FPW 2.6a app issue on Windows 7

[dmusicant]

I have an app that has a few FPW 2.6a screens and when I launch it on my Windows 7 computer, I get a second or two of black screen as Aero terminates. I get the same sort of annoying blank screen when Aero returns as I close the app.

I'm actually running this app in VFP 9, so I'm wondering if I create VFP 9 screens (there are only two or three that come up at various places in the program, including the opening screen), I won't have this issue.

Creating new screens, especially from the opening screen won't be trivial as there's code in there. Also, I have zero experience creating VFP 9 screens, although I have taken a couple of courses in Visual FoxPro (over 15 years ago, though), so it's not unfamiliar to me. Is there some way I can automate the transition? Comments, suggestions appreciated.

Dan

 

[dmusicant]

I'm not really sure that creating VFP screens will resolve this issue. I have a number of other screens in the program that weren't created with the FPW screen builder, they are created by @say/gets. Aero doesn't come out of hibernation until I close the app, however. For all I know Aero will hide when FPW code is running, regardless of whether I recreate the opening screen in VFP. Sage comments appreciated!

 

[Olaf Doschke]

The effect you see is a setting of a shortcut "Disable Desktop Composition". Go to File properties and the compatibility tab. It turns off aero temporarily. You may try to uncheck this, but FP2.6 will not support aero style forms and controls, but draw screens itself anyway. That option is good to get rid of a flickering effect, if you move around the command window in the VFP IDE. At least 2007 you had graphic cards flickering, because VFP did draw the command window frame while in dragging mode in a way working slow in aero mode.

Anyway, VFP9 SP2 is the only version capable to create Forms without some artifacts in certain border styles. And indeed the transition from screens to Windows Forms is not straight forward. But I think there is a tool/wizard to create forms from screens.

Bye, Olaf.

 

[dmusicant]

You may try to uncheck this"

Did this and so far, so good! Aero remains on, near as I can tell. No blanking screen, which is an annoying and disconcerting effect. Thank you! Don't know if some negative stuff will happen, but I've tried some of the code I run and it seems to be running fine and quick.

In order to get that checkbox accessible (ungreyed-out) I had to first click the button "Change settings for all users" ... then I could uncheck it.

 

[dmusicant]

I created this app before FoxPro for Windows really got off the ground, the courses I took were for FoxPro 2.6 for DOS, so most of the screens/code are of the @SAY/@GET variety. The teacher did let me use FPW to create the project for the course (this app, which I have continued to use and develop). Creating VFP forms instead of the FPW screens is doable, but now I don't see the advantage.

 

[dmusicant]

Today, I noticed that my Command Window, when moved with the mouse, moved very jerkily on the same Windows 7 machine. Now, I understand that the cure for this is also to Disable desktop composition. Somehow it had become unchecked, I did not uncheck it. I redid the setting for all users, but now the screen blanking and disabling of Aero have returned. As I said in this thread, before when I disabled desktop composition it had eliminated the screen blanking. I don't know what to think! My Command Window can now be dragged smoothly, but I'm getting the screen blanking on start and quit of VFP 9.0.

 

[dmusicant]

So, I go do some stuff on my Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit machine, see that its VFP 9, running the same code has no such issue. Aero and the app coexist fine, no delays, no blank screens. I look in properties and nothing is set, nothing checked at all. Also, although the Command Window can't be dragged with extreme smoothness, it's not too bad, nothing I can't stand.

I go back to the Windows 7 32bit machine that's having the issues and uncheck everything and now there's no problem... except the Command Window does move very jerkily when dragged. I can accept that tradeoff and think I will just leave it like this and hope Aero and VFP continue to work OK together. What's really at play here I can't guess.

 

[Olaf Doschke]

> As I said in this thread, before when I disabled desktop composition it had eliminated the screen blanking. I don't know what to think! My Command Window can now be dragged smoothly, but I'm getting the screen blanking on start and quit of VFP 9.0.

That's what Disable Desktop Composition does. When your app starts Aero is disabled and that causes the screen blanking for a moment. It's windows needing that step to disable VFP, the same happens, if you check this option for other EXEcutables, it's not a Foxpro effect, it's a windows effect.

All this is not needed for your final EXE applications, as the jerky dragging does not happen with VFP forms.

Bye, Olaf.

 

[dmusicant]

Actually, I could run all this as an EXE, but I'm not distributing this so I run it from VFP itself, so it's PRG's, etc.

Now, I was getting screen blanking and I believe I was not disabling desktop composition. I disabled it a week or so ago and Aero and VFP were "cooperating," i.e. no screen blanking on start and quit of VFP. Suddenly for some undetermined reason Disable desktop composition was unchecked. I rechecked it and I had screen blanking. I unchecked it and no screen blanking. I've got to shrug my shoulders, so to speak. Well, at the moment I'm OK with the way things are working. Don't understand why the behavior is inconsistent.

 

[Olaf Doschke]

>Suddenly for some undetermined reason Disable desktop composition was unchecked
When screen blanking occurs during VFP start, it must have been checked. Unchecked VFP starts seamless. I think you misread the setting or tested a shortcut instead of the VFP9.exe setting itself. You can check or uncheck this on both an exe or a shortcut.

Anyway, I never saw any inconsistency with it. If you check the "Disable Desktop Composition" setting aero has to be turned off, unless areo is turned off overall.

Bye, Olaf.