PRB: "Syntax Error" Caused by SYS(3) and Name Expression

• Microsoft FoxPro for MS-DOS, versions 2.5 and 2.5a
• Microsoft FoxPro for Windows, versions 2.5 and 2.5a

SYMPTOMS

Assigning SYS(3) to a variable and then referring to that variable as a name expression for the cursor name in an SQL statement causes a "Syntax Error" in FoxPro 2.5 for MS-DOS and Windows, but not in FoxPro 2.0 for MS-DOS.

CAUSE

SYS(3) returns a character type filename that contains only numbers.

RESOLUTION

To work around this problem, do one of the following:

• Use a character name for the cursor, as demonstrated in the following example:

        x='test'
        USE customer
        SELECT * FROM customer INTO CURSOR (x)
  

• Use the SYS(2015) function, which returns a unique 10-character string that begins with an underscore. The SUBSTR() function must be used in this procedure. For example:

        USE customer
        SELECT * FROM customer INTO CURSOR SUBSTR(SYS(2015),2,8)
  

MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Reproduce Problem

1. Start FoxPro 2.0.

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

         X=SYS(3)
         USE CUSTOMER
         SELECT * FROM CUSTOMER INTO CURSOR(X)