How to run VFP9 without installing Foxpro 9

[Mukesh Khandelwal]

Hi

i want to run VFP9.exe with required DLL's only. I tried to do the same by copying all the required files in a folder.
I have copied the following files in folder VFP9 and tried to run VFP9.exe
but it gives the error
"Visual FoxPro cannot start. Could not load resources."

gdiplus.dll
msvcr71.dll
vfp9r.dll
VFP9RENU.DLL
vfp9t.dll
vfp9.exe

Please tell me which file i am missing.
Thank you

Mukesh Khandelwal

 

[Olaf Doschke]

What you list here are the runtime files needed to execute an EXE built by VFP, but VFP9 needs a few other things.

You could make use of the fact that starting VFP9.exe tells you what it's missing. In part it uses the same runteimes, it's also a C++ executable and so that's what VFP built executables "inherit" from it, mainly the VFP9r.dll and vfp9t.dll are dlls built with C++ that use the C++ runtime. Which simply make VFP one generation after C++, which does use a runtime that uses a runtime.

But there are some resource DLLs for the IDE interface texts and more, content resource DLLs have, textts, images,... That's for example not in the DLLs you're allowed to redistribute. OVerall, the VFP9.exe itself, too.

Everyone can download the vfp9.exe embedded in servicepacks. It still doesn't qualify it to be redistributed, just by the way.

You're allowed to create a USB thumbstick with VFP9 "installed" on it, in the simplest case just copy whole Home() onto it and you have your IDE on the go. For your own use, though, the EULA lets you do that. Only some features would require registration of the vfp9.exe on another computer and what's also not coming with you by just copying home are some settings, so even though the help CHM file is in there, the VFP9.exe Tools-Optione_File Locations need to be set to find it. Or you just start it manually.

XMLTOCURSOR won't work, for example, as it depends on msxml3 fir parsing, but CrsorToXML, as it just outputs some text that resembles XML. But overall VFP9.exe is something else than an EXE you build with VFP9.exe, it was built with a C++ compiler from a C++ project and needs some of the same, some differing DLLs and other surrounding dependencies.

You know, there is really a quite legal way out of what you actually need if you'd like to bundle VFP9 itself with your application, At least when you're fine with some restrictions like not having many of the tools you may never use yourself like class and object browser. Some of them are actually available in the form of Xsource and Sedna. Then you can also easily make a VFP command window by using a form entirely covered by an editbox and write code in interactivechange reacting on RETURN to execute a line of code from the editbox via macrosubstitution.

But then there are some commands of the VFP IDE that are only within VFP9.exe itself, BUILD is one of them, and therefore also the project manager. You have COMPILE, though, you can create the compiled versions of VFP source code with the VFP runtime legal to redistribute. Which means being able to create FXP from PRG, update the objectcode memos in SCX and VCX and some more VFP file types. And so you can give end users a lot of almost IDE capabilities of using and extending source code, but you shouldn't hand them VFP9.exe, even when you manage to find out all you need to add to it.

Bye, Olaf.

Olaf Doschke Software Engineering

https://www.doschke.name

 

[AndrewMozley]

Hello Mukesh

Not sure whether this will solve the problem, but in addition to the files you mentioned, some applications may need ReportBuilder.app, ReportOutput.app and ReportPreview.app

To summarise, many applications will run on a machine without VFP9 installed with these files available at run-time :

Good luck. Andrew

 

[vernpace]

Mukesh,

Let me get this straight. You want to run VFP9.exe without installing Visual FoxPro. Why do you want to do this? Whether you know it or not, this is something that a hacker or a software pirate would want to do.

I am very surprised that Olaf didn't see this. I am also surprised that someone marked this as a "Great post!" - what a joke.

 

[Olaf Doschke]

I see this and I point out this isn't legal, if you do it to provide VFP9 to others.

But the EULA allows you to have as many installations as you like for you yourself. And you're therefore also allowed to copy VFP9 onto a thumbdrive for use anywhere. If you go to a customer and don't have a notebook or don't get easily added into their domain with your notebook and all they have is the VFP runtimes, you can use your VFP9, ideally from a thumb drive and can work from some client in their LAN, just provided it has Windows.

Bye, Olaf.

Olaf Doschke Software Engineering

https://www.doschke.name

 

[Mike Lewis]

You want to run VFP9.exe without installing Visual FoxPro.

I interpreted this to mean that he wants to run a "portable" version of VFP. In other words, he doesn't want to go through the process of permanently installing VFP on a particular computer, but perhaps to run it from a USB drive on an ad hoc basis.

If that's right, I don't think we can judge whether or not that would be legal. It would depend on whether he owned a legal copy of VFP and whether it was installed on any other machine at the same time.

Also, I don't see the "great post" flag that you mentioned.

Mike

__________________________________
Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

Visual FoxPro articles, tips and downloads

 

[Olaf Doschke]

Mike,

yes, I fully agree.

If this really was asked because the actual problem is about distributing your application built into an EXE, there are help chapters about that and there is Installshield Express. The VFP9SP2 even has updated merge modules (thanks to Rick Schummer being attentive about this).

And then there is no need to run VFP9.exe, the runtimes you need are also very well known and described in the help, again.

I also think of some business software made with VFP that allows writing VFP macros and both VFPs EXECSCRIPT and the COMPILE command in the runtime allow to give users this feature. without VFP9.exe. And you could do something like Ed Leafe's vRunFox 9 command window replacement not needing a VFP installation (but also only being a command window).

When you program something with VFP that only need the runtime and make simple use of the features to run VFP code that's completely legal and since you don't need special things for that, like ActiveX and can likely also do without some XML functionalities needing msxml3 and 4, you can have that on a thumb drive, too, without needing any files that depend on the EULA rules, only files you can redistribute anyway.

Bye, Olaf.

Olaf Doschke Software Engineering

https://www.doschke.name

 

[Mukesh Khandelwal]

Hi all

Thanks for your replies.

Sometimes we need to debug application on client side and we do not want to install full Foxpro on client side. This is to run Foxpro on client side to debug any program or feature that was not working on client system.

Thank you

Mukesh Khandelwal

 

[Olaf Doschke]

I remember being very lucky to have a customer with MSDN Universal subscription, where you simply had clients with a VFP installation. PArtly also because admins there supported their applications, too, besides external programming done from the side of my company.

It is very useful and you can't really get away with error logging and streaming debugout to files to find and fix errors.

But as said, mainly you can copy Home() to a USB thumb drive and use VFP9 that way anywhere a Windows client is available. Just do that, don't try to find a minimum. It has some downsides, as mentioned. One major point not working is Code Refernces Search by using some control.

Get GoFish to work and you have enough to debug, especially the debugger.

Bye, Olaf.

Olaf Doschke Software Engineering

https://www.doschke.name