Application Management with the Project Manager

With the Project Manager Window, you can create and manage everything in an application from a central interface. For example, you can create or update tables and databases, design or change forms and reports, define or change class libraries, and compile or rebuild your applications. In addition, you can access all the wizards, builders, toolbars, and other tools that make Visual FoxPro so easy to use. If you add a source code control product, you can also see if the components are checked out, locked, or shared.

Organize Your Application Components   The Project Manager helps you organize your data, whether you are running a query or designing a complete application. With a few clicks of the mouse, you can keep track of your tables and queries, and organize related forms, reports, labels, code, bitmaps, and other files.

To see the Project Manager in action with a sample database, start Visual FoxPro, create a project, and add a database to it. To do this, select Databases, choose Add, and locate Testdata.dbc in the Visual FoxPro \Samples\Data directory.

Use a Familiar Interface   The Project Manager interface is similar to the Microsoft Windows Explorer interface. Lines connecting the icons show the hierarchy between items in the project. You can expand and collapse the outline view of your project to see the level of detail you need — from databases down to individual fields in a table. You can also assign custom icons to container classes, and access source code control features. Using the keyboard, you can navigate through the Project Manager.

Modify or Browse Tables   You can set the Project Manager so that double-clicking a file displays the table in the Table Designer, where you can modify the table's structure, or in a Browse window. Choose Options from the Tools menu, and then set the Project double-click action option in the Projects tab.

Set File Descriptions   You can track your files more easily by setting the file descriptions that appear in the Project Manager. Select the file, click the right mouse button, and then choose Edit Description.

Dock or Use Tear-Off Tabs   To make more space available on your screen, you can collapse the Project Manager, dock it like a toolbar, and tear off the tabs you need to work with.

The Project Manager allows you to customize your workspace.

Work as a Team   To control changes to application objects, your team can use a source code control product, such as Microsoft Visual Source Safe. Source code control is managed through the Project Manager. After you enable the source control application in the Options dialog box, you can add your files to the source control project using the source code options on the Project menu. As you add and modify files, the Project Manager tabs display icons next to the files to indicate each file's status.

Try organizing your own tables, databases, queries, and reports in the Project Manager, or use the Project Manager to track the components of an application.

See Also

Overview of Visual FoxPro Features | Application Customization with Designers | Interface Creation without Programming | Rapid Application Creation | Project Manager Window