How to Start FoxPro 2.6 Catalog Manager with Specific Catalog

• Microsoft FoxPro for Windows, version 2.6a
• Microsoft FoxPro for Macintosh, version 2.6a
• Microsoft FoxPro for MS-DOS, version 2.6a

SUMMARY

The FoxPro resource file can be modified to cause the FoxPro 2.6 Catalog Manager to start with a specific catalog. By design, the FoxPro 2.6 Catalog Manager starts with the catalog that was active when the Catalog Manager was last closed.

Upon startup, the FoxPro 2.6 Catalog Manager gets the last-used catalog name from the Foxuser resource file. The record is identified by the fields Id = "CATALOG" and Name = "Catalog Name." The Data field holds the path and name of the most recently used catalog. The Data field can be modified either directly or programatically. This article describes both ways.

MORE INFORMATION

Directly Changing the Default Catalog

Edit the Foxuser.dbf file putting the path and name of the catalog in the data field. Then change the Readonly field's value to true (.T.). This can be done as follows:

1. If you are running the catalog manager, on the File menu, click Command window to return to the Command window.

2. In the Command window, type the following commands:

   SET RESOURCE OFF USE SYS(2005) BROWSE FOR Id="CATALOG"

3. Press the TAB key to move to the data field for the record where the Name field contains Catalog Name. To edit the memo, double-click Memo or press CTRL+PGDN.

4. Type in the path and name of the desired catalog, including the .fpc extension. Press CTRL+W to save changes to the memo.

5. In the field named readonly, change the value to true (.T.). This will keep FoxPro from changing this information in future sessions.

6. Press CTRL+W to save changes to the Foxuser.dbf file.

7. Tell FoxPro to again use the resource file, by issuing the following commands in the command window:

   USE SET RESOURCE ON

Programatically Setting the Default Catalog

Setting the default catalog programatically could allow more flexibility. This can be done by calling a program from the Config.fp(w/m) file to reset the catalog specified in the Data field. This program will replace the catalog name in the Data field with the catalog specified in the called program. The following example uses a catalog file called Mycat.fpc located in the C:\Fpw directory.

1. Create the following program:

   *** defltcat.prg

      SET RESOURCE OFF               && Turn off resource file
      USE SYS(2005)                  && Open the resource file
      LOCATE FOR id="CATALOG" AND ;
         name= "Catalog Name"        && Find the catalog record
      REPLACE data WITH "c:\fpw26\mycat.fpc"   && Store catalog's path & name
      USE                                      && Close resource file
      SET RESOURCE ON                          && Turn on resource file
   
      * End of defltcat.prg
   
   

2. Call the defltcat program on startup by adding the following line to the Config.fp(w/m) file:

   COMMAND = DO c:\fpw26\defltcat

   If the line "CATMAN=ON" is not in the file, add it.

3. Confirm the results by quitting FoxPro and restarting.