ProFox June 2019

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28 participants
31 discussions

FoxBin2Prg Form.Property = "" becomes .F.
by Tracy Pearson 02 Apr '20

02 Apr '20

I have just recently started to use FoxBin2Prg to store my VCX and SCX files as text versions in Git. Some of my forms have properties set to a have nothing in it. VFP displays this as "(none)". When I use FoxBin2Prg to put this particular form in to the SC2 form, the back to the SCX form this property becomes a .F. Just putting this out there for those that might use this tool. Tracy

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Re: String Reference to Object
by Gene Wirchenko 25 Feb '20

25 Feb '20

At 11:07 2018-02-15, Gene Wirchenko <genew(a)telus.net> wrote: >At 10:57 2018-02-15, "Fernando D. Bozzo" <fdbozzo(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>To talk with an example, if you have this: >> >>oObj = createobject("custom") >>reference = "oObj" >> >>The you have at least 3 options: >> >>1) The way you know => &reference..referredto >> >>2) Using evaluate => =Evaluate(reference + ".referredto") >> >>3) My preferred: Caching the object and then using it: >> >>oRef = Evaluate(reference) >>? oRef.refered1 >>? oRef.refered2 >>... > > I was hoping to avoid evaluate(), but your third way makes > sense. I will check if it works in all the contexts I am thinking > of. (I was using "object" and "reference" rather loosely.) Unfortunately, it does not work in my usual use case: as an alias. Example: use ccli where=evaluate("ccli") && Nope ? where.clcode Sincerely, Gene Wirchenko

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A FoxPro Transition @ UCLA...
by Kurt at VR-FX 31 Oct '19

31 Oct '19

Hello there folks, I'm looking to get some feedback from the hive mind of this group. And, I will admit, I'm doing this kind of last minute. Too many things going on lately, and I have not had a chance to do my true due diligence! Such as thorough research via prior postings in this forum. So as some of you may already know, I had a first interview for a programmer job at UCLA. The second interview is coming up, it's supposed to be this Thursday, but I might try to postpone until Friday. Too much stuff going on in my life lately, including doing 2 different part time jobs and an extended relative who passed away recently, that's the reason I'm going down to LA for an in-person interview, since the last interview I did via Skype. It looks like UCLA really wants to move away from Foxpro, as they know it's a dead language. But, they want to move to something similar to VFP. I suspect its also because the 1 and only programmer there, who's been there for like 30 years and may be retiring soon - doesn't want to learn something Totally new. And, also wants to minimize the transition! They are asking me to propose what I think is the best option. They have mentioned several options such as Fox-in-Cloud, the Alpha software, and even Servoy. They did not bring up things like Lianja, XoJo, or X# the open source X-base language. I know that Fox-in-Cloud even offers a type of Conversion Assistant - which looks really Great! But, once its converted and running in the cloud - I'm assuming that making updates to the system actually means programming in something that is not actually FoxPro - as I think its Javascript & HTML. But, I could be wrong - and am sure Thierry will correct me. There was also some recent discussion on X# which looked like a potentially great option. But, I heard that via the last posting - the FoxPro version of the code wasn't really ready yet! They also told me that they have already been working with Alpha SW - and in discussions with them for several months. Which makes me think they are already leaning towards Alpha. A quick review of old postings in this forum did not show a lot of discussion or users of Alpha. It would really be great to hear from some Alpha users! Anyway - any and all input would be greatly appreciated. I've seen Numerous discussions about a number of these technologies here in the forum over the years. But, honestly - I never truly got involved with any of them - until NOW! Regards, Kurt

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[NF] Migrating Skills From Foxpro to Xojo
by Paul H. Tarver 29 Jul '19

29 Jul '19

I hijacked the original thread with a reply changing the subject and adding an [NF] flag to the subject because a small comment Kevin made caused me chase a different rabbit for a little bit. I have reviewed Xojo on a couple of different occasions over the past few years and I have tried to work my way through the book that was written to teach people how to program it and I find myself drifting by the 3rd or 4th chapter every time. Not a fault of the author; just rather a fault of me wanting something a little more advanced. Anyway, I've run into a couple of hurdles with trying to learn Xojo and perhaps someone here has some suggestions to help me out. Try not to laugh at what may be very dumb questions! :) 1) I build a lot of similar but customized apps using a shared library of tools I've developed over the past 25 years. Every app I build contains a LOT of forms, reports and programs shared by all my applications as well as a lot of forms, reports and programs which are copied from previous projects and then customized for the current client. While I have seen multiple Xojo advocates confirm a similar process is possible, but I cannot find clear explanations of how to make that happen. 2) Every Foxpro application I build starts with a .PRG which reads a configuration .INI file and then setups up the environment, displays a splash screen, checks my version numbers, calls a database update process if a version change is detected and if all is good, it displays the main screen for the user. Once the user chooses to exit my application, a shutdown process is initiated and everything is closed in an orderly way. That having been said, I have been unable to find source code to a simple, complete Xojo application or instruction book that can walk me through the start to finish logic and firing order of all the start-up and shut-down events and allow me to compare that to the process I'm so familiar with in Foxpro. 3) Are there any good white-papers or books by Foxpro programmers that can provide insights into translating my Foxpro knowledge and skill directly into Xojo. I use Foxpro on a daily basis for my business because I cannot find a language that satisfies my clients' needs the way Foxpro does. I would love to be able to say I have a backup language like Xojo, but I get only so far before I give up and go back to what I know and love. So let's assume Kevin is correct when he states Xojo is " a viable language for VFP developers" because I do not want to go down the rabbit hole of considering all the other alternatives for this sake of this discussion and share with me any tips that can help me understand Xojo on a higher level beyond just creating a simple form. I want to understand Xojo at a Complete Deliverable Application level and talk about mimicking the features I depend upon in Foxpro to share a library of tools, forms and code across hundreds of similar custom applications. Paul H. Tarver -----Original Message----- From: ProfoxTech [mailto:profoxtech-bounces@leafe.com] On Behalf Of Kevin J Cully Sent: Friday, February 22, 2019 8:11 AM To: profoxtech(a)leafe.com Subject: RE: false news.... Well, a lot of that article is correct, even though I don't want it to be. VFP as a *language* is as secure as the programmer programmed it to be. VFP as a *database* isn't secure itself. You can encrypt fields. You can encrypt the directory that the data is stored in. But DBF data isn't secure. You wouldn't store social security numbers or credit card numbers in Excel spreadsheets, right? I've haven't recommended DBFs for storage for over a decade now. There are better storage mechanisms such as Postgres, MariaDB, and even SQLite which can be set up as an encrypted database. VFP as a language is still valid, although it will never be able to create 64bit applications but that is a different subject. [Insert Xojo plug here as a viable language for VFP developers.] I had a potential client where they based their primary keys based on employee Social Security Numbers. They didn't like it when I told them that they'd need a complete rewrite. Notice this would have been the case no matter what language/technology they were using. It was just piss poor design. It appears from the article, that when the vendor was notified of the situation, that they were able to quickly address it although the article didn't say what that solution was. Probably encrypted the field? Hash the field with an external secured table containing the sensitive data? Who knows. To me, that's a win. Hopefully the vendor contacts all customers notifying them that there is a vulnerability and that there is a solution available. As Ted Roche always says "Security is a process". -Kevin -----Original Message----- From: ProFox [mailto:profox-bounces@leafe.com] On Behalf Of Dave Crozier Sent: Friday, February 22, 2019 6:07 AM To: 'ProFox Email List' <profox(a)leafe.com> Subject: VFP: false news.... Ignorance and stupidity still runs in the so-called “expert consultant” fraternity. “An outdated software that is used by about 200 Vermont municipalities and the Vermont Tax Department has long contained flaws that exposed sensitive information including Social Security numbers, according to an IT consultant and the software company’s founder.” “You could make a strong case that Visual FoxPro shouldn’t be used on a government level,” Johnson said. https://vtdigger.org/2019/02/05/consultant-outdated-software-left-worker-in… Thankfully the software owners realise that it isn’t a fault in VFP, it is a fault in the designing of the infrastructure. Expert: Ex - Out of date Spurt – a drip under pressure!! Dave Crozier Software Development Manager Flexipol Packaging Ltd. ﴾⚆ᨎ⚆﴿ Flexipol® Packaging Ltd T 01706 222 792 E DCrozier(a)flexipol.co.uk W https://www.flexipol.co.uk/ Follow us: Unit 14 Bentwood Road, Carrs Industrial Estate, Haslingden, Lancashire, BB4 5HH This communication and the information it contains is intended for the person or organisation to whom it is addressed. Its contents are confidential and may be protected in law. If you have received this e-mail in error you must not copy, distribute or take any action in reliance on it. Unauthorised use, copying or disclosure of any of it may be unlawful. If you have received this message in error, please notify us immediately by telephone or email. Flexipol Packaging Ltd. has taken every reasonable precaution to minimise the risk of virus transmission through email and therefore any files sent via e-mail will have been checked for known viruses. 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Using FoxPro & ODBC to connect to Progress Database
by Paul H. Tarver 03 Jul '19

03 Jul '19

Finally, I have something new and maybe interesting to throw at y'all! Got a potential client I'm doing some prelim work for to determine if we can establish an ODBC connection to a Progress Database. I'm just now trying to install all the ODBC drivers and extras the Progress client requires. However, I wondered if anyone on this group had ever connected Foxpro to Progress and if so, what pitfalls can you help me avoid? I'm told by the client that they use SQL Management Studio and then connect to the Progress database via Linked Databases which forces the use of an ODBC DSN. My goal would be to use this to browse the tables and build my test queries and then use SQL Pass-Through via a DSN-Less ODBC connection to query data in production. I've accomplished similar processes by connecting Foxpro to SQL, MySQL, PostgreSQL, FirebirdSQL, Oracle, Sybase, SQLite and Access. I've ODBC'd my way into a bunch of databases, but I've never worked with Progress. Any tips, suggestions or recommendations? Thanks in advance! Paul H. Tarver --- StripMime Report -- processed MIME parts --- multipart/alternative text/plain (text body -- kept) text/html ---

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[NF] What would you miss from VFP, when migrating
by Johan Nel 02 Jul '19

02 Jul '19

Hi VFPers I have asked this question on foxite too with very little feedback, so I am asking it here too. If you have to summarize the 1 or 2 features of VFP that you will feel is a step backwards when migrating to .NET or any other platform as a move forwards. Looking forward to your replies. Two things that was highlighted on Foxite: 1. Macro-compilation 2. Evaluate(<script>) From a X# perspective the FOX release already has support for: 1. DBFCDX and readonly access for VFP specific FieldTypes (AutoInc, etc) with full support planned in the foreseeable future; 2. WITH/ENDWITH, TEXT/ENDTEXT (partially implemented); 3. Macro-compilation; 4. Script engine that can make full use of the .NET framework. XBase greetings, Johan Nel FOX Member: Friends of XSharp https://xsharp.info George, South Africa

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Problem with WMI query
by Paul Newton 28 Jun '19

28 Jun '19

Hi all I have tried to run a WMI query to process Application events on or after a certain date (SearchEventStart). I have tried each of the following formats for SearchEventStart to no avail. 20190628123502.000000+000 28/06/2019 12:34:10 PM 2019-06-28 12:35:27:000 The code I am using looks like this: strComputer = "." objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:\\" + strComputer + "\root\cimv2") colEvents = objWMIService.ExecQuery( "Select * from Win32_NTLogEvent Where Logfile = 'Application' And TimeWritten >= '" + SearchEventStart + "'" ) This does not work but it works if I omit the second part of the WHERE clause like so: colEvents = objWMIService.ExecQuery( "Select * from Win32_NTLogEvent Where Logfile = 'Application'") Any ideas? Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks Paul Newton

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RE: Odd Error Message
by Tracy Pearson 28 Jun '19

28 Jun '19

Hello Gene, That just raises more questions about what COM object is being used to create the XLS file. Is it shipping with the latest Windows 10 computer? Is it built in to the VFP runtimes? Is this functionality suddenly going to stop working one day after the DLL is identified and removed by some anti-virus software? All things I don't have time to investigate. Due to a different control having the same "Unknown COM status" message when attempting to have it write a file to a non-existent path, or a locked file, I have put checks in before calling the functions. Sometimes I think I should change my behavior to write to a temporary file, then move the bytes from the temporary file in to the destination. It would mean a longer save time, but I would be able to deal with anti-virus and on-demand backup tools putting a lock on the files. It's not an exercise for this month. All things in their time, Tracy -----Original Message----- From: ProfoxTech [mailto:profoxtech-bounces@leafe.com] On Behalf Of Gene Wirchenko Sent: Monday, June 24, 2019 6:15 PM To: profoxtech(a)leafe.com Subject: Odd Error Message Hello: I got an interesting error message today. It was another example of an error message indicating that an error had occurred with the message not terribly useful for determining the actual error. Try the following use sometable copy to nothere\nothere\sometable copy to nothere\nothere\somecopy type xl5 where sometable is some table and nothere\nothere is a non-existent subdirectory chain. The error message for the first copy command is "Invalid path or filename." This is sensible. The error message for the second copy command is "OLE error code 0x80030003: Unknown COM status code." Huh? Copying to a directory that does not exist results in an error. You even get a choice of error messages. Sincerely, Gene Wirchenko [excessive quoting removed by server]

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Odd build error when trying to create automation COM component; references drive/folder I don't have in Project Info/Servers tab
by MB Software Solutions, LLC 27 Jun '19

27 Jun '19

Win7Pro 64-bit/VFP9SP2, building WestWind WebConnection Server file. Demo: https://www.screencast.com/t/Hz1rMjyo Building this EXE but it fails with error. Well, it still produces an EXE but it's like 10 KB (instead of its normal 5 MB) and of course doesn't work. The build complains of 3 missing XFRX graphics files but that's definitely not it. Seems to fail when it goes to register the Type Library and COM component. Typically, these reside in C:\AppFolder on the Testing/Production servers but I'm building them in E:\MyDev\MyClient\YadaYadaYada folder because that's where I took the source from the GitHub repository to edit and build it. I'm in Admin account, started VFP as Admin, so shouldn't be permissions issue. **Found this clue and I'm certain this is the problem: https://www.screencast.com/t/Y10rsIjO . For some reason, this says D:\WSAPPS\.... and I don't have that folder. My fellow developer uses that tree structure with his dev machine but I don't. My D: drive is my CD drive. I develop on my E: drive. How do I get that value changed? I searched my source, including WCONNECT.h but no obvious things stand out. tia, --Mike --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

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Southwest Fox 2019: Super-Saver deadline approaches!
by Rick Schummer 25 Jun '19

25 Jun '19

Registration for Southwest Fox 2019 has been open for a few weeks and there's less than a week until the Super-Saver Registration deadline (Sunday night at midnight ET). If you register (https://geekgatherings.com/Registration) before the end of June, you save $125 and we'll throw in a pre-conference session worth $99. Not only that, but you'll be entered in the drawings for a scholarship that will reduce your cost even more and a license of Stonefield Query SDK, a $2,500 value. Check out the speakers (http://swfox.net/speakers.aspx) and topics (http://swfox.net/sessionsswfox.aspx) on the conference website (http://swfox.net/) Please beat the rush so we still have some fingernails left when July begins! No need to wait, we won't charge your card or cash your check until August! Rick White Light Computing, Inc. www.whitelightcomputing.com

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