Resource Kit

Technical Support Telephone Numbers

Warranty Support (MS-DOS, Windows, & UNIX/XENIX) (425) 635-7191*

Warranty Support (Macintosh)                     (425) 635-7192*
Warranty Support TT/TDD (hearing impaired)       (425) 635-4948*
Developer Priority Support                       (900) 555-2300**
Developer Priority Support                       (800) 936-5800***
Developer Premier Support                        (800) 936-3100****

* = Free support for two incidents, provided by toll lines,
       from 6:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M. Pacific.
** = Flat rate of $95 per incident. *** = $95 per incident, $950 for a ten-incident pack, or
       $2,495 for an annual developer contract.
**** = $20,000 for an annual corporate contract.

For more information about Microsoft Support Offerings, please call (800) 936-3500.

Automated and On-line FoxPro Support Services

All of the following services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week:

Microsoft FastTips                          (800) 936-4300 P
Microsoft Download Service (MSDL)           (425) 936-6735 M,MSL,BBS
Internet                                    ftp.microsoft.com M,MSL,KB,Int

P = Free, automated menu system of technical information accessed
      from a touch-tone telephone. Provides answers via fax, voice
      recordings, and mail. You can order a catalog of available articles.
M = Requires either a computer, modem, and telecommunications software or
      a data terminal using a hard-wired or similar connection.
FF = Hosts Microsoft's FoxForum, which includes file libraries and
      free technical support via electronic mail.
KB = Includes the Microsoft Knowledge Base of more than 55,000
      technical articles with programming tips, bug lists, fix lists,
      documentation revisions, and so on.
RT = Hosts the Microsoft Roundtable, a forum that facilitates the
      exchange of product information among subscribers.
BBS = Free bulletin board service (BBS) called the Microsoft Download
      Service (MSDL), available via toll lines.

      Baud rates: 1200, 2400, 9600, or 14,400 baud (V.32 and V.42).
      Settings  : 8 data bits, no parity, and 1 stop bit.

Int = IP address: 198.105.232.1. To connect, "ftp" to the server and
      log on as "anonymous" with your full Internet email name as the
      password. Info screens are displayed upon entering major
      directories; further details are often available in README.TXT
      files. For a list of companies that provide access to the Internet,
      please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

      ARTICLE-ID: Q107420
      TITLE     : Gaining Internet Access

MSL = Allows downloading from the free Microsoft Software Library (MSL),
      which contains selected technical notes, program samples,
      utilities, patches, and updated Microsoft product files.

Some of the Available Microsoft Knowledge Base Articles

The following Knowledge Base articles are organized by category. These articles are available from the Internet and may be available on the FastTips service. If you are unable to access these sources, you can have these Knowledge Base articles faxed to you directly from Microsoft. Please give the Support Engineer your fax number and the Q numbers of the articles you want.

NOTE: This list is only a small portion of the available articles. Even the articles listed here are subject to change. We frequently add new articles and update existing articles. As a result, the title of the article as well as the contents may change over time. Even if you have obtained one of these articles in the past, you may want to obtain the current version of the same article.

BROWSE Command

Q Number Title

Q88491    Temporary Files Created by FoxPro
Q88617    How to Browse for a Specific Character String
Q88665    Sample Code Browses Fields and Accesses Scroll Bar
Q95295    How to Have Two Browse Windows for the Same Database
Q95380    Location of Screen and Command Windows Attributes
Q97640    Combining GET Fields and a Browse in a Single Window
Q98437    PRFOX: "Invalid File Descriptor" Error Occurs During Browse
Q99095    How to Reset a Database Field to a Null Value in FoxPro
Q102890   How to Calculate Running Totals in a BROWSE Command
Q103610   PRB: Can't Move From Character to Character in BROWSE or GET
Q104005   How to Coordinate Parent Data Window with Child Browse
Q104593   Determining if Browse Window Activated/Deactivated
Q107195   How to Browse with Mixed Read-Only and Read/Write Fields
Q108632   How to Coordinate Browse Windows with Screens
Q108682   Switching Between a Screen and Browse Using a Single Key
Q111315   BROWSE Clauses Saved By PREFERENCE
Q121027   How to Create a Modal Browse Window
Q109791   How to Coordinate a Browse Window with a Control Screen
Q108614   How to Create a Message Box for Fields in a Browse Window
Q93350    How to Modify a Database Using the BROWSE Command

Coding and Special Functions

Q Number Title

Q97640    Combining GET fields and a browse in a single window
Q95746    Bypassing automatic record locking with READ NOLOCK
Q119230   How to create validation and selection popups for fields
Q103645   How to change the default windows printer from FoxPro
Q113011   How to hide a password and show entry position in FoxPro
Q93587    How to Create a General-Purpose Thermometer Bar in FoxPro

_CUROBJ and Transferring Focus Between Screens

Q Number Title

Q87683    Moving between multiple windows on the screen
Q96358    Using multiple screens for data entry with one read
Q96356    Using CUROBJ with pushbuttons
Q119692   How to keeps screens from flashing in a multiple-screen set
Q117591   How to keep the cursor in GET object if data is invalid
Q112599   How to hide deactivated screens in a screen set
Q104347   Displaying unique messages for prompts in a button set

DDE and OLE Issues

Q Number Title

Q96352    How to Perform a DDE Link with Word For Windows
Q95718    How to Close Microsoft Excel Using DDE Commands in FoxPro
Q96351    How to Use Variables in a DDExecute() Command
Q92966    Using a FoxPro Database in a Word For Windows Print Merge
Q98701    Automatically Starting Microsoft Excel Macros Through OLE
Q100444   How to Programmatically Embed and Link Part of a File
Q100562   DDEInitiate() from a Client May Require a Pause
Q101294   How to Edit OLE Objects on Screen with Active READ
Q103087   How to Send Macro Commands to MS Excel Using DDEEXECUTE()
Q107417   ERR: "Error Creating OLE Object" with APPEND GENERAL
Q108681   Using DDE to Check If Another Windows Application Is Open
Q109853   How to Set Up Asynchronous DDE Transactions
Q112047   How to Perform DDE with DDEDATA.APP
Q113443   How to Copy a General Field from One Record to Another
Q114492   Using DDE and Macro Substitution with FoxPro and Word
Q117587   How to Pass Data from FoxPro to Another Application
Q132308   How to Use DDE from FoxPro to Control Windows Program Manager

Distribution Kit Issues

Q Number Title

Q87695    PRB: Unable to build executable file from project
Q93335    PRB: "Object file is wrong version" error
Q94811    Common cause of "Feature not available" error
Q132696   PRB: "File does not exist" Using Macro Substitution in EXE
Q133358   PRB: Feature Not Available: Macro Substitution & Command Verbs

Foundation Read

Q Number Title

Q87694    PRB: Menu Appears, Then Application Exits to Operating System
Q107837   How to create a foundation read time-out
Q119249   PRB: APP run from RUN MENU loses menu if no foundation read
Q117786   How to build an application from an existing screen set
Q109430   FILE: Fw0969.exe Coordinates Menus & Screens w/ Foundation READs
Q93622    Events that trigger a foundation read

Gengraph Functionality

Q Number Title

Q96304    RQBE Graph option not available if _GENGRAPH not set
Q98771    Using GENGRAPH to update and display graphs
Q99605    Passing date to a Foxgraph graph as a subtitle
Q101597   Using UPDATEGRPH in GENGRAPH.APP
Q103086   How to graph multiple data items using Microsoft Graph
Q99841    Entering Microsoft Graph without the RQBE dialog box.
Q98772    Using SHOWGRPH in GENGRAPH
Q98770    Using REFRESHGRPH in GENGRAPH

Installation and Configuration Issues

Q Number Title

Q97157    Changes to Windows during FoxPro for Windows installation
Q111523   PRB: INSTALL /N adds a semi-colon (;) to beginning of PATH
Q110116   ERR: Configuration portion of INSTALL /N fails
Q110115   ERR: File"ADDUSER.APP" does not exist running "INSTALL /N"
Q110114   PRB: INSTALL /N prompts for a floppy disk
Q109651   Description of INSTALL /N (Workstation installation)
Q101296   General information on workstation setup (INSTALL /N)
Q101001   /A and /N switches for FoxPro for Windows network setup
Q95713    Library Construction Kit Setup & Installation
Q96170    FastTips for FoxPro For Windows: Installation Q & A
Q97157    Changes to Windows during FoxPro for Windows installation
Q96782    How to install FPW on a network
Q98684    ERR: Invalid path message during SETUP /A on Novell network
Q99537    ERR: Cannot change properties of FOXPROW.EXE file
Q101298   Installing supplemental programs and optional components
Q101881   FoxPro files that can be deleted to save space
Q103772   How to change keyboard shortcuts in FPW
Q105595   ERR: "CRC Error" occurs during setup
Q109983   FoxPro uses more memory than specified with MEMLIMIT
Q115423   PRB: FP for Win installation fails with Novell VLM.EXE 1.10
Q115886   Disk space requirements for FoxPro For DOS
Q115944   Comprehensive list of default main FoxPro directories
Q116020   Disk space requirements for FoxPro for Windows
Q117740   Setup & Configuration information for FPW
Q114947   How to speed up installation/setup of FoxPro
Q102787   How to configure FoxPro for Maximum Performance
Q99606    Increasing startup speed of FPW
Q101015   PRB: Foxdoc requires read/write access to FOXPROW directory
Q99086    Available installation documentation

Internal Consistency Errors & GP Faults

Q Number Title

Q119251   PRFOX: Relationship between tables may cause ICE or GPF
Q95232    PRB: Video Card causes GP Faults or Display Problems

MEMVAR - Usage and General Information

Q Number Title

Q99136    How to use the SCATTER and GATHER commands
Q100564   How to create a custom search screen
Q119792   How to change fields to use memory variables, not s

Report Writer

Q Number Title

Q88885    Using the IIF function in FoxBASE+ or FoxPro
Q88237    Stretch vertically and float as band stretches
Q88602    PRB: Report duplicates parent records in one-to-many
Q88667    Creating a running calculation using the report writer
Q89000    How to edit the FoxPro P_CODES database
Q95313    How to group data by yearly quarters
Q97059    How to underline fields in the report writer
Q119233   How to Underline Objects in a Report Form
Q98924    How to change the band height in the report writer
Q99634    Error when printing report to a file: "Printer not ready"
Q99907    Duplicated lines printing report to text file.
Q100552   Total of report bands cannot exceed page length
Q106659   How to sum or count specific fields in a report
Q107082   Searching for a series of matches in a field for a report
Q111323   How to change the report writer's default font
Q111998   How to use the report writer to preview or print graphs
Q112838   How to dynamically change the page length of a report
Q113754   "Syntax error" when verifying UDF() in report writer
Q114248   How to print specific number of records in detail band
Q120517   PRB: Empty report band won't close
Q121053   Using Printer Driver Setup when running FPD report
Q119354   How to group child records in a report detail band
Q117214   PRB: Printing general fields produces black output
Q114187   PRFOX: "Print to file" checkbox is ignored.
Q114135   How to print check boxes instead of  Y/N in FoxPro reports
Q114130   Creating a printer driver setup user procedure
Q113178   Creating a report for a one-to-many relationship
Q109152   How to create a data grouping on every Nth record
Q108624   PRB: Report page preview appears briefly, then closes
Q104885   PRB: Remove line if blank option doesn't work in report
Q102934   Creating a report with highlights on every other line
Q97053    How to create floating text objects in report writer
Q88666    Troubleshooting printing problems in FoxPro 2.0 and 2.5

SQL Functionality

Q Number Title

Q95670    Join using SELECT - SQL does not return any records
Q98355    How to update a master table from a transaction file
Q98434    Using wild cards in SQL statements
Q102892   UNION in an SQL - SELECT produces only distinct records.
Q101592   Support for the AS clause in RQBE
Q110920   How to use wild cards and macro substitution in SELECT - SQL
Q114123   SQL differences between dBase and FoxPro
Q114672   PRB: Using SELECT SQL INTO CURSOR with same filename
Q120472   PRB: SELECT SQL using CMONTH() function truncates month text
Q119354   How to group child records in a report detail band
Q118491   PRB: SELECT SQL command ignores SET FILTER condition
Q109580   Causes of common SELECT SQL error messages

Outer Joins

Q Number Title

Q89181    Outer Join syntax example for SELECT-SQL statement
Q100069   Outer join with three or more data tables
Q119901   How to use the UNION clause in a FoxPro Select statement
q124589   How to Create a Left-Right Outer Join in FoxPro for Windows

Wizards

Q Number Title

Q114260   How to programatically call the wizards dialog box
Q114356   Description and availability of wizards on each platform
Q114457   List of wizards and general instructions
Q114983   Wizards and catalog manager can not be distributed
Q115329   How WIZARD.APP locates files
Q118802   FILE: Fw1022.exe Demonstrates Using FoxPro for Windows Wizards
Q119600   How colors are specified for the wizards
Q119594   PRB: Cannot use wizards to modify screen, label or query
Q115540   PRB: Running 2.6 wizard-created screen on another platform

Screen and Font Issues

Q Number Title

Q97057  PRB: Sample Applications Display Greek Characters
Q99090  PRB: Incorrect Font Appearance in Windows 3.0
Q100441 PRB: Windows Are in Different Positions When Executable Is Run Q100558 Transporting Guidelines to Follow When Creating Screens Q103580 How Pictures Work with GET Fields and Proportional Fonts Q103583 Screen Fonts Varying in Size When in Different Resolution Q107830 Description of FOXPRO.INI Settings Q108826 Fonts Available on All Windows Systems Q110772 PRB: Window Sizes in .EXE Change w/ MODIFY WINDOW SCREEN FONT Q114476 PRB: "Position Is off the Screen" Error When Loading FoxPro Q114490 PRB: Transporting Screen Formats All Objects in a Single Font Q117569 FoxPro for Windows Interface Tips and Tricks Q111745 PRB: "Position off Screen" in FoxPro for Macintosh Application Q117774 How to Identify the Font Types Available on the Macintosh


Additional query words: Questions Fax Top Hot Issues Q&A DSKBGuide kblist
commonly faxed novel faq
Keywords : FoxDos FoxMac FoxWin FxotherRef kbref
Version : 2.0 2.5x 2.6x
Platform : MACINTOSH MS-DOS WINDOWS
Issue type : kbref


THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.

Last reviewed: February 12, 1998
© 1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use.