Cetus Links: 9783 Links on Objects and Components / Visual Foxpro

Object-Oriented Language: Visual Foxpro

Intro

Visual Foxpro is a dynamic object oriented language that supports multiple class libraries, a class browser, programmable (run-time) subclassing, and data dictionary capabilities. Microsoft Corporation released Visual Foxpro in September 1995, shortly after the introduction of Windows 95. Similar to Visual Basic, Visual Foxpro (VFP) is a RAD tool that uses ActiveX visual components, and interoperates through OLE automation or by creating COM servers. VFP can also subclass ActiveX components and COM automation objects.
Like Smalltalk, Visual Foxpro operates on dynamic inheritance. It instantiates classes from a library or from base classes. It can also modify and save classes - including contained objects into the class library at run time. VFP Wizards provide UML re-engineering and code generation with Rational Rose and Microsoft Visual Modeler.
There are two major versions of Visual Foxpro: VFP 5.0, first released in September 1996, runs exclusively on 32-bit Windows operating systems. VFP 3.0 released in 1995, runs on 32-bit and 16-bit versions (WfW, 3.1, 3.1.1) as well as the Macintosh, but does not provide complete ANS SQL or COM server building capabilities.

Visual Foxpro is one of several OO 4GLs, languages that combine OOP and inheritance with native SQL and other relational database capabilities. These languages tend to treat simple variables, object properties, and table fields similarly, allowing operations that include all three. In addition to VFP, three languages: Visual dBase, Alpha 5 Pro, and Visual Objects were also "xBase" languages, meaning they evolved from dBase II/III. Visual dBase 7, from Borland International, now an object oriented language is the direct descendant of dBase. Visual dBase provides some interesting Java-like OO extensions such as string classes and methods. Alpha 5 Pro from Alpha Software is based on a xBase variant called "xbasic." Visual Objects, which evolved from Clipper, was the first xBase language to include object extensions. However, Centura, originally SQL Windows, was the first 4GL on Windows and now has OO extensions.
Finally, PL/SQL from Oracle Corporation for Oracle 7 and Oracle 8 is also an OO 4GL. It is not based on xBase, and is a server language rather than a Windows client, but does provide both native SQL as well as classes and objects. VFP and other Windows clients interoperate with PL/SQL through ODBC and OLE Objects for Oracle (OO4O). (See Other OO 4GL Compiler / Interpreters).

Go to

Start here, Examples, Demos, Fun
Central Sites, Related Sites, Link Collections
Tutorials, FAQs, Support, References, Standards
General Newsgroups, Company Newsgroups, Mailing Lists
General Articles, Special Articles, Interoperability
Bibliographies, Books, Magazines, Other Publications
Organizations, People, Conferences / Workshops
Development Environments, OO 4GL Compiler / Interpreters, Utilities / Tools
Databases
Libraries, Components, Other Software
FTP Archives, Other Resources

See also Cetus Links pages

Start here

Microsoft Visual FoxPro: Product Information (Microsoft)

Examples

Assortment of Examples for VFP 5.0, VFP 3.0 (GE Capital Consulting)
Builders (David Frankenbach)
Create and Use Visual C++ DLL from Visual Foxpro: Spyin (David Frankenbach)
Demo Scripts (Microsoft)

Internet Search Page Wizard paper (VFP3.0, Microsoft)
OLE Automation: Excel, IE4, Word, Registry, MAPI, Powerpoint, etc. (John Harvey)
ResetDef: PEM Status Example that resets property values to default. (David Frankenbach )
Solution Samples (Microsoft)
Visual FoxPro (David Frankenbach)
Visual Studio Owners Area (Microsoft, requires VFP product registration, login)

Cool Bars (Lisa Slater Nicholls)
FoxISAPI (Microsoft)
GENMENU (Microsoft)
Intellidrop Class Manager (John Peterson)
Reports on the Fly (Markus Egger)

Demos

Visual FoxPro 5.0 Demo (Microsoft)

Fun

Electric FoxPro

Da Fox Duz Java

Central Sites

Microsoft Visual FoxPro

Microsoft Visual Studio 97 Owners' Area

Related Sites

List of Local Fox User Groups

Link Collections

Colin's FoxPro Page (Colin Keeler)

WWW Links

Visual FoxPro: Online Resource Guide (Microsoft)

Tutorials

Various Topics: "Technical Information"

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions (Scot Becker)
Frequently Asked Questions (William J. O'Connor)
Myths About VFP (Richard Katz and Ed., Hexadec)
Product Information FAQ (Microsoft)
Q&A (David Frankenbach)
Tips

Developers' Tips, Tricks, and Sourcecode (FDN)
Foxpro Coding Tips & Tricks Link Collection (Hexadec)
Fox 'Unsolved Mysteries' (FDN) Unusual solutions to unusual problems.
Visual FoxPro Tips(Vitus Computer, Scot Becker)
VFP International Issues Reference (Steven Black)
VFP 5.0 Tips (Ken Levy)
Tips/Tricks (Classy Components)
Tips/Tricks (Computer Consulting)
Tips & Tricks (requires VFUG login, free)

News

Support

References

Online update document for the Mastering Visual FoxPro CD ROM

Standards

General Newsgroups

comp.databases.xbase.fox

Company Newsgroups

Mailing Lists

FoxShare Mailing List (Darcy Whyte)

General Articles

Special Articles

Design Patterns

Object Oriented Programming

Object-Oriented Development (Microsoft)
A Simple Introduction to Object Oriented Programming (Tom O'Hare, requires VFUG login) (provides commentary on the above Microsoft Article.)

Relational Objects - Views on a designing method for an OOP - Relational DB (Arnon Gal-Oz, VFUG)

Data Modeling, Client/Server, Database

Web Related

Using Active X Controls

Visual Foxpro and other Windows products

Interoperability

OLE Automation to Microsoft Visual FoxPro (Microsoft)
Visual FoxPro: Visual InterDev Tutorial (Microsoft)
From Visual Studio Owners Area (required VFP registration):

Bibliographies

Books

Sample application

Magazines

Other Publications

Organizations

People

Foxpro Yellow Pages

Conferences / Workshops

Deutsche VFP Konferenz

96 and 97 Conference Notes (Dash Point Software)

DevCon
- About 96
Great Lakes: GLGDW

SoCal VFP Conference

Development Environments

Object Oriented Analysis and Design

xCASE
Rational Rose (Rational Software Corporation)

Rational RoseLink products
Visual Modeler (Microsoft) (requires Visual Studio Enterprise product registration or VB Enterprise)
Introduction to Visual Modeler
Using Visual Modeler with VFP (Computer Consulting)
Rose Modeler Code Generation and Re-engineering Wizards for VFP 5.0 (requires VFP 5.0 Professional product registration)

OO Frameworks

FAQ

Visual MaxFrame (GE Capital Consulting, Drew Speedie)

Visual Promatrix (Promatrix Corporation)

Data Modeling, Database Container

InfoModeler (Visio Corporation)

Stonefield Database Toolkit (Stonefield Systems Group Inc.) (download)

Other OO 4GL Compilers / Interpreters

In addition to Visual Foxpro, these other object oriented 4GLs provide similar capabilities:

Alpha 5 Pro(Alpha Software)

Centura (Centura)

Download Evaluations, Betas, Documentation

Visual dBASE (Inprise (formerly Borland International)

PL/SQL (Oracle Corporation)

ReFox / Visual Foxpro Decompiler (Xitech)

Utilities / Tools

Utility Links

Object and Class Library Utiliies

Programming Utilities

Auto Sizing VCX (Component Class Library, CPT,Inc.) (requires UT login)
Binary Functions (Abri Technologies)
ENFORCER (for Object Naming Conventions) (Optimized Data Solutions)
Fiddling: a Rapid Application Tool (Fox Developer Network)
is_run(): Is a Windows applications running? (requires UT login)
Menu Wrapper Class (Colin Nicholls)
MSGSVC: Generic OO Dialog Box (Steven Black)
Pointers Class for passing pointers to C++ (requires UT login)
ReFox: Decompiler (Xitech)

Netware

Web Client Tools

Web, Reporting, DHTML

Foxfire! (Micromega Systems, Inc).

Foxfire! Visual Toolkit

Query Tools

Data Recovery Utilities

Databases

Release Notes

Libraries

The Download Zone (Cornerstone Software)
FoxPro Shareware CD-ROM
HALLoGram Third party Add-On Tools: FoxPro
Microsoft Visual FoxPro: Free Downloads
Perth FUG Freeware Utilities
Ping, Belguim

ProLib Software GmbH
Public Domain Tools (Steven Black)
RED Home Page (Redware, London)
Universal Thread Files (requires UT login)
VFUG File Archive (requires VFUG login)

Components

Other Software

Application development tools from Recital Corporation

FTP Archives

ftp.microsoft.com /developr/fox

ftp://198.105.232.37/fixes/

Other Resources

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Last revision: May 17, 1998
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