At 08:49 2016-07-22, Ted Roche tedroche@gmail.com wrote:

Thank you for contacting ProFox Support Request. Your delight with FoxPro is important to us.

Please note that we are not Microsoft.

In order to better serve you, please supply the following information. While these steps seem onerous, 83.7% of people who want to contact ProFox support find these steps solve the problem without the need to post to ProFox, so this is the fastest path to solving your problem.

0) Please read http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html How To Ask Questions The Smart Way By Eric Steven Raymond and http://radio-weblogs.com/0117767/stories/2004/05/19/whyIDontAnswerYourQuesti... Why I Don't Answer Your Questions By Ted Roche

1. Have you turned it off and back on again?

Most problem with computers occur because of some transient condition caused by a faulty process gumming up the works, an update in the background causing strange behavior, a file lock that failed to release, or a runaway task that has consumed all of a resource. Restarting the computer often solves this problem. If you cannot reproduce the problem after rebooting, it's unlikely anyone else will be able to, either.

If you are working with a separate client and server machines, restart them both.

Keep a set of test data so that you can restore to a known point.

2. Search for the problem on the internet or the ProFox archive.

If you haven't tried to search for solutions, consider doing that before posting to the forum. It's likely your issue has been seen before, and a solution can be found on the internet. Note that profox has a searchable archive, and your solution is likely in there.

The exact text of the error message is a good search term to start with. Omit the information specific to your app, like the table or field name or record number.

If that fails, consider asking for help on the list. The following steps will lead to a faster, more accurate solution and then we can all get back to work.

By writing an email that includes steps 3 through 7, most people realize they failed to try something else, and fix their problems before having to post. There's no faster solution than the one you don't have to wait for.

3. Describe the steps you have taken.

In order to reproduce the problems you see, others need to be able to take the same steps.

If you can't reproduce the problem, say that.

If it was working but then stopped working, say that.

If you've never gotten it to work, say that.

Attempt to provide a small code sample that shows the problem. a simple CREATE TABLE, INSERT statements and then your demo code will let others test the problem, and determine if their proposed solution solves the problem. Right away, we'll all know if this is a problem with your machine or configuration, or with everyone's.

4. Explain what you expect to see, and what you see instead.

"It doesn't work" is not a bug report. How can you tell it doesn't work, and what did you expect it to do? If your SELECT statement returns no records, it may be working fine, but not doing what you expect. If it throws an error 1234, report the error number and any messages. If it crashes the machine, describe what you see.

If you see this on only one machine, say so. If it happens on all the machines, say that. If it works on the file server that has the data, but not the workstations, please tell us that.

5. Describe the problem you are trying to solve

People often get themselves into trouble because they have come up with a solution to a problem and the solution keeps throwing different problems at them. It may be that your initial solution isn't the best one, or may not solve the problem at all. You may not understand what the command is doing, as some are badly misnamed. Explain why you are doing what you're doing, and be open to suggestions that there are better ways to get to the solution you need.

If you tell us "Don't ask why" or "Don't suggest I do it another way," you're asking us not to help. If we're smart, we won't.

6. Be nice.

People are voluntarily donating their time and expertise to solving your problem. They may misunderstand or suggest inappropriate solutions or miss clues you have provided. Be patient. You are likely under a deadline and a little frantic. Understand that being rude just decreases the likelihood that anyone will help you solve your problem.

7. Describe solutions you have tried, or resources you have used.

It's likely people will suggest the first answer found by searching the internet. If you've already tried that, say so. If you've looked up the error message, and tried the workarounds suggested, say that. Otherwise, you're just wasting everyone's time.

8. Report if you find the solution.

The ProFox forum is only as valuable as the problems that are solved. Report if you figure it out, or if a proposed solution fixes it.

Others may be interested in your problem, because they have run into it, too.

If you post a "Never mind. I solved it.", the "Never mind." will probably be applied to your next question. You might not want that.

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko