Upgrade from version 5 to 9

[nallen]

I have a VFP 5 app. Should I upgrade the application in any "steps" (say version 5 to 7 first and then 9) or is advisable to just install version 9 and upgrade right to it. Is there any documentation on this?

Also, new to Version 9, will I just open my version 5 app in version 9 and basically begin debugging???

Does VFP5 qualify for the upgrade version of VFP9 or do I have to purchase the full version?

Thanks,
Nicole

 

[baltman]

No reason not to go straight to VFP9. There are a few changes to allowable syntax, but it shouldn't take too long to debug.

Upgrade is eligible from Visual FoxPro 6.0, 7.0, or 8.0 or Enterprise Editions of Microsoft Visual Studio 97 or Visual Studio 6.0, but I'm not sure if the installer checks... I believe I installed my upgrade onto a new PC OK.

Brian

 

[Mike Lewis]

Nicole,

I agree with Brian. Go straight to 9.0. You'll have a huge number of new features to learn, but I can't see any benefit in not doing it one jump.

Mike


__________________________________
Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

My Visual FoxPro site: www.ml-consult.co.uk

 

[Imaginecorp]

Ditto....

Watch out for dates. By default VFP9 uses Strict Date Level - 1-Constants. This can be reset to 2 otherwise Your CTOD()'s "May" return Unpredictable results.

Reports by default run in 90 Object assisted, but again this can be reset back to 80 Backward campatble.

All this can be done in Tools->options and your start up program.

Group By clauses now will have to contain ALL fields that are in the Select statement... Though i think this can also be reset.. but cannot remember...

Thats all you have to do to run your VFP5 app in VFP9

 

[GriffMG]

From a practical perspective, I have just upgraded an app from 5 to 9.

I was lucky, it was very old and I only have one client with the app left - and they wanted a major upgrade.

It was easy enough, all the workstations need the new run-times but there were only a few of them and they were all in the same building. I did a site visit, and installed a virtually unmodified version of the app with the run-times for VFP 9.

Back at the factory (here) there were a few problems.
A few 'dependancies' popped up that weren't there in the VFP 5 version - old files long since deleted and lost foreever seemed to be needed in the project. Some of the reports didn't like being modified and I had to regenerate them.

The only 'real' problem was with forms where a cursor was generated for a drop down, or combo. In VFP5 I seemed to have had to drop the cursor on releasing the form - to avoid it being still open if the form was reinitiated. In VFP 9 this seemed to be done automatically - and when I tried to drop it - I got an error, because it was gone already.

Two hundred forms, fifty or so reports and about 100K lines of code were sorted in a day. The app is now 100% VFP 9, has been for some 10 weeks and everyone is happy except me.

I would have rather the app died, now I have ANOTHER five or ten years before I can retire!

B-)

Good luck

Regards

Griff
Keep [Smile]ing

 

[dbMark]

I think VFP 6.0 sp5 is considered the minimum solid installation, as versions 3, 4 and 5 were considered works in progress. But even 6.0 gave me weird unpredictable but unavoidable web errors now and again. VFP 9.0 SP1 is superb. It is solid and has innumerable additional commands, functions and enhancements. Version 9.0 is the one to get if only for the expanded report features.

The only sad aspect is that the world including Windows is gradually going from 32 to 64-bit, but MS is holding VFP at 32-bit so it will have to run in compatibility mode in 64-bit Vista. Not a big issue now with the current huge installed base of 32-bit computers, but I suspect it will bite us VFP developers in the backside in 3 to 5 years when 32-bit computers are considered dinosaur relics. Imagine trying to sell new applications in 2012 in presentations where we say that they must run in 32-bit compatibility mode. Sigh.

 

[TamarGranor]

Just a point of interest. There was no VFP 4. They skipped that number to bring VFP into synch with VB.

Tamar