Dumping Visual Foxpro!

[foxlover2012]

Reading a recent thread VFP to C# started me thinking again about VFP and it's future. I started using dBase II in my business in 1985 and then went to dBase III and then to Fox in the early 90s. It was very disappointing to find out the MS would be dumping VFP after Version 9. To say the least, when I had a client that wanted a web site and I started learning enough about web programming to develop one, I chose PHP/MySQL over anything MS had to offer. Actually I have never purchased another MS product and never intend to purchase another (except Windows).

Maybe with the change in leadership at MS, someone will wake up and realize what a great product VFP really is! There are still countless businesses all over the world that just need an easy way to manage data without all the complexities of C# and other MS languages (I know they have their place).

I'm using the most current version VFP9, foxbarcode, foxypreviwer and other add-ons and they all do everything I need to do, so I will continue to be happy with what is available.
What would be great is for MS to begin redeveloping VFP or if nothing else, release it in some manner where the VFP community could develop it further.

John

 

[EzLogic]

have you seen

http://www.dbase.com?

I am a vfp 9 user as well.
for web development, I use FoxWeb. Love it.

Ez Logic
Michigan

 

[Mike Lewis]

John,

I understand your concerns, but, you know, we have discussed this issue countless times in this forum. If you look back over some of the earlier threads, you'll see that it's been done to death - ad nauseum.

Personally, I'm sick of hearing about the demise of Visual FoxPro, and all that implies. If anyone has got anything genuinely new to say on the subject, I'm willing to hear it. But until they do, I'll leave you to get on with it.

Mike

__________________________________
Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

Visual FoxPro articles, tips and downloads

 

[foxlover2012]

Wow! Well maybe that is what I was hoping for..something new. Sorry to bring it up Mike.

 

[audiopro]

We need to develop some mind numbing apps in VFP to ensure its future amongst the iPhone wielding Androids!

Keith

http://www.studiosoft.co.uk

 

[Dan Freeman]

We've already developed some mind-numbing apps in VFP. Been done to death.

The company I'm working for right now is a cosmetics manufacturer with an international chain of franchise beauty studios. It runs tip-to-stern on VFP apps, including the cash register app in every store.

The stores are screaming for tablet apps.

Tablets are rapidly taking over from laptops, which have already replaced desktops for the average computer user. The desktop, where VFP shines, died a decade ago. We're just mopping up the leavings. Nobody wants to hear that, of course, but that doesn't make it any less true.

 

[foxlover2012]

Dan, you are absolutely right. My customer (in wholesale supply) is already asking for tablet app to walk around in his stores and scan the items.
I need the same thing in my store (retail) as a laptop is way to cumbersome without using a cart.
Software works great in VFP, but where to go from there is the question.
If you have any ideas, please share!
Thanks, John

 

[audiopro]

It was tablet apps I was referring to rather than our staple diet of desktop programs.

We have used a medieval scanning system for stock taking on our Epos systems for many years. 1 person systematically goes round the shop and shouts the code number and quantity, the other person types the numbers in. I offered to upgrade them years ago but they like doing it that way. The age of the traditional retail shop is not dead.

Keith

http://www.studiosoft.co.uk

 

[EzLogic]

My customers run tablet in their warehouses. I created nice CSS/HMTL web app that talks to our vfp ERP system, using FoxWeb.

They also have some windows XP and Windows 7 tablets, which I created a "thin" client in vfp that talks to the data using FoxWeb as a broker (http protocols) and submits xml etc..

works like a charm.

Now, if the tablet is apple or android, then the web client works well. no app icon.

There is NO WAY in hell you can have a full blown ERP system to run on tablet.. it just doesn't make any logical sense. however, you will have a small "widgets" or tiny little app that talks to a certain part or perform a small function of a POS or an ERP app.



Ez Logic
Michigan

 

[foxlover2012]

Thanks Ezlogic! I'll check it out.

 

[Nro]

I’m still developing in VFP. It’s true that the mobile development is now the next step, and I`m using a product called Pendragon Forms to collect the data. It’s written in MS Access and it generate HTML 5 code, so you are able to use it on IOS and Android platforms. A basic knowledge of MS Access and some coding in VFP allow me to synchronize data from my VFP ERP and a mobile phone.

As long as VFP is working on Windows, I’ll always prefer to develop with it.
Thanks

Nro

 

[Koen Piller]

Hi Nro,
You have an application, developped in MSAcces with VFP coding for a mobile phone -iOS and or Android?
Wow!
Would you care to show us something more?
Would love to see this working.

Regards,

Jockey(2)

 

[Nro]

Hello Jokey
I did not create the Pendragon Form application (I wish I did) It’s a third party. You can find them at

http://www.pendragonsoftware.com/

(they have a free trial download)

The program has 3 components: one application written in MS Access. You can create forms, and the program will generate Access tables. The second component is an Apache server, and finally MySQL as the database.

The process is very simple: you create the forms with the Access interface, then it will generate some HTML 5 code ready to be downloaded on the mobile device. The user access the Apache server via his browser (fixed IP Address and port) and download the forms. He’s ready to enter his data (for my customer, it is quotations, and competition prices…) Even if he has no Internet connexion, the data is stored in the cache. When he got connexion (WiFi or 3G -4G) he synchronize his mobile with the server.

If there is new information on the server side, it’s transferred on his device, and vice-versa.
It’s pushed into MySQL, then to MS Access, so it’s easy to read / write to Jet or write code in VBA to push the data in VFP.

My customer has 10 to 20 salesman on the road and it is working fine.

Hope it help a little bit

Thanks

Nro