Microsoft

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Microsoft Visual FoxPro 8.0
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Agenda

• Visual FoxPro 8.0 Highlights
• Europa Overview
• Visual FoxPro Resources

3
Visual FoxPro 8.0
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Visual FoxPro 8.0 Overview

• Based on customer feedback
• New runtime features for end users
• Enhanced SQL Server connectivity
• Increased .NET interoperability
• Improved documentation
• Maintained backward compatibility

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Visual FoxPro 8.0 Themes

• Improve Developer Productivity
• Provide a Better Smart Client
• Increase Discoverability
• Improve XML Support
• Improve SQL Server Integration
• Improve .NET Interoperability

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Productivity (1/2)

• Toolbox
• Empty class
• AddProperty() and RemoveProperty()
• Collection class
• Structured Error Handling
• TRYCATCHFINALLY
• Event Binding
• BINDEVENT() and RAISEEVENT()
• DataEnvironment subclassing

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Productivity (2/2)

• New Auto-increment for tables
• Enhanced View Designer
• Child member subclassing
• VCX support for more classes
• Code References tool
• XML Web services enhancements

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Smart Client Forms (1/2)

• Windows XP theme support
• Tab orientation on page frames
• Grid enhancements
• Auto-resize columns
• Column locking
• Highlighting grid rows
• Form BindControls property
• GDI image support (GIF, TIFF, JPEG)

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Smart Client Reports (2/2)

• Page X of Y
• Allow user to suppress printing dialog
• Chain multiple reports as one print job
• Print Page Header and Footer when Summary Band is
  on it's own page
• Stretchable page Footer and Summary
• Use DBC Field Caption Properties when dropping
  fields into a Report
• Option for printer environment saving

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Discoverability Task Pane

• Start Pane - News items for VFP
• Community
• Environment Manager
• Solution Samples
• XML Web Services
• Filer
• Minesweeper
• More free panes at http//taskpane.com
• Whitepaper on VFP MSDN Web site

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XML Support - XMLAdapter

• Beyond XMLToCursor/CursorToXML
• Hierarchical XML support
• Multiple VFP data cursors to XML
• XML to multiple VFP data cursors
• XML diff grams
• VFP data cursors, tables, DBC
• ADO.NET compatible
• XMLTable and XMLField classes
• Full control of XSD schema used

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SQL Server Integration - CursorAdapter

• Similar to DataAdapter in ADO.NET
• ADO/OLEDB
• ODBC
• Native VFP cursors
• XML and XML Web services
• Programmable events
• Stored procedures control

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CursorAdapter Class
Data Source
DBF
VFP Cursors
Remote Views SQL PassThrough
Native
SQL
VFP Client
ODBC
DBF
CursorAdapter Auto-Update Object
Methods/Events Custom Commands Stored Procedures
VFP Cursors
Native
SQL
ADO/OLEDB
XML
HTTP
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VFP .NET Interop (1/3)

• Greatly enhanced XML support
• XML Web services
• ADO.NET compatibility with XMLAdapter
• VFP OLE DB Provider
• ASP.NET Web forms
• .NET Windows forms
• Visual FoxPro Toolkit for .NET
• VFP and .NET teams working together

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VFP .NET Scenarios (2/3)

• WinForms, WebForms, and Mobile forms calling VFP
  COM objects via ASP.NET XML Web services
• WinForms and WebForms with VFP data using the VFP
  OLE DB provider
• VFP calling ASP.NET XML Web services
• VFP 8.0 with VS .NET 2003 make great tools
  together for many applications

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VFP .NET - XML Web Services (3/3)

• OLEDB
• ASP.NET
• WinForm
• Phone
• Pocket PC
• Tablet PC

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VFP 8.0 Service Pack 1

• Updated patch files for VFP 8.0
• No new features in service pack
• Not included with VFP 8.0, online only
• http//msdn.microsoft.com/vfoxpro
• No additional SPs planned for VFP 8.0
• Includes new VFP OLE DB Provider
• Provider can be downloaded stand-alone

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Europa Overview

• Code name of next version of VFP
• To be released second half of 2004
• Mostly based on feedback
• More information on VFP Web site
• http//msdn.microsoft.com/vfoxpro
• Refer to Letter from Editor section

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Visual FoxPro Resources

• http//msdn.microsoft.com/vfoxpro
• New information and content for VFP 8.0
• Related communities for Visual FoxPro
• http//gotdotnet.com/team/vfp
• VFP Toolkit for .NET
• VFP 8.0 case study template download
• Sr VP Eric Rudder on VFP 8.0 video
• http//code-magazine.com/focus/vfp
• Special edition for Visual FoxPro 8.0
• http//foxcentral.net FoxCentral.net