VCX : Platform = COMMENT, UniqueId = RESERVED, Properties = Font Arial, blah blah...

[nqramjets]

In a VCX a class definition is terminated by Platform = WINDOWS, UniqueId = RESERVED row.

If this is the class definition of a form (for example), updating the Font in the IDE will cause the closing COMMENT row to include Font data in the property field. From experimentation this appears to be a listing of all fonts used by all classes in the class definition. Ie. If I had a command button on the form that used a strange font it was also appear in this row, even though the command button is not the class definition being closed.

Question:
Manually deleting this information from the COMMENT row appears to have no practical effect when reopening the VCX, it's simply regenerated. So, is this information used in any way by FoxPro?

Thanks,
Ryan

 

[Olaf Doschke]

I can't say. I'd say that's something Rick Schummer as the developer of Hack SCX/VCX might know.

http://www.whitelightcomputing.com/prodhackformfree.htm

It makes sense this isn't just written there to be sitting there. While it can be reconstructed, some other part of VFP might use this, eg in loading fonts while creating class/form instances.

Are you planning the third or fourth effort to clone VFP? If so, wouldn't it be your choice on how to cope with class and form definitions in the future?
Are you just trying to save a little space? Look out for Konxise. It compacts before encrypting, therefor is cutting an EXE as short as you can only do with unencrypted EXEs otherwise.

And in the end, you can simply try anything on a copy.

Bye, Olaf.

 

[nqramjets]

Thanks Olaf,

I agree with you that they mustn't be written there by accident, but also find it interesting that they will not be present unless some font has been changed for that class definition; Others are simply blank.

This actually came up as part of some research into 2-way VFPSource <-> Text conversions as they pertain to source control.
Recently a project called FoxBin2PRG was started on VFPX which supports two-way conversions. After testing, the only differences were these rogue COMMENT rows with font data in the properties field.

Currently I'm trying to justify to myself that these don't matter. If that's not true then I need to learn enough spanish to add a block to handle them to FoxBin2PRG... Perhaps I'll also contact fdbozzo and see if he knows something about them.

Thanks for the reference to Rick Schummer.

-Ryan