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Behavior Changes since the Previous Version

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This section describes behavioral characteristics of Visual FoxPro that differ from those of the previous version. It is possible that these changes affect existing code.

  • _SCREEN and _VFP coordinate properties (Top, Left, Height, Width) have been changed to better distinguish between the two windows they represent. The _VFP coordinates represent the entire Visual FoxPro application window (including menu and status bars). The _SCREEN coordinates represent the desktop area (for example, the window to which ? output is directed).
  • For performance reasons, the CreateObject( ) function no longer adds a sequential number to the value for a dynamically created Name property. This applies to class definitions in .PRG files that do not have an explicitly set Name property and base classes.
  • Because of new support for IntelliSense and COM server typing (for example, LOCAL cName AS string), the use of a variables list separated by spaces only (for example, LOCAL x y z) is no longer allowed. You must separate variables with commas (for example, LOCAL x, y, z).
  • The Session class now hides intrinsic properties, methods, and events in the generated type library for an OLEPUBLIC subclass. Additionally, when using a private data session with a Session object, the default setting for SET TALK, SET EXCLUSIVE, SET SAFETY is now OFF.
  • The VERSION( ) format has changed. The Build number is now the last set of digits. This also might affect usage of the AGETFILEVERSION() function in your code.
  • Some of the values of HOME([n]) have changed. Some of these changes only apply to an installation of Visual Studio. The location of the Samples and Graphics folders is now under the Visual FoxPro root directory.
  • The new default location to save files has been changed for compliance with Windows 2000 Logo guidelines. You can view (and change) this location from the Options dialog box (File Locations tab).
  • The format for menus (MNX file) has changed to include new Picture support.
  • The format for a database (DBC) file will be altered if DBC Events is enabled. This will render the DBC incompatible with prior versions of Visual FoxPro and the ODBC driver. You can restore backward compatibility by disabling DBC events for the DBC. The Visual FoxPro OLE DB provider does support DBC Events.
  • The Command window contents are now persisted between sessions of Visual FoxPro. The contents are stored in a file named _command.prg.
  • The resource file (for example, FOXUSER) is now opened shared, so you can run multiple instances of Visual FoxPro using the same FOXUSER file. As in prior versions, you can set the resource file from the Options dialog box.
  • The Visual FoxPro run-time libraries (for example, VFP7T.DLL) are no longer installed in the WinSys directory. Additionally, resource files for other languages are now installed with the English product.
  • The Properties window stays open when it is set as Dockable, even if the current form/class designer is closed.
  • Old FoxBASE+ support for FOXGRAPH, FOXVIEW, FOXGEN, FOXCODE, CENTRAL, and ASSIST is no longer supported.
  • The Windows Explorer shell open functionality for known Visual FoxPro file types now launches a new instance of Visual FoxPro. Additionally, Program and Query files support both Open and Run support. The default for Program files is now Open instead of Run as in previous versions.
  • The Class/Form Designer surface grid now displays in actual grid coordinates instead of the behavior of previous versions of Visual FoxPro, which was to display in 2x actual setting.
  • Grid column headers now allow for display of keyboard shortcuts. This is for display only, so developers must write code to handle the shortcut action.
  • Search path for #INCLUDES has been extended for PRGs, SCXs and VCXs.
  • The format of the event-tracking log generated using the SET EVENTTRACKING command now includes a TimeStamp column.
  • The _DBLCLICK system variable no longer controls incremental search duration for controls such as list boxes. Now this is handled by a new system variable called _INCSEEK.
  • A startup application (for example, VFP7Strt.app) no longer ships with Visual FoxPro.
  • The nStartPos parameter for ASCAN() will only produce an error if a value of 0 is passed. Values passed which are larger than the length of the array will return 0.
  • In previous versions, CREATE TABLE ... NAME LongTableName substituted spaces with underscores ("_") for the LongTableName when called programmatically. This would not occur when specified in the Table Designer. In this version, spaces are now preserved, which is now consistent with the behavior of the Table Designer.

Feature Changes since the Previous Version of Visual FoxPro

The following features from the previous version of Visual FoxPro have been removed from the product:

  • The Spell Checker is no longer included with the product.
  • The Setup wizard is no longer included with the product. A Microsoft Installer based deployment tool will be available. For details, see Distributing Applications.
  • The Graph runtime is no longer included, because it was primarily for distribution with the Setup wizard.
  • The Run ActiveDoc menu item is no longer in the product, but the program is still available and can be called from the Do menu.
  • Several of the MSDN menu items have been removed from the Help menu. Online documentation for the product is available in a stand-alone help file as well as in the MSDN Library. Additionally, the Microsoft on the Web submenu has been replaced with a single Visual FoxPro on the Web menu item.
  • The Calendar, Outline, and FoxHWnd controls no longer ship with Visual FoxPro.
  • The Visual FoxPro ODBC Driver no longer ships with Visual FoxPro. This is available from the Visual FoxPro Web site (https://msdn.microsoft.com/vfoxpro/). The Visual FoxPro OLE DB Provider is the preferred solution for clients accessing Visual FoxPro data remotely.

See Also

What's New in Visual FoxPro | Developing Visual FoxPro Applications