Content of the README.HLP That Ships with Visual FoxPro 3.0b

• Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, versions 3.0b

SUMMARY

This article contains the content of the Visual FoxPro Readme.hlp file located in the main Visual FoxPro directory.

These release notes contain supplemental information that is not in the Visual FoxPro Help file or in the printed documentation. For additional information, check the Microsoft Visual FoxPro Web site at:

   http://www.microsoft.com/vFoxPro

   Installing Visual FoxPro
   New 3.0b Features
   Upgrading and Configuring Visual FoxPro
   Using Visual FoxPro
   Using ODBC and OLE in Visual FoxPro
   Professional Features

MORE INFORMATION

INSTALLING VISUAL FOXPRO

Visual FoxPro and Window NT Installing Visual FoxPro from 3.5-inch Disks Removing Visual FoxPro from a Hard Disk Running Network Versions of Visual FoxPro Changes to Documentation Sample Visual FoxPro Files Developer Roadmap

Visual FoxPro and Windows NT

If you are running Windows NT, Visual FoxPro 3.0b requires version 3.51. For Windows NT 3.51 upgrade information, contact Microsoft.

Installing Visual FoxPro from 3.5-inch Disks

You cannot install Visual FoxPro by copying the floppy disk files to your hard disk. With the exception of the Setup disk (Disk 1), Visual FoxPro disks use a format called DMF (Distribution Media Format). DMF increases the capacity of a 3.5-inch disk, reducing the number of disks needed to install your application, thus speeding the installation process. Because DMF is a new format, many existing utilities such as Norton Disk Doctor, Microsoft ScanDisk, MS-DOS DiskCopy, and Microsoft Windows Copy Disk don't recognize DMF.

CAUTION: Do not use disk utilities to examine a DMF-formatted disk. These utilities can corrupt the DMF disk. You cannot copy DMF-formatted disks using MS-DOS DiskCopy or Microsoft Windows Copy Disk.

To copy the Visual FoxPro disks onto a network server or other permanent storage drive, use the copy switch (/C) with the EXTRACT.EXE utility on Disk 1.

- To copy the Visual FoxPro disks:

  1. Create a directory on the target drive.

  2. Copy all the files from Disk 1 to the target directory. Disk 1 does
     not use DMF, so you can use the standard MS-DOS COPY command, as in
     this example:

     COPY A:\*.* C:\DISKS

  3. Copy the remaining disks to the directory by using the standard MS-DOS
     FOR command and the Extract.exe utility with the /C switch as shown in
     this example, issued at the A: prompt:

     FOR %I IN (*.*) DO C:\DISKS\EXTRACT /C A:\%I C:\DISKS\%I

     DMF formatting stores many files in a single cabinet (.cab) file. If
     you need only a single file that is contained in one of the cabinet
     files, you can search for the file with Extract.exe using the /D
     switch. Once you find the file, you can use Extract.exe again to copy
     the file to the desired location. You can also type EXTRACT /? to get
     help on the EXTRACT command options.

  Use EXTRACT.EXE with the /D switch as in this example:

     EXTRACT /D A:\vfp1.cab

  Use EXTRACT.EXE with the /D switch and wildcards. This example displays
  all .EXE files:

     EXTRACT /D A:\vfp1.cab *.EXE

  Use EXTRACT.EXE without any switches as in this example:

     EXTRACT A:\vfp1.cab ANY.EXE

  Use EXTRACT.EXE with the /L switch as follows:

     EXTRACT A:\vfp1.cab /L C:\VFP ANY.EXE

Removing Visual FoxPro from a Hard Disk

To remove Visual FoxPro from a hard disk in Windows for Workgroups or Windows NT, double-click the Setup icon in the Visual FoxPro program group, and then choose Remove All from the Visual FoxPro Setup dialog box. This process does not remove user files.

CAUTION: Though the removal procedure offers several opportunities to keep files or shared components, it offers no final warning before it starts to delete all Visual FoxPro files. Press ESC to stop the removal process.

- To remove Visual FoxPro from a hard disk in Windows 95:

  1. Open the Control Panel and double-click Add/Remove Programs. The
     Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog box appears.

  2. Click the Install/Uninstall tab.

  3. Select Visual FoxPro from the list.

  4. Click Add/Remove.

  The Visual FoxPro Setup dialog box is displayed. Choose Remove All to
  remove Visual FoxPro from your hard disk. This process does not remove
  user files.

Running Network Versions of Visual FoxPro

Do not run Visual FoxPro from the directory created when you choose the Visual FoxPro Network Administrative installation option (SETUP /A). Because the Network Administrative installation option does not register Visual FoxPro on the computer containing the central Visual FoxPro directory; Visual FoxPro should not be run from this directory. The Network Administrative installation option creates a central Visual FoxPro directory on a server. From this central directory you can install Visual FoxPro on network workstations.

Changes to Documentation

Language Reference, RIGHTC( ) Function Remove the first paragraph in the Remarks section.

Developer's Guide, Chapter 2: Overview of the Language Page 41 Add the following sentence to the end of the third bulleted item:

Field names in database tables are limited to 128 characters.

Sample Visual FoxPro Files

To find more information about Visual FoxPro sample files that demonstrate the new and extended capabilities of Visual FoxPro, choose the Samples button in Help. If you want to rebuild the main sample program, Tasmanian Traders, first set the default directory to the Samples\Mainsamp subdirectory of the Visual FoxPro directory. Otherwise, Visual FoxPro will not find the necessary Include subdirectory and files.

Developer Roadmap

If you have Visual FoxPro on CD-ROM compact disc, you can gain access to the Microsoft Roadmap to Developer Products and Services. The Roadmap has information about Microsoft developer strategies, development tools, databases, operating system standards and specifications, and developer programs and services. It also includes the latest information and demonstrations of Microsoft Developer products, including specific information about Visual FoxPro version 3.0b for Windows.

New 3.0b Features

Enhanced OLE Control Support DBCS Overview New DBCS Functions New Collation Sequences New 3.0b Functions, Properties, and Methods New Files Installed in 3.0b Files Updated in 3.0b Files No Longer Installed in 3.0b

Enhanced OLE Control Support

Visual FoxPro 3.0b now includes support for all functionality required of a container in the OLE Controls and Control Containers Guidelines version 1.0. This functionally includes support for the following:

• Embedded objects from in-process servers
• In-place activation
• Inside-out activation
• OLEMISC_ACTIVATEWHENVISIBLE
• All interfaces listed under Required Interfaces
• All status bits listed under Misc and Status Bits Support
• All functionality required under Keyboard Handling
• IPersistStorage
• All properties listed under Ambient Properties
• The Align extender property

DBCS Overview

Visual FoxPro 3.0b features new support for DBCS (double-byte character sets), character sets that require more than one byte to represent a character. Some examples of languages that require a double-byte character set are Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Visual FoxPro DBCS support allows you to create international applications. For example, you can create a Japanese application with a U.S. version of Visual FoxPro 3.0b if you are running the Japanese version of Windows. The Visual FoxPro DBCS functions operate properly on the Japanese character set, and the Japanese collation sequence is supported. Visual FoxPro 3.0b includes new functions for manipulating character expressions containing any combination of single-byte or double-byte characters. For more information about the new functions in Visual FoxPro 3.0b, see New DBCS Functions. Note that system capacities have not been increased in Visual FoxPro 3.0b to accommodate double-byte characters. The use of double-byte characters in field names, index expressions, memory variable names, window names, and so on reduces their length. For example, a field name can be up to 10 bytes long in a free table, so a field name can consist of ten single- byte characters, but only five double-byte characters. For additional information about Visual FoxPro system capacities, search for "system capacities" in Help.

New DBCS Functions

Visual FoxPro 3.0b includes the following new DBCS functions. For more information, see Visual FoxPro Help.

AT_C( ) Function          ATCC( ) Function
CHRTRANC( ) Function      IMESTATUS( ) Function
ISLEADBYTE( ) Function    LEFTC( ) Function
LENC( ) Function          LIKEC( ) Function
RATC( ) Function          RIGHTC( ) Function
STRCONV( ) Function       STUFFC( ) Function

CAUTION: The Visual FoxPro 3.0b DBCS functions are not supported in Visual FoxPro 3.0 and might cause unpredictable results. If you use any DBCS functions in your application, use VERSION(1) to verify that the Visual FoxPro version is greater than 3.0.

Note that Visual FoxPro 3.0b applications (such as the wizards and the sample applications) contain DBCS functions and cannot be run in Visual FoxPro 3.0. Though the Visual FoxPro 3.0b version of Genmenu.prg contains DBCS functions, it has been modified so it can be run in Visual FoxPro 3.0 if necessary. For information, see Running GENMENU in Visual FoxPro 3.0.

New Collation Sequences

Visual FoxPro supports new collation sequences for Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Collation sequences allow you to properly order character fields in tables for each language. For more information about specifying collation sequences, search for SET COLLATE in Help. The following table lists the new Visual FoxPro 3.0b collation sequence options and the corresponding language.

Option      Language
JAPANESE    Japanese
KOREAN      Korean
PINYIN      Simplified Chinese
STROKE      Simplified and Traditional Chinese

New 3.0b Functions, Properties, and Methods

The following functions, properties, and methods have been added in Visual FoxPro 3.0b. For more information, see Visual FoxPro Help.

Align Property                        DefOLELCID Property
GETPEM( ) Function                    OLELCID Property
PEMSTATUS( ) Function                 ResetToDefault Method
SYS(1269) - Property Information      SYS(1270) - Object Location
SYS(1271) - Object's .SCX File        SYS(1272) - Object Hierarchy

FontCondense, FontExtend Properties   MacDesktop Property
SizeBox Property                      ZoomBox Property

UPGRADING AND CONFIGURING VISUAL FOXPRO

Upgrading FoxPro 2.6 Files Using dBASE Files in Visual FoxPro Upgrading to Windows 95 Improving Network Performance Troubleshooting Printing Problems with the HPPCL5E Printer Driver Running GENMENU in Visual FoxPro 3.0 Controlling Warning Messages in Views

Upgrading FoxPro 2.6 Files

When you convert FoxPro 2.6 files to Visual FoxPro, make sure that the files are not read-only. For more information on upgrading your FoxPro 2.6 files to Visual FoxPro, search for "upgrading" in Help.

Using dBASE Files in Visual FoxPro

To find information about using your dBASE files in Visual FoxPro, search for "Switching from dBASE" in Help.

Upgrading to Windows 95

If you install Visual FoxPro on your current Window 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups platform and then want to upgrade to Windows 95, remove Visual FoxPro from your hard disk, upgrade to Windows 95, and then reinstall Visual FoxPro to insure that the maintenance mode of Setup works properly. Two additional OLE controls, Msmapi32.ocx and Mscomm32.ocx, available only in Windows 95, will also be installed. When you open Visual FoxPro Help for the first time in Windows 95, there is a delay while the Help index is generated. This index enables full-text search and is generated only the first time you open Help.

Improving Network Performance

Increasing the size of the network packet for a connection can greatly improve performance on a network, especially on a slow or busy network. The size of the network packet for a connection can be set with DBSETPROP( ) and SQLSETPROP( ). Note that the network packet size may be limited by the network and the ODBC driver. For more information, see the Visual FoxPro help file.

Troubleshooting Printing Problems with the HPPCL5E Printer Driver

If you use the Hewlett Packard HPPCL5E version 1.2 printer driver and receive "Printer not ready" errors when attempting to print from within Visual FoxPro, you should upgrade to the latest version of this driver. The latest version of the HPPCL5E printer driver is included in Windows 95 and Windows NT.

Running GENMENU in Visual FoxPro 3.0

The latest version of Genmenu.prg, included in Visual FoxPro 3.0b, contains DBCS functions. However, the 3.0b version of Genmenu.prg can be run in Visual FoxPro 3.0.

To run the 3.0b version of Genmenu.prg in Visual FoxPro 3.0:

1. Open the 3.0b version of Genmenu.prg.

2. Search for the line containing the text "VFP 3.0" and follow the instructions on that line.

3. Save the program, and recompile it in Visual FoxPro 3.0.

Controlling Warning Messages in Views

You can control the display of warning messages when you use local and remote views.

To control the display of warning messages in views, use SET NOTIFY ON and SET NOTIFY OFF.

USING VISUAL FOXPRO

Accessing the Visual FoxPro Command window Using Small Icons with Visual FoxPro Using Delimiters in Views Identifying Tables on a Network Using TABLEUPDATE( ) with Views Navigating Appended Records in Table Buffers Creating Remote Views Using a Visual FoxPro Data Source Using Novell Drivers to Connect to SQL Server Using Windows Named "SCREEN" Using CLEAR READ with READ DEACTIVATE Printing MS-DOS Reports and Labels from Visual FoxPro Window Access in Localized Versions of Visual FoxPro Localized Return Values for SYS( ) Functions Using SEEK with SET COLLATE

Accessing the Visual FoxPro Command window

If the Command window is hidden when you start Visual FoxPro, you can still gain access to it. When you start Visual FoxPro, a Project Manager window appears by default. If the Project Manager window fills most of your screen (typical on smaller monitors), it might be covering the Command window. To gain access to the Command window, choose Command window from the Window menu.

Using Small Icons with Visual FoxPro

Windows 95 can display small icons in the Explorer and the Start menu. You can use ImagEdit to create small icons for your Visual FoxPro applications running under Windows 95. ImagEdit is included in the Professional Edition of Visual FoxPro. Small icons are created by specifying the Small Icon 16-color 16x16 option when creating a new icon in ImagEdit. If this option is not available when you create a new icon, add the following lines to the IMAGEDIT.INI file located in your Windows directory:

   [ImagEdit.Icon]
   Small Icon=16,16,16

Using Delimiters in Views

Visual FoxPro accepts ', ", and [ ] as delimiters. You can include spaces in delimited identifiers for table names in local views, but not for column names. Delimited and undelimited identifiers are not equivalent.

Identifying Tables on a Network

To specify the location of data, you can use a logical drive path. To insure consistent access to data on a network, use the same syntax when creating and accessing databases and tables.

Using TABLEUPDATE( ) with Views

If you use TABLEUPDATE( ) with a blank appended record in a view (a record created using the APPEND BLANK command), the update will fail. For a valid update in a view, you must enter data in at least one of the fields marked as updatable before you issue the TABLEUPDATE( ) command.

Navigating Appended Records in Table Buffers

To move the record pointer to appended records in a table buffer, use the GO command with a negative value. The RECNO( ) function returns sequential ascending negative numbers on records appended in a table buffer. For more information, search in Help for "records, deleting," then choose "Appending and Deleting Records in Table Buffers."

Creating Remote Views Using a Visual FoxPro Data Source

When you create a remote view using Visual FoxPro as the data source, the current ODBC driver recognizes only files from FoxPro version 2.6 and earlier.

Using Novell Drivers to Connect to SQL Server

To connect to SQL Server using Novell real-mode drivers, include the following command before establishing the connection:

   =SQLSETPROP(0, 'PacketSize', 512)

In Visual FoxPro, window functions can return ambiguous values for windows whose name contains SCREEN. For best results, avoid using SCREEN as part of a window name. The following functions are affected by this behavior:

WBORDER( )    WLAST( )      WONTOP( )
WCHILD( )     WLCOL( )      WROWS( )
WCOLS( )      WLROW( )      WTITLE( )
WEXIST( )     WMAXIMUM( )   WVISIBLE( )
WFONT( )      WMINIMUM( )

Using CLEAR READ with READ DEACTIVATE

If you use CLEAR READ within a READ DEACTIVATE clause, Visual FoxPro, unlike FoxPro 2.6, invokes a READ VALID event. You can restore FoxPro 2.6 behavior by removing CLEAR READ and returning true (.T.).

Printing MS-DOS Reports and Labels from Visual FoxPro

Printing character-based reports or labels (created in FoxPro for MS-DOS) in Visual FoxPro can produce unexpected results. This method writes directly to the printer and is not recommended on the Windows platform. If you use the PDSETUP clause with REPORT and LABEL commands, you will have more reliable results on the Windows platform by converting to Visual FoxPro format. For more information about the effects of the PDSETUP clause, see _PDSETUP in Help.

Window Access in Localized Versions of Visual FoxPro

In localized versions of Visual FoxPro, specify Visual FoxPro windows, such as the Command window, Debug window, Trace window, or View window by their English names; specify toolbars by their localized names (the name that appears in the title bar of the toolbar window).

Localized Return Values for SYS( ) Functions

In localized versions of Visual FoxPro, the SYS( ) functions SYS(2006) and SYS(2011) return localized values.

Using SEEK with SET COLLATE

If you perform a SEEK when SET COLLATE is not set to MACHINE, the seek fails if the index key contains a trailing blank. Trailing blanks are valid only if SET COLLATE is set to MACHINE.

USING ODBC AND OLE IN VISUAL FOXPRO

Using ODBC Desktop Drivers Avoiding ODBC Errors in the Remote View Wizard MS Draw 1.0 Objects as Visual FoxPro OLE Objects

Using ODBC Desktop Drivers

The ODBC drivers and driver manager installed in Visual FoxPro 3.0b are the most current versions. Some of the files installed may conflict with ODBC 2.5 components installed by other software. Avoid using DECLARE - DLL, FoxTools, or an .fll file to gain access to ODBC drivers. Doing so can generate errors; use SQLCONNECT( ), SQLEXEC( ), or other Visual FoxPro functions to connect to ODBC.

Avoiding ODBC Errors in the Remote View Wizard

If you use the Remote View Wizard with backend servers that assign table ownership, such as SQL Server, you must select tables that you own or that have a public owner. To access data from any other table, use the View Designer.

MS Draw 1.0 Objects as Visual FoxPro OLE Objects

If you are running Visual FoxPro under Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups, Microsoft Draw 1.0 objects are not supported as Visual FoxPro OLE objects.

PROFESSIONAL FEATURES

RESERVED.FLL OLE Custom Controls Additional API Routines

Reserved.fll

Do not open Reserved.fll as a library file. Reserved.fll is an internal Visual FoxPro file that is used by the Spell Checker.

OLE Custom Controls

Visual FoxPro 3.0b includes new versions of the MAPI, PictClip, Outline, and Comm OLE Custom Controls. These controls require the following files:

Olepro32.dll Msvcrt40.dll Msc40.dll Different versions of Mscvrt40.dll are installed on 16- and 32-bit systems. Mfc30.dll is no longer required or installed.

Additional API Routines

The Professional Edition of Visual FoxPro contains the following additional API routines. For more information, see Visual FoxPro Help.

_FreeObject( )               _GetObjectProperty( )
_ObjectCmp( )                _ObjectReference( )
_ObjectRelease( )            _SetObjectProperty( )
_WGetObjectClientWindow( )   _WGetObjectWindow( )