Running VFP 9 apps on WIN 8

[Bryan - Gendev]

As I stated in a previous thread I do all my VFP development on a WIN 8 Update 1 desktop PC.

All actions in my app operate as expected ( after I've got them working!)

However another user complained of the VFP Report Preview I use in my app crashing when using the arrow to turn pages - The preview window just disappears but my app stays alive.

So I tested on my wife's new Laptop.

Sure enough the same thing happens.

So the difference is - my full VFP install on the desktop against an app install on the Laptop.

Previous installs on Windows 7 and prior operate correctly.

My question is - what extra dlls do I need to make the Report Preview function correctly? Or what else can I do?

Thanks GenDev

 

[Olaf Doschke]

If you see the first page everything you need is already there. reportoutpu.app in case you're using reportbehavior 90 and gdiplus.dll. If they would be missing you'd not render pag1 preview, too.
I'd try to delete any foxuser.dbf maybe having an effect on the toolbar. Are you providing one with the app? If not one is generated automatically, if you don't have resource=off.

Bye, Olaf.

 

[Bryan - Gendev]

Olaf

I have resource = off in config.fpw distributed with my app
I am using reportbehavior 90
I have gdiplus.dll distributed with my app

But as I said the arrows shut down the Preview

Should I include ReportOutput.app in my setup 'bundle'?

I don't know what to do!

Gendev

 

[Olaf Doschke]

Well, an fpw file isn't loaded automatically. So it has no effect just distributing it.

If the toolbar doesn't behave normal, eg shuts down the preview window, then it has to be a toolbar modification, which is only possible from a foxuser.dbf. The only other thing coming to mind is, you're not using the standard preview but define your own and it somehow goes off screen, hidden, behind something else, the moment you use the toolbar.

Bye, Olaf.

 

[Bryan - Gendev]

Olaf,

Surely the fpw in the apps folder is recognised when an app runs? I get no foxuser.dbf created and the other fpw commands work as expected.

GenDev

 

[Bryan - Gendev]

Olaf,

Further to your comments.

I am talking about the stock VFP Preview system when I run my reports. This has always worked previously ans still works on my dev PC as I said.

Gendev

 

[Olaf Doschke]

I just created a project and a config.fpw excluded. It is loaded, indeed. Sorry, I was too sure automatic loading of it is limited to the vfp ide, but also an EXE does autoload a config.fpw in the working directory.

I can't tell you what's not working with the toolbar correclty. Even your own app not creating a foxuser.dbf doesn't mean there is none. At a customer I inherited several apps all used fro desktop links, and a foxuser.dbf is created on the desktop, some apps are vfp7, so mostly users get the question about overwriting the dbf or even the message it's imcompatible with the current version. USers get used to things like that and don't mention them anymore. Anyway, with resource=off also the reportengine shouldn't read some preexisting foxuser.dbf.

Without more code from the app it's impossible to say what's going on. Win8 doesn't add anything else that's like UAC or limited write permissions to system folders not already been there since Vista.

Have you thought about setting up a virtual machine with win8 and debug it there, just installing your app and not VFP itself. A dev PC is always having advantages in having all needed runtimes and OCXes installed so you really need to test what's going on in a pc without VFP installation.

Bye, Olaf.

 

[Olaf Doschke]

One more question: NO error at all, just the preview disappearing? Do you do error handling? ON ERROR? Is there any OCX used on page 2? Typical OCXes for reports: rtf, any image control.

Bye, Olaf.

 

[Mike Lewis]

This is a bit of a long shot, but I wonder if this is the old "grid grabs the work area" syndrome. This sometimes happens if a grid has focus when you launch a preview.

If you don't have a grid on your form when launching the preview, just ignore this post. Otherwise, it might be worth making sure that you set focus on some other part of the form before the preview. You can find some background information here:

http://hexcentral.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/vfp-reports-not-showing-same-data-as.html

As I said, it's a long shot, but it is worth taking 30 seconds to think about.

Mike

__________________________________
Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

Visual FoxPro articles, tips and downloads

 

[Bryan - Gendev]

Yes I do use an ocx within the app but not in the Reporting area.

This is a link to one of the many videos I have on my Help pages - this shows a Report being created.

http://beesoft.soho.on.net/BeeSoft/PathWizV10/Help/Help_en/Videos/PW_0007.wmv

Overview
As above PathWizV10/index.html

I shall create a virtual machine and try it there.

GenDev

 

[Dan Freeman]

I just created a project and a config.fpw excluded. It is loaded, indeed. Sorry, I was too sure automatic loading of it is limited to the vfp ide, but also an EXE does autoload a config.fpw in the working directory.

This has been default behavior since FoxBase+.

Should I include ReportOutput.app in my setup 'bundle'?

Yes, and you should set _ReportOutput, although you wouldn't be getting as far as displaying the first page if this was in any way the problem.

Have you fully patched VFP with all SPs and patches? Some of them affected the reporting apps. And have you distributed the reporting apps that match the runtime version? This just screams "one of these things is not like the other".

IIRC, with REPORTBEHAVIOR 90 the entire report is rendered to a multi-page TIFF before anything is displayed. Clicking for the next page shouldn't do anything beyond just switching to the next page.

And, of course, the source for reportouput.app should be in Xsource.zip so you can see what it *ACTUALLY* does.