How to allow customer access to VFP Application

[MrDataGuy]

OK folks I am going out of my comfort zone and I would appreciate some sage advice.

Here is the back ground. An old client of my just recently contacted me and they want me to upgrade an old fox application. This application was first started in FoxBASE and finished in Fox Windows. They have been using it for ~10+ years. ( I have had no contact with them for the last 10 years) Anyhow they want me to rewrite in VFP 9.0. It is a inventory, invoicing, basic AP application for a Chemical Distribution firm. ~4 computers <10 person company. Now if you do not worry about Fox not be supported by Microsoft and that whole story, and include that the client really like VFP, VFP is a good fit for the application. (OK OK I know there are some highly respected software developers that would say developing a new APP in VFP shows at best very poor judgment. I recognize that line of thinking but can we put that on hold for a moment.)

OK all is great until the client added one more requirement/wish that is they would like for their clients to be able enter orders via the web.

Now the big two questions: How can I meet the client’s requirement but keep the bulk I of the system in VFP, or what should I use to develop the system instead. ( I have been doing significant .net 2.0, 3.0 desktop centric development but no browser based. And I have also done a very small amount of PHP My-SQL work. ) I have a dozen ideas and more questions with those ideas but I would appreciate some suggestions


Lion Crest Software Services
Anthony L. Testi
President

http://www.LionCrestSoftwareServices.com

 

[GriffMG]

I would not worry about the world moving forward and abandoning VFP first, so definately put that to one side.

Redevloping in VFP9 from an earlier version won't be painless, but should be reasonably easy... then we come to the web.

I would just write the bits that are needed over the web in VBScript using asp and run it on a M$ Windows server and use the VFPOLEDB driver to access the back end.

I do this a bit, and apart from having to maintain two code bases for the same app - because the bits needed on the web tend to grow over time - it works ok. You can deliver reports via XFRX or Excel (people seem to like them).

Go for it, but remember that every mod costs twice as much to do, one cost for the VFP element and again to mimic it on the web.

Regards

Griff
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[Mike Lewis]

Anthony,

If I was in your situation, I would:

(i) Rewrite the bulk of the application (all except the web part) in VFP 9. If it really is a rewrite (rather than a conversion), you'll be able to take advantage of many new features, plus you can consider using a wide range of ActiveX controls and other third-party components to give the app a slicker, more modern look.

(ii) Consider using a "real" back-end database, such as SQL Server or MySQL, rather than DBF files. There are many advantages to doing so (which I'm sure you're aware of), but there are costs too.

(iii) Keep the web part separate. Do it in PHP (since you're already familiar with it).

(iv) Ideally have the web part use the same database as the main app. If that's difficult for any reason, you might need to figure out some way of transferring data on a batch basis. But with luck that shouldn't be necessary.

So, in summary, stay with VFP (if only because the customer likes it), but don't try to bend VFP into doing web stuff that it's not best suited for.

Mike


__________________________________
Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

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[Mike Gagnon]

You can also consider a terminal server with remote desktop.

Mike Gagnon

If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ184-2483 first.
ReFox XI (www.mcrgsoftware.com)

 

[Dan Freeman]

Well before any decisions over how to proceed, they need to decide whether they want to host their own web server. A company that size generally won't once they realize what's involved, or may not have the IT infrastructure to support it and protect the rest of their network from exposure to the public internet.

If they decide to proceed with outside hosting, you have a little less deciding to do because the outside hosting company won't have access to their database anyway! You could go with daily (or twice daily) "digests" or snapshot data sets listing only items available for ordering and upload those to the external website, at which point the technology used on the web is completely divorced from the app on the LAN.

But I'd get that little detail locked down before making any other decisions.

 

[GriffMG]

Hosting a web server is really so easy these days, and for an app of the size described they could easily do so on a broadband connection with a fixed IP...

I have been doing it for years, and have a few clients who run web interfaces to internal VFP LAN apps without much trouble.

One thing is that the web interface often does not need to have all the same functionality as the LAN one - you can leave out things like 'libraries' and what not...

Regards

Griff
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[MrDataGuy]

Your responses are confirming my thinking so far so, thanks.
“I would not worry about the world moving forward and abandoning VFP first, so definately put that to one side.” All I can say is the a number of well respected (at least former) VFP developers told me that doing new VFP Development is ( my words in summary) a crime. I just wanted everyone to know, I am aware of that line of thinking. There seems to be just as many well respected developers that feel/know that VFP is a legitimate and more then reasonable choice for new development.

“Redevloping in VFP9 from an earlier version won't be painless, but should be reasonably easy…” Since I have been developing in XBase since 1985 I am well aware of it. <Smile>

“Go for it, but remember that every mod costs twice as much to do, one cost for the VFP element and again to mimic it on the web. “ Well I expect to only have the customer order portion in both local and internet based version.
In fact here is the setup that I have in mind (The final design will I expect be significantly different but it is a starting point.) There will be a ~ 5 work station setup, with only really 1 at a time being used on average. I am thinking of having a N.A.S. device be where the actual single copy of the EXE and data reside. (Yes I could copy the exe to each local computer via a small startup program.) Remote access for the users if they want to connect will be via GotoMyPC Pro ( < $50.00 per month). Another option is to put in a real server with Citirix running on it (Another of my clients do this and it work well for both local and remote access.)

Now comes the hard part, the customer order entry via the net. (And I am going to assume that soon a request for customer billing status, and order status etc will be asked for. That is just my thinking customer has not yet asked for and I have not mentioned it.)

Some of you have mentioned the issue of where to run the internet portion of the app, and the issues of local vs. remote hosting. How possible, practical, would it be to use something like the Westwind VFP-internet products. (I am aware of them but I have not even taken the time to do a goggle to see if they are still available.) e.g. could I set up a server at the clients and run it all from there? (Kind of talking/typing out loud here.)

“A company that size generally won't once they realize what's involved, or may not have the IT infrastructure to support it and protect the rest of their network from exposure to the public internet.” Very true, and I am not the savvy myself.

“Hosting a web server is really so easy these days, and for an app of the size described they could easily do so on a broadband connection with a fixed IP...

I have been doing it for years, and have a few clients who run web interfaces to internal VFP LAN apps without much trouble.”

Well Griff If this project starts drifting that way I may need to contact you directly.

The project is in the early stages, when the client understand a little more about the complexity of the Customer order entry via the internet they may very well drop the requirement, then again they could give me a blank check and say make it happen and show it to us when it done.

Thanks again for your comments, helps me make sure I am thinking reasonably.



Lion Crest Software Services
Anthony L. Testi
President

http://www.LionCrestSoftwareServices.com

 

[GriffMG]

Help yourself.

Good luck

Regards

Griff
Keep [Smile]ing

There are 10 kinds of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.