Upgrade from foxpro 2.6a to foxpro for windows?

[jerrytvspec]

Most all the users are running under win95 now? It would be nice to pick up some of the utilities in windows while running fox. What about speed since I'm already running win95 will foxpro for windows run any faster? How about source code changes?

 

[dgrewe]

You can install FPW 2.6 and run any FPD 2.x code with no conversion. It will look like a DOS program instead of a Windows program but it will work exactly as before.

You will notice a slight speed decrease in FPW from FPD, but not enought to be concerned about.
David W. Grewe
Dave@internationalbid.com

 

[ramani]

Hi
If you are thinking about migrating... think of VFP.. It is not all that difficult as it will appear first, but you will get lot more benefits in the long run. ITS TIME TO SWITCH... not worth waiting for long. (That you seem to have lot of old computers and win95 OS.. it will be sooner .. you will get latest units and OS may be XP.. WinMe..Win2000). SO it is better you start the things rolling with VFP developments rather than thinking of FPW.



ramani :-9
(Subramanian.G),FoxAcc, ramani_g@yahoo.com

 

[jerrytvspec]

Going to VFP is a major code change isn't it? Over the years I have a lot of code using DBF and NDX files besides what is is different.

 

[infinitelo]

your old foxpro code will run in vfp but the screen fonts will not be the same, it will well look "funkie"
as you learn the vfp you will replace your @say's will forms then the old fox code will look like other windows apps yes major code change, but backward compatible(sort of)

 

[davidtoranzo]

Hi,

Even when (as you were told) your DOS applications will run in any ulterior version with no code change, you will have to consider that the only sense to change is to use the new and more powerful capabilities of the new versions.

What I mean is that the smallest change, that is to say moving to FPW, will implicate apply this capabilities. I remember when I did it, it significated a "quantum leap", basically because of the advantages given by the developing tools and the fantastic integration to the windows enviroment.

The movement to VFP implies the same concept, but the leap is even larger. I you have applications running in client systems, you will have to evaluate and spend lots of tests time before.

Anyway, I think is unavoidable. Sooner or later, you will fave to move!

Good luck!

David.

 

[infinitelo]

*sorry soapbox,high horse, ect.. ignore
unavoidable? not exactly, as cross platform hardware independent code becomes more and more nessisary and proper, we as developers,programers and information tech specialist should look at simple html as our user interface, and use the "tools" that work then send our outputs to html, plain text, ect.. wherever we can. sure it may slow down developement, but you will be able to use an old 486 foxpro for dos machine to supply windows xp machines with outputs. kinda like that old computer you used to print on greenbar (im useing a dos 3.2 p133 machine) it prints the same as a windows xp printer would.
*end soapbox

 

[wprince]

It is fine and dandy to port over to VFP but any libraries you used in FPW 2.6 will NOT work in VFP!

Also, 'Functional Conversion' is the best way to go as opposed to VFP conversion unless you know how to program in VFP. And it is a real pain in the ass also....

I suppose full VFP is a nice way to go if you can afford the retraining time and cost for the small gains it offers over FPW other than to get past the initial runtime error generated in Windows on some 'speed demon' machines.

The books on VFP are non-existant here in Las Vegas, Nv. and 'training' videos and seminars are costly when your are on a small budget, especially with the extreme cost of living increases for the average Joe. The producers of those tools seem to have the idea that the individual has the pocketbook of a large corporation or programing firm who makes zillions of bucks form VFP programming.

Would be nice if they allowed a huge discount for the non-commercial home programmer.....

 

[michel392]

infinitelo:

I am new to VPF (4 months), and I have been using FoxPro 2.0 for 10 (ten) years, and now have the problem you mentioned in this forum: "your old foxpro code will run in vfp but the screen fonts will not be the same, it will well look "funkie" "
I am converting my old FoxPro 2.0 programs to VFP, using the automatic conversion offered by VFP, and adding some small changes in the code. When executing the program inside VFP, it shows ok on the screen, but when executing the compiled .EXE program in Windows, the appearance is terrible !
Do you have a solution for this problem without rewriting all code ?
Thanks
Michel

 

[infinitelo]

the majority of your rewrite will deal with interaction between the user, and the system. keep in mind that when we wrote fox for dos code most of us did not use an "event driven model", but led the user though a series of screens to acomplish something. The visual or object oriented model is very differnt. we allow the user to control more of program flow. if you used a modualr design in your original code the only big rewrites will be replacing your "screens" with forms. if your processing was combined with your screens your in for some major rework. once you start using forms, you find that you can produce same results with less code and if your really good you will have a lot of reuseable code.

Its not the complexity of the maze, its the sent of the cheese that we are trying to measure

 

[michel392]

infinitelo:
I have never used the Screen program (.SPR). I just write all the code in .PRG's, even for printing labels !
My program is OK when executing inside VPF, but when I execute the compiled .EXE, the characters are changed, specially the graphical ones, and letters and numbers appear smaller. What to do ?
Thanks,
michel

 

[infinitelo]

i hope dave or rami will correct me if im wrong, but here goes, when you run vis fox on your old programs the fonts are differnt because fox 2.x uses its own font. not ported to visual version. try set font to courier 10.bold, i dont recall the exact syntax in visual fox. repeat until it looks better.

To vastly improve you appearance use the forms designer and use your old code in the form(create a command button and insert you code in the on click property). i found it vastly helpful to take an introductory course on visual basic at the local vo-tech.

 

[DSummZZZ]

The fonts are also different because of the GUI libraries Fox Windows was compiled with at the time, as opposed to the updated ones now used for VFP. Don't forget that Fox Windows was 16 bit, and VFP is 32.

If you have the time, here is a good link for a course on VFP:

http://www.free-ed.net/fr03/lfc/030101/129/

Dave S.

 

[Guest_imported]

il always love fox pro