Local and Remote Data

1
Local and Remote Data

• Milind Lele

2
Data Access

• VFP has always had a strong data access story
• Native, local format
• Very fast and lightweight
• But limited in some ways
• Allows access to remote non-VFP databases, for
• Very large data
• Secure and highly reliable storage
• Multiuser environments

3
Remote Data Access

• Data access can be thru SQL Pass Through (SPT)
  queries, or views
• Got better with VFP 9
• Newer data types (VarChar, VarBinary, )
• Transaction support
• CursorAdapter and XML Adapter enhancements

4
CursorAdapters

• Provide a uniform way of accessing data of
  various types (incl non-tabular)
• Can add them to containers
• Data environments, forms, etc.
• The data source is only a pipe to the translation
  layer

5
Using local and remote data

• DataEnvironment defines the source for the data
  (tables, views or relationships)
• Can be local or remote
• Can be saved with a form/report
• Form ControlSource can be bound to fields in the
  view

6
Other tools

• Data Explorer
• Browse, query and optionally manipulate the data
  source
• Upsizing Wizard
• Upsize data from VFP data source type to a SQL
  Server database

7
VFP Report System

• Richard Stanton

8
Overall

• Designed to be backward compatible
• Old report system still included
• Improvements in all areasDesigning, Running and
  Outputting reports

9
Design Time Experience

• Improved interface with easier to use dialogs
• Load DataEnvironments
• Absolute Positioning
• Protection to lock down designer in runtime
• Font character sets support added for
  internationalization

10
Multiple Detail Bands

• Additional detail bands can be added to support
  multiple 1-many relations
• Detail bands can be used to calculate percent of
  total and other pre-calculated values

11
New Output

• New Preview, now matches printed output
• Output to images, XML and HTML
• ReportListener class can be used to modify
  reports during runtime.

12
Extensibility

• Designer dialogs can be customized and new
  features can be added
• New output formats can be added
• Preview can be replaced, or content displayed
  directly on a form. New features can be added to
  preview

13
Tablet PC and VFP

• Y. Alan Griver

14
The good news

• Many things just work!
• Buttons, Checkboxes, Option Buttons, etc.
• Clicking, selecting, dragging

15
If you want ink

• Install the Tablet PC SDK - http//www.microsoft.c
  om/windowsxp/tabletpc/evaluation/developers/defaul
  t.mspx
• Two controls
• Microsoft InkEdit
• Microsoft InkPicture

16
Microsoft InkEdit Control

• Accepts ink
• Calls up the Tablet Input Panel on request (TIP)
• Key PEMs
• InkInsertMode Is ink converted to text
  (default) or left as Ink
• InkMode Is ink accepted? Are gestures accepted?
• Recognize() manually calls ink recognition

17
Microsoft InkPicture Control

• Allows free form ink drawing
• Key PEMs
• EditingMode Is the control in ink mode, erase
  mode or selection mode?
• EraserMode Should erasing happen by stroke or
  by point?
• Painting() Occurs when the picture is being
  redrawn

18
Demo

• A simple Ink enabled form

19
Where to get more information

• Creating Tablet PC Applications with Microsoft
  Visual FoxPro - http//msdn.microsoft.com/vfoxpro/
  default.aspx?pull/library/en-us/dnfoxgen8/html/Cr
  eatingTabletPCAppsinVFP.asp
• Video of VFP Application Using Ink -
  http//youtube.com/watch?v0KKgP5YPNPE