How To Copy a Table and Preserve Long Field Names

• Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, versions 3.0, 3.0b
• Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Macintosh, version 3.0b

SUMMARY

This article describes how to copy a table and preserve long file names even though COPY TO and COPY STRUCTURE EXTENDED do not provide this functionality. It is possible to use AFIELDS() and CREATE TABLE .. FROM ARRAY to accomplish the task. An example is provided below.

MORE INFORMATION

In order to preserve long file names, a database must be open and active when the CREATE TABLE command is issued. This causes the CREATE TABLE to create a database table, rather than a free table.

Example

Enter the following commands in the Command window:

   OPEN DATABASE HOME()+"SAMPLES\MAINSAMP\DATA\tastrade"
   USE customer

   nFldcount = AFIELDS(aFldarray)    && creates an array of fields

   * The following command creates and opens a table with the structure
   * described in the array
   CREATE TABLE newcopy FROM ARRAY aFldarray

   * If the data needs to be copied, you can then APPEND it
   APPEND FROM customer