Citrix causes problems for Visual Foxpro

[chrisjohnson]

Hi, our company recently deployed a Peoplsoft app using Citrix Metaframe on a Win2k Advanced Server. This is integrated thru I.E. 5.0. I develop Visual Foxpro app for my department and have discovered that when Citrix is ran, I can run VFP 6.0 (from local desktop), and as soon as it comes up to the command window I can quit out of it, and usually when this is done two or three times, I will get an "illegal operation has been performed" message telling me that VFP6.EXE caused a GPF in module GDI.EXE. I am running Windows 95 and VFP 6.0 SP5. I can reproduce this everytime. Occasionally, when I quit VFP, instead of VFP giving the GPF, it will be EXPLORER instead (not internet explorer but the explorer that is always running). What is strange is that the Dependency Walker (which show all the calls to the various DLLs, etc of a 32 bit application) tells me that VFP does not directly reference GDI.EXE (which is a 16 bit application). It does reference GDI32.DLL. I've tried changing the colordepth and installing the latest video drivers. Does anyone know anything else I could try?

 

[Voyager1]

Not to be a wise-guy, but how about a different language? Visual FoxPro has never worked well in this environment, even Citrix Tech Support will tell you so.

I'm not a developer, but from my understanding it has to do with the way VP paints screens. Apparently, it doesn't use standard Windows screen APIs, but paints screens as bitmaps, which at the very least will create ICA bandwidth problems (among other things).

I could be wrong - this is what I was told... - Bill

"You can get anything you want out of life, if you'll just help enough other people get what they want" - Zig Ziglar

 

[chrisjohnson]

No offense taken. I don't run foxpro through Citrix. It runs as a standalone app on each desktop. There's just something that Citrix changes in the environment when it runs that causes VFP to crash when it exits. I have discovered that an older IBM doesn't crash, so it's got something to do with our Dell computers. Although Foxpro for Windows, which was a 16 bit app, did update screens as you describe, Visual Foxpro is a 32 bit app and uses the API.

Thanks,

Chris Johnson

 

[Voyager1]

Cool, that's good to know re:VFP32..... - Bill

"You can get anything you want out of life, if you'll just help enough other people get what they want" - Zig Ziglar

 

[ResidentTechie]

You could try removing any HP PCL6 drivers on the workstation, ie for Laserjet 4000, 5000 series etc. They are a nightmare and cause all sorts of bizarre crashing.