Foxpro Newbie!

[TheGov]

Help!

I have been programming in Access for years and am now very proficient at it. However, I need to produce a package in Foxpro because Access is not man enough for the job. Does anyone know of a good text that will get me started? I thought that Foxpro would be similar to Access, just more powerful, but at the moment I just can't get my head round it.

Thanks in advance

Pete

 

[Mike Gagnon]

TheGov

I have been programming in Access for years

Sorry to hear that ;-)

This link might help:

http://docs.rinet.ru:8083/GlyadiLisu/index.htm

Mike Gagnon

If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ184-2483 first

 

[jryan224]

thegov,
What are you trying to do in ACCESS that is forcing you to go to foxpro?

I too have programmed Access for years, then vb w/ access backend, now foxpro. Still like access or vb better.

jdemmer
God bless

 

[BRADLEY21]

My recommendation is to spend a day or so on Tastrader and other samples and follow the code through.

Use the app wizard and create a basic application on a very basic database and review how it works.

 

[FoxEgg]

I am gonna assume that you are going to move to VFP

AND ... you can assume that I am the ultimate VFP underperformer...

I have tried

1. books... by the ton.... OK but none spectacular (see Mike Gagnon's link; it is excellent)

2. AppDev disks (bought on eBay for about $180US) OK but not great

3. Speak to people who know what they are doing---- excellent... you can learn more in hour than.... you can have hot breakfasts in a parsec (or other simile)

4. Use and read these Tek-Tips guys... they are FANTASTIC... (even the fights are good)

5. but the best is

do while learn_attempt <400
Try
Stuff up
Try Stuff up again
learn_attempt= learn_attempt+1
enddo

and then all of a sudden there is light at the end of the tunnel...... and it is worth all the parsecs of hot breakfasts...

(Mind you I am still in the Tunnel... but I can seeeee the light ...)

FoxEgg

Oh and even the AppDev disks start to make sense too (but they are not worth full retail.)

 

[shangrilla]

TheGov:

I started learning FoxPro exactly 16 months ago. I didn't knew the ABC of FoxPro before that and today It's my favorite language . All I have to say is that if you want FoxPro, you have come to the right place. This forum has saved my @@s on numerous occasions. Guys like mgagnon, ramani, flutepr, ChrisRChamberlin, rgbean.....are life savers. Sorry if I forgot anyone

Good Luck.

 

[xBaseDude]

Mike...

&quot;I have been programming in Access for years&quot;

&quot;Sorry to hear that!&quot;

Factoid

Ads in Sunday paper for Access coders = 10
Ads in Sunday paper for VFP coders = zero

At least those guys are working.

I'm sure stats on Dice are about the same.

Thanx for the great promo on fox MS...

foxegg....dude you crack me up!
btw - I'm after your title....ultimate VFP underperformer

I agree tho...Tek-Tips VFP forum is the *best* place to learn from the masters....(&quot;i am only an egg&quot

Regards - Wayne
(who also studied latin in highschool)

 

[TheGov]

Thanks for the replys guys. Like FoxEgg, I am buried in a pile of books and overpriced AppDevs.

Jdemmer, I am trying to develop a DB app for 80 odd users. Access struggles when you get over 10 concurrent users.

Anyway, I have 3 days to get the inputting side ready, so I am going to put a simple Access input form up, then change over to VFP later when I can get my head round it.

TheGov

 

[FoxEgg]

I am very concerned about XBaseDude wanting my epithet.... I have worked for years to achieve this 'underperformer' title.

In another stream I proposed the creation of Black stars for those of us who post questions indicating a certian 'slowness' in the learning...

I have been 'learning' VFP from 3.0 (1996) and it really didn't begin to work until (2002) when I was sat down by a couple of clever VFP smart guys and told what to do.....

It really is a paradigm shift in programming for us ex Fortan, Basic and XBase guys... and I am beginning to wonder if there is a VFP gene which is probably X-linked and definitely recessive... I tried turning on the Gene with red wine and (late at night) with Scotch... Nope doesn't work.

Plod plod plod (n->infinity) is the only way.

FoxEgg

Afterthought:

I think I would be the PERFECT person to write another book on VFP....

The book would assume the same level of knowledge and learning curve as I... and teach by cut and paste and trial and error.

BTW I also bought VFP for Dummies.... don't waste your time and money... I was a dummy for parting money for this.book

 

[FoxEgg]

Oh and as far as Latin is concerned... I did 6 years in HS and my wife just did her Masters graduating with high distinction in Latin...

I reckon xBaseDude you might have hit on something.... VFP was probably the real cause of the downfall of the Roman Empire.....

post hoc, ergo propter hoc

et tu VFP

certum est quia impossible est

thisform.visible.difficutorum
griddus.impossibilis
OLEcontol.suicidicus

 

[gentforreal]

Bottom line? Meet someone that knows and become good friends. You learn more by example than any book written or could be written.

 

[FoxEgg]

Thanks gentforreal

for someone who makes this his first post and has been a member of Tek-Tips for 7 days you are spot on !!!!

CORRECTED CODE
do while learn_attempt <400 .and. understanding < understood
Try
Stuff up
Try
Stuff up again
learn_attempt= learn_attempt+1
speak to someone who knows what is going on
use Tek-TipsForum
enddo


I am thinking of adding

while learning VFP
if rand() =< 0.5
drink glass of red wine
else
drink glass of white wine
endif

It all helps


But I know Mike prefers Beer .and. this code doesn't solve any problem....It masks problems only ..but it does all help BUT!!!

(the EtOh ust masks the fact that you have to try and fail over and over,,, until the &quot;Aha!! phenomonen&quot; comes in.

It all helps

I agee with gentforreal for this language you NEED a friend.

Cheers to all!!!

FoxEgg

 

[Mike Gagnon]

FoxEgg
But I know Mike prefers Beer .and. this code doesn't solve any problem....It masks problems only ..but it does all help BUT!!!

Here is the revised code:

do while learning VFP
DO CASE
CASE BETWEEN(rand(),0.5,1.0)
drink glass of red wine
CASE BETWEEN(rand(),1.1,2.0)
drink glass of white wine
CASE BETWEEN(rand(),2.1,100)
Drink a glass of beer
ENDCASE

You will notice that there are better chance that I drink a glass of beer then anything else according to the laws of statistics.

But we digress...
Mike Gagnon

If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ184-2483 first

 

[FoxEgg]

What an elegant (albeit flawed) solution ...

I had never appreciated that the true meaning of DO CASE related to doing a case of BEER ... so elegant !

But, Mike, the bad news is I think that RAND() only returns a value between 0 and 1 so per your formula white wine and beer are never gonna get done... leaving VFP to us sophisticated Red Wine Drinking VFP connoisseurs ....like me (agggghh!!! the Tek-Tips is in trouble if that is the CASE

Ha!

Digression ... true... but still a lesson in RAND()

John

 

[Mike Gagnon]

FoxEgg

Now you had to go a wreck a great example by putting accuracy into it:

SET STEP ON 
Create Table Random (cValue N(3))
For nItem = 1 To 10  && Append 10 records,
	Append Blank
	Replace cValue With 1 + 100 * Rand( )  && Insert random values
Endfor

gnMaximum = 1
gnMinimum = 100
Scan
	gnMinimum = Min(gnMinimum, cValue)
	gnMaximum = Max(gnMaximum, cValue)
Endscan
gnLower = 1
gnUpper = 100
Local nBeerValue
Store  Int((gnUpper - gnLower + 1) * Rand( ) + gnLower) To nBeerValue
Do Case
Case Between(nBeerValue,0.5,1.0)
*drink glass of red wine
	Wait Window "Red wine"
Case Between(nBeerValue,1.1,2.0)
*drink glass of white wine
	Wait Window "White wine"
Case Between(nBeerValue,2.1,100)
	Wait Window "Beer!!"
Endcase

There that way I'm assured of a beer!!



Mike Gagnon

If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ184-2483 first

 

[monikai]

Hi !
Mike, at beginning code you write:
If cLogin=&quot;mgagnon&quot;
Wait Window &quot;Beer!!&quot;
Return
EndIf

And about VFP: several years I used VB and another tools (include VFP and Access). But my work was like HELP Desk. I resolved problems of diffrent users in my office. And when my colleague leave no-ended application in VFP 3 - i was obliged to do something with it. And when I changed my work - i worked with big application VFP 3 and i modified this, and did new little in VFP 6. I learnt VFP and now it's my favorite system. May be the reason is big application, which I modified? there are a lot of great idea. Kind regards from Warsaw !!!!!
Monika (monikai@yahoo.com)