PRB: WordBasic's CHR$ Function Produces Error in Visual FoxPro

• Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, versions 3.0, 3.0b, 5.0

SYMPTOMS

Visual FoxPro produces one of the following three errors when using the CHR$(11) function to place a newline character in a Microsoft Word 7.0a for Windows 95 document:

   OLE IDispatch exception code 5004 from Microsoft Word. Too
   many or too few arguments.

   -or-

   OLE error code 0x80002006 Unknown name.

   -or-

   Syntax Error.

CAUSE

The dollar sign ($) character is an operator in Visual FoxPro. Therefore, FoxPro expects the dollar sign character to carry out Xbase functionality and not a WordBasic function.

WORKAROUND

Use FoxPro's CHR() function to insert the value into WordBasic. For example, replace one of the following lines:

   X.Insert(X.CHR$(11))

   -or-

   X.Insert(X.Object.CHR$(11))

   X.Insert(CHR(11))

STATUS

This behavior is by design.

MORE INFORMATION

The WordBasic function Chr$(11) should place a newline character in a Word 95 document. However, when FoxPro sees the dollar sign character, it looks for the two arguments normally required for this function. Usually, Visual FoxPro interprets a dollar sign character to mean search for a value within a string or field. Visual FoxPro does not recognize the Word 95 usage of this character.

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

1. Create a program containing the following code:

         PUBLIC x
         X=CreateObject("Word.Basic")
         X.FileNew
         X.AppShow
         X.Insert("This is line 1")
         X.Insert(X.CHR$(11))   && <---Or X.Insert(X.Object.CHR$(11))
         X.Insert("This is line 2")
   
   

2. Run the program. The error appears.

3. Replace the X.Insert(X.CHR$(11)) or X.Insert(X.Object.CHR$(11)) line with X.Insert(CHR(11)). The code now creates a Word document containing two lines of text.