|
Home > Archive > dBASE Programming > May 2005 > Some advice please!
You are viewing an archived Text-only version of the thread.
To view this thread in it's original format and/or if you want to reply to
this thread please [click here]
| Author |
Some advice please!
|
|
|
| Hi!
I have a couple of questions about using dbase....
1. I have a client who wishes to have data transferred from an Access 2002
database to an application that they have been using for years in their main
office. The application is based upon an older version of Foxpro (dos
version) that they use daily. How might I be able to tell what version of
Foxpro it was created with, and how might I be able to tell what version of
database it is based upon? The database tables are (I think) an older
version of dbase. (the database files are .dbf, .cdx, .fpt, .dbx, .idx)
2. I was reading that the current version of DBASE ships with an older
version(s) (dos based) of the DBASE software. Will I be able to use the
older dbase version(s) to transfer these records, or can I use either MS VB
or MS VC++ with some available drivers on the CD?
Thanks in advance!
Greg
| |
| Roland Wingerter 2005-05-19, 2:47 am |
| Greg wrote:
>
> 1. I have a client who wishes to have data transferred from an Access
> 2002 database to an application that they have been using for years
> in their main office. The application is based upon an older version
> of Foxpro (dos version) that they use daily. How might I be able to
> tell what version of Foxpro it was created with, and how might I be
> able to tell what version of database it is based upon? The database
> tables are (I think) an older version of dbase. (the database files
> are .dbf, .cdx, .fpt, .dbx, .idx)
-------
To identify the dbf table format check out this site:
http://www.clicketyclick.dk/databases/xbase/format/
> 2. I was reading that the current version of DBASE ships with an older
> version(s) (dos based) of the DBASE software. Will I be able to use
> the older dbase version(s) to transfer these records, or can I use
> either MS VB or MS VC++ with some available drivers on the CD?
-------
I think if you can read the files with dBASE DOS 5.0, dBASE PLUS will read
them too. The BDE has two different FoxPro drivers:
- Microsoft dBASE VFP driver
- Microsoft Visual FoxPro driver
The download of the current version does not include a DOS version, but you
can contact customer service to find out if they ship a CD.
Roland
| |
| David Kerber 2005-05-19, 7:47 am |
| In article <KWEJGHDXFHA.320@news-server>, gergNOSPAM@bewellnet.com
says...
> Hi!
> I have a couple of questions about using dbase....
>
> 1. I have a client who wishes to have data transferred from an Access 2002
> database to an application that they have been using for years in their main
> office. The application is based upon an older version of Foxpro (dos
> version) that they use daily. How might I be able to tell what version of
> Foxpro it was created with, and how might I be able to tell what version of
> database it is based upon? The database tables are (I think) an older
> version of dbase. (the database files are .dbf, .cdx, .fpt, .dbx, .idx)
The .dbf's are of the standard format (same as dBase uses), but the rest
of those files are foxpro-specific.
>
> 2. I was reading that the current version of DBASE ships with an older
> version(s) (dos based) of the DBASE software. Will I be able to use the
> older dbase version(s) to transfer these records, or can I use either MS VB
> or MS VC++ with some available drivers on the CD?
Access can export data in .dbf formats, probably even in multiple
different versions (III+, IV and 5). Getting it into the foxpro app may
still be a problem, though.
--
Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in the
newsgroups if possible).
| |
| Roland Wingerter 2005-05-19, 7:47 am |
| David Kerber wrote:
>
> Access can export data in .dbf formats, probably even in multiple
> different versions (III+, IV and 5). Getting it into the foxpro app
> may still be a problem, though.
-----
You can also open Access tables from dBASE, once you have set up an ODBC
connection to Access 2k.
Roland
| |
| Marilyn Price 2005-05-19, 7:47 am |
| In article <KWEJGHDXFHA.320@news-server>, gergNOSPAM@bewellnet.com
says...
>
> 1. I have a client who wishes to have data transferred from an Access 2002
> database to an application that they have been using for years in their main
> office. The application is based upon an older version of Foxpro (dos
> version) that they use daily. How might I be able to tell what version of
> Foxpro it was created with, and how might I be able to tell what version of
> database it is based upon? The database tables are (I think) an older
> version of dbase. (the database files are .dbf, .cdx, .fpt, .dbx, .idx)
>
Based on the extensions (and the fact that it's a DOS based program),
it's one of the Foxpro 2.x versions. I think the .cdx multi index was
introduced in Foxpro 2.0.
To tell what version of Foxpro:
If you can get to a dot prompt, running Foxpro directly,
type: ?version(0)
and the exact version number and build will be displayed.
However, if they are running from the runtime and the interactive
interface is not present, then watch very, very closely as the program
itself starts. The runtime version will display on the screen just
before the program itself appears. You may have to quit and start it a
couple of times to get the version number, but it's there.
Good luck!
Oh, if all you have is compiled code, there's a program available (or at
least, there used to be) that will decompile the .fxp files back to
readable source code...
fyi, .dbf is the extension for data files, .cdx is the extension for a
compound index (multiple index information kept in one file), .fpt is
the extension for the memo contents, .dbx is, I think, the extension
used when the table is modified - a backup copy of a table, and .idx is
the extension for a single index file - something that was used less and
less when .cdx was introduced.
--
Marilyn Price
M. P. Data
| |
| David Kerber 2005-05-19, 7:47 am |
| In article <aaKZfzGXFHA.1768@news-server>, RW@germany.de says...
> David Kerber wrote:
> -----
> You can also open Access tables from dBASE, once you have set up an ODBC
> connection to Access 2k.
Good point; I often forget that!
--
Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in the
newsgroups if possible).
| |
| Ken Mayer [dBVIPS] 2005-05-19, 7:47 am |
| Greg wrote:
> 2. I was reading that the current version of DBASE ships with an older
> version(s) (dos based) of the DBASE software. Will I be able to use the
> older dbase version(s) to transfer these records, or can I use either MS VB
> or MS VC++ with some available drivers on the CD?
I think that is incorrect -- it ships with Visual dBASE 5.7, which is
the 16-bit version ...
As to transferring the data, you may be able to do so directly. Have you
tried?
Ken
--
/(Opinions expressed are purely my own, not those of dataBased
Intelligence, Inc.)/
*Ken Mayer* [dBVIPS]
/Golden Stag Productions/
dBASE at goldenstag dot net
http://www.goldenstag.net/GSP
http://www.goldenstag.net/dbase
| |
| David Kerber 2005-05-19, 7:47 am |
| In article <tyKI6#GXFHA.1768@news-server>, dbase@_nospam_goldenstag.net
says...
> Greg wrote:
>
> I think that is incorrect -- it ships with Visual dBASE 5.7, which is
> the 16-bit version ...
At one point, I'm sure it shipped with dBase 5 also on the CD, so you
had DOS, Win16, and Win32 versions.
>
> As to transferring the data, you may be able to do so directly. Have you
> tried?
>
> Ken
>
>
--
Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in the
newsgroups if possible).
| |
| Ken Mayer [dBVIPS] 2005-05-19, 5:50 pm |
| David Kerber wrote:
> In article <tyKI6#GXFHA.1768@news-server>, dbase@_nospam_goldenstag.net
> says...
>
>
>
> At one point, I'm sure it shipped with dBase 5 also on the CD, so you
> had DOS, Win16, and Win32 versions.
I have the CDs going back to when dBASE, Inc sold the product.
Visual dBASE 7.5 -- no other version of dBASE
dB2K 0.1 -- no other version of dBASE
dB2K 0.2 -- included Visual dBASE 5.7
dB2K 0.3 -- included Visual dBASE 5.7 and dBASE/DOS 5.0
dB2K 0.4 -- included Visual dBASE 5.7 and dBASE/DOS 5.0
dBASE SE -- included Visual dBASE 5.7 and dBASE/DOS 5.0
dBASE Plus, 2.0 -- included Visual dBASE 5.7 and dBASE/DOS 5.0
dBASE Plus, 2.01 -- included Visual dBASE 5.7 and dBASE/DOS 5.0
dBASE Plus, 2.21 -- included Visual dBASE 5.7 and dBASE/DOS 5.0
(Color me surprised -- I had no idea dBASE/DOS 5.0 was on there -- my
testing was on the main install, never on the contents of the CD)
Ken
--
/(Opinions expressed are purely my own, not those of dataBased
Intelligence, Inc.)/
*Ken Mayer* [dBVIPS]
/Golden Stag Productions/
dBASE at goldenstag dot net
http://www.goldenstag.net/GSP
http://www.goldenstag.net/dbase
| |
|
| Hi Roland!
Thank you very much for the link and the advice! I will look into this
further.
"Roland Wingerter" <RW@germany.de> wrote in message
news:dI9B9NEXFHA.1760@news-server...
> Greg wrote:
| |
|
| Hi Marilyn!
Thanks for the tip! I know how to make the program crash, and produce a
command window, in which I entered your command. The version number was
displayed as:
FoxPro 2.6 (X)
Do you have any idea what the X stands for?
Or should I go with 2.6?
Also, What version of XBASE does foxpro 2.6 use?
TIA!
Greg
"Marilyn Price" <mprice@tri_con.net> wrote in message
news:MPG.1cf64e21557bf72d9896a9@news.dbase.com...
> In article <KWEJGHDXFHA.320@news-server>, gergNOSPAM@bewellnet.com
> says...
>
> To tell what version of Foxpro:
>
> If you can get to a dot prompt, running Foxpro directly,
> type: ?version(0)
> and the exact version number and build will be displayed.
>
| |
|
| Hi Ken!
Yes, I have tried using MS Visual Basic 6 and ADO, RDO and DAO.
I can read data from the .dbf files just fine, and populate an Access db
with it.
However, when I insert new records into the tables, I can verify the new
records are in the tables using Excel, but the FoxPro program cannot find
them.
So then I got real sneaky and used a utility included in the foxpro program
called:
"Reindex / pack Files". This also didn't work. I could still see the records
by opening the tables using Excel, but not with the FoxPro program. This is
where I am right now.
Which makes me believe that the index(es) are not being updated properly?
TIA!
Greg
"Ken Mayer [dBVIPS]" <dbase@_nospam_goldenstag.net> wrote in message
news:tyKI6%23GXFHA.1768@news-server...
> Ken wrote:
>
> As to transferring the data, you may be able to do so directly. Have you
> tried?
>
| |
|
| Hi David!
That would be great!
Also, would anyone from this group be able to write a stand-alone utility in
the latest version of dBASE that could run in Win XP Pro? I would need a
cost and time estimate.
I'm thinking that it might be more efficient to get someone involved that
has dBASE programming skills already, instead of me trying to re-invent the
wheel so-to-speak!
TIA!
Greg
"David Kerber" <ns_dkerber@ns_wraenviro.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.1cf658f6c01be122989d24@news.dbase.com...
> In article <tyKI6#GXFHA.1768@news-server>, dbase@_nospam_goldenstag.net
> says...
>
> At one point, I'm sure it shipped with dBase 5 also on the CD, so you
> had DOS, Win16, and Win32 versions.
>
>
>
> --
> Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in the
> newsgroups if possible).
| |
| Marilyn Price 2005-05-20, 7:49 am |
| In article <kmWQ#0OXFHA.320@news-server>, gergNOSPAM@bewellnet.com
says...
> Hi Marilyn!
> Thanks for the tip! I know how to make the program crash, and produce a
> command window, in which I entered your command. The version number was
> displayed as:
> FoxPro 2.6 (X)
>
> Do you have any idea what the X stands for?
> Or should I go with 2.6?
Hmmmmm. So does mine. I think that means extended version? It's the
last version of Foxpro for DOS.
>
> Also, What version of XBASE does foxpro 2.6 use?
>
??? That is the name of the program. Not sure what you're asking here.
--
Marilyn Price
M. P. Data
| |
| Marilyn Price 2005-05-20, 7:49 am |
| In article <2EASC6OXFHA.1768@news-server>, gergNOSPAM@bewellnet.com
says...
> Hi Ken!
> Yes, I have tried using MS Visual Basic 6 and ADO, RDO and DAO.
> I can read data from the .dbf files just fine, and populate an Access db
> with it.
> However, when I insert new records into the tables, I can verify the new
> records are in the tables using Excel, but the FoxPro program cannot find
> them.
>
> So then I got real sneaky and used a utility included in the foxpro program
> called:
> "Reindex / pack Files". This also didn't work. I could still see the records
> by opening the tables using Excel, but not with the FoxPro program. This is
> where I am right now.
>
> Which makes me believe that the index(es) are not being updated properly?
>
No, it means that Excel is not updating the .dbf file header correctly.
There's a setting in the header of the file telling Foxpro exactly how
many records are in the table and that's all it reads.
Since you have access to the Foxpro dot prompt, why don't you create a
text file (comma separated file) - Excel can do this fairly well -
containing the data you want to insert. Verify that the fields are in
the same order as the .dbf table. Then, at the Foxpro dot prompt:
use table <==== this is the .dbf table name
append from file delimited <==== file is the text file you create
This will update the header correctly. Then use the program's
reindex/pack files option to verify the indexes are correct.
That should be all you need to do!
--
Marilyn Price
M. P. Data
| |
|
| Hi Marilyn!
I meant to say what version of dBASE does the extended version of FoxPro
use?
TIA!
Greg
"Marilyn Price" <mprice@tri_con.net> wrote in message
news:MPG.1cf79a08eb5ab0ff9896aa@news.dbase.com...
> In article <kmWQ#0OXFHA.320@news-server>, gergNOSPAM@bewellnet.com
> says...
>
> Hmmmmm. So does mine. I think that means extended version? It's the
> last version of Foxpro for DOS.
>
>
> ??? That is the name of the program. Not sure what you're asking here.
>
> --
> Marilyn Price
> M. P. Data
| |
|
| Thank You, Marilyn!
I will give this a try and let you know how it went!
Greg
| |
| David Kerber 2005-05-20, 5:58 pm |
| In article <SNzDVwWXFHA.444@news-server>, gergNOSPAM@bewellnet.com
says...
> Hi Marilyn!
> I meant to say what version of dBASE does the extended version of FoxPro
> use?
It doesn't use dBase at all; it uses the dBase DOS _language_ (that's
what XDML is), but does it with all its own programming and libraries.
It's a clone of dBase, not an application written in dBAse.
--
Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in the
newsgroups if possible).
| |
|
| Hi David!
Thanks for the information!
Taking that thought a step farther......
So if FoxPro uses the dBase_DOS_language, what would be the compatible
version of dBase files to the ones that FoxPro creates with the
dBase_DOS_language?
(just curious, because it would be helpful to know, if I have to write my
own app)
TIA!
Greg
"David Kerber" <ns_dkerber@ns_wraenviro.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.1cf7fcb89db94c27989d26@news.dbase.com...
> In article <SNzDVwWXFHA.444@news-server>, gergNOSPAM@bewellnet.com
> says...
> It doesn't use dBase at all; it uses the dBase DOS _language_ (that's
> what XDML is), but does it with all its own programming and libraries.
>
| |
| Marilyn Price 2005-05-21, 7:50 am |
| In article <2HzjPFYXFHA.432@news-server>, gergNOSPAM@bewellnet.com
says...
> Hi David!
> Thanks for the information!
> Taking that thought a step farther......
> So if FoxPro uses the dBase_DOS_language, what would be the compatible
> version of dBase files to the ones that FoxPro creates with the
> dBase_DOS_language?
> (just curious, because it would be helpful to know, if I have to write my
> own app)
>
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... Well, once upon a time,
Foxbase (the predecessor to Foxpro) was a clone to dBase III+. That was
back in the 1980s. Since then, their paths have diverged.
Foxbase and Foxpro were developed by a company called Fox, while dBase
at the time was owned by Ashton-Tate. Since then, dBase has passed on
to Borland, then dBase Inc, which is now known as dBI. Fox, on the
other hand, was purchased by Microsoft. And the divergence continues.
The last version of dBase that was compatible with any version of Foxpro
would have been dBase III+ and Foxbase+. They have each introduced too
many extensions in different forms to be compatible at this time. And,
with the introduction of Windows versions, they are even more divergent.
I've used both and they're just similar enough to be confusing. Sort of
like trying to carry on a conversation where the participants only know
Italian and Spanish. There are similarities, but there are a lot of
differences also.
Frankly, if you want to make changes to the _existing_ program, you
might do better to ask in one of the Foxpro newsgroups. Of course, the
vast majority of us here would prefer that you switch to dBasePlus <g>,
but we're funny that way. We'll help where we can.
--
Marilyn Price
M. P. Data
| |
|
| Hi Marilyn!
Thanks for the great info! I have written a program in VB.NET to convert the
MS-Access data to an excel .csv file. I will try now to import the data to a
table using your advice.
Is there a way to force the FoxPro app to return a command window to me? I
can make a command window appear in the program by using a program
utility(or option) that makes the app crash, but I want a cleaner way to
enter into a command window. Any suggestions?
TIA!
Greg
| |
| Marilyn Price 2005-05-23, 7:49 am |
| In article <A9WjnJvXFHA.1768@news-server>, gergNOSPAM@bewellnet.com
says...
> Hi Marilyn!
> Thanks for the great info! I have written a program in VB.NET to convert the
> MS-Access data to an excel .csv file. I will try now to import the data to a
> table using your advice.
> Is there a way to force the FoxPro app to return a command window to me? I
> can make a command window appear in the program by using a program
> utility(or option) that makes the app crash, but I want a cleaner way to
> enter into a command window. Any suggestions?
>
Why don't you just start Foxpro without the program? I assume you're
starting your application by clicking on a desktop icon. If so, examine
the properties of the icon and find how it starts. It either starts
with a batch file of some sort or with a command that ends "Foxpro
programname". If the later, then just start a command prompt session,
change to the working folder and type Foxpro. This will start the
program without the application.
--
Marilyn Price
M. P. Data
|
|
|
|
|