HOWTO: Converting VFP3 Source Control Projects to VFP5

• Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, version 5.0

SUMMARY

This article explains how you can convert a Visual FoxPro 3.0 project that is under Source Code Control (SCC) to a Visual FoxPro 5.0 project while maintaining it under Source Code Control.

MORE INFORMATION

Use the following steps to convert a Visual FoxPro 3.0 project that is under Source Code Control:

1. Back up the Source Code Control provider database and any files for the Visual FoxPro 3.0 project that you are converting.

2. Run the SCC provider and logon.

3. Select the project to be converted--for example, a project named "SCCTST" under the Root Project ($). Then click Check Out on the Visual SourceSafe menu.

4. In the Check Out dialog box, make sure that the "TO" text box contains the Path and the name of the working directory, for example "C:\Wdscctst."

5. Click Recursive and then OK.

6. Once the Check Out process is completed, run Visual FoxPro 5.0.

7. Click Options on the Visual FoxPro 5.0 Tools menu, and in the Projects tab ensure that the SCC Provider you want to use is selected as the "Active Source Control Provider."

8. MODIFY the Visual FoxPro 3.0 project(SCCTST)that was checked out in Step 6 to the working directory (C:\Wdscctst).

9. When the "Visual FoxPro Converter" dialog box comes up, select any of the choices you want to. It is recommended that you use the default choices. Then click OK.

10. When the "Project has been moved" message comes up, click Yes. After the Project and its components are converted, Close and Save it.

11. Switch to the SCC provider. Select the Project (SCCTST) and click Check In on the Visual SourceSafe menu.

12. In the Check In dialog box, click Recursive and then OK.

13. Check out the files again from the SCC provider, using steps 3, 4, and 5 above.

14. After the Check Out process is completed, switch to Visual FoxPro 5.0.

15. Modify the project SCCTST that was checked out to the working directory Wdscctst.

16. Click Add Project to Source Control on the Project menu. When prompted, logon to the SCC provider.

17. In the Add to Visual SourceSafe Project dialog box, enter the name of the project "SCCTST" in the "Project:" text box. Ensure that this name is exactly the same as the one displayed for the project in the Project Tree Structure under the "$/".

18. In the Project Tree Structure under "$/", select the project that is the parent of the project being converted. For example, if project "SCCTST" is a Sub-Project of the "Root Project" ($\SCCTST), then select the Root Project ($), and if SCCTST is a sub-project of "PSCCTST," which in turn is a sub-project of "$" ($\PSCCTST\SCCTST), then select "PSCCTST."

19. Click OK. When the "Project Metafile created by Visual FoxPro" message is displayed click OK again.

20. When the Add Files to Source Control dialog box comes up, click Select All and OK.

21. The "File is already controlled. Delete the local copy and get the latest version" dialog box appears several times. Click YES each time.

22. When the "Do you want to update the project list" dialog box is displayed, click Yes.

23. When the "File checked in from Visual FoxPro" message appears, click OK.

    NOTE: The Form (.scx), Label (.lpx), Menu (,mnx), Report (.frx), and Class Library(.vcx) files are in binary format and most SCC providers are not capable of maintaining the History/Version information for such files.

    To allow the SCC provider to keep track of the changes to the binary files, Visual FoxPro 5.0 allows you to create files that are a Text representation of these binary files. The name of the text file is the same as the binary file except that the last letter of the extension is an "A" instead of an "X." For example *.SCA, *.LBA, *.MNA, *.FRA, and *.VCA for *.SCX, *.LBX, *.MNX, *.FRX, and *.VCX files, respectively.

    The text files are not added to the Project Manager so are not listed within the Project manager. These files are checked in and out automatically by Visual FoxPro 5.0 whenever their respective binary files are checked in and out.

24. To create text files for the binary files run Scctext.prg, installed to the Visual FoxPro 5.0 directory by default, against each of the files as follows:

           DO SCCTEXT.PRG WITH "WDSCCTST\Forms\FormName.SCX"
           DO SCCTEXT.PRG WITH "WDSCCTST\Labels\LabelName.LBX"
           DO SCCTEXT.PRG WITH "WDSCCTST\Menus\MenuName.MNX"
           DO SCCTEXT.PRG WITH "WDSCCTST\Reports\ReportName.FRX"
           DO SCCTEXT.PRG WITH "WDSCCTST\Classes\ClassName.VCX"
    

    NOTE: The Text files are created in the same directory as each of the respective Binary files. For example FormName.SCA goes to the "WDSCCTST\Forms\" directory, ClassName.VCX to "WDSCCTST\Classes\" directory, and so on.

25. Once all the .sca, .lba, .mna, .fra, and .vca files are created, click Source Control, and then Check In from the Visual FoxPro 5.0 Project menu.

26. When the Check In dialog box appears, click Select All and then OK.

27. After the Check In process started with the previous step has completed, note that the text files ("*.??A") are not added to Source Control at this time. These files have to be added individually from the SCC provider.

28. Switch to the SCC provider and Check In each of the "*.??A" files into the specific folders of the SCC project (SCCTST). For example, *.sca files go to the Forms folder under "$\Scctst\," the *.fra files go to the Reports folder, and so on. Once this is finished, the text files are checked out or checked in automatically whenever their respective binary files are checked out/in from within Visual FoxPro 5.0 using the SCC Integration functionality.

    Now you should be able to use the Project under Visual FoxPro 5.0 while retaining its Source Code Control functionality. Whenever you open the project (C:\Wdscctst\Scctst), Visual FoxPro 5.0 automatically knows that it is under Source Control and provides the required functionality.