VFP small tricks

1. Control text format in Textbox and other input controls

InputMask Property
Specifies how users enter data and how to display data in a control. Available at design time and run time.

Format Property
Specifies the input and output formatting of a control's Value property. Available at design time and run time.


2. Move cursor to the right in a textbox

This.SelStart = LEN(ALLTRIM(This.Value))
This.SelLength = 0


3. Multiple forms - Modal vs Modeless

 Modal forms require user input. A modal form has exclusive focus until it is dismissed. When showing a modal form, the controls outside the modal form will not react until the modal form is closed.
http://fox.wikis.com/wc.dll?Wiki~ModalvsModeless

The property "Desktop" of child form specifies whether a form can appear anywhere on the Windows desktop (if the value is .T.) or is contained in the parent form ( if the value is .F.). The default value is .F.

4. Prevents Visual FoxPro from inserting a key press into the keyboard buffer

Including NODEFAULT in the KeyPress event procedure or function prevents Visual FoxPro from inserting the key press into the Visual FoxPro keyboard buffer. Therefore, you can create a KeyPress procedure so that you can test which key is pressed before the key is sent to the keyboard buffer.
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-US/library/e525z4k3(v=vs.80).aspx


5. Print immediately

Put these two lines at the end of program:

SET PRINTER TO
SET DEVICE TO SCREEN

VFP: Cancel validation on exit button click

Question:

In a Form, I have several textboxes that are validated against a table. The only logical way to set up the screen is for one of them to have the focus when you enter the form or after a save and ready for the next input (this textbox determines what all the rest have in them [e.g., the order number]). I also have a standard EXIT button which has Thisform.Release().

When I click the EXIT, the Valid() on the order field fires first and I must validate it before I can exit. My current work-around is to set the form's Key Preview on and check for ESCAPE and release.

How can I know in the Valid for order what event caused the valid to fire (i.e., the exit click) so I can conditionally skip the valid and let the form release?

I know I have seen this somewhere but can't remember.

Thanks,

==========================================

Answer:

There are a number of advantages of using an Exit button with the Cancel property set to .T. and checking for LastKey() = 27 in the Valid events of all of your control classes. One is that with Cancel set to .T. clicking the button is the same as pressing Escape so checking for 27 (Escape) as the LastKey() will tell you if the Exit button has been clicked. Secondly with Cancel set to .T. pressing Escape will click the button and fire its Click event thusly allowing you to give the user an expected functionality for the escape key.

In my control classes the beginning of the Valid event is;

IF LastKey() = 27
   Keyboard "{CTRL+A}"
   RETURN .T.
ENDIF

The keyboard of CTRL+A is to change the value of LastKey() from 27. This is because if the user clicks the exit button and then only uses the mouse, lastkey() will remain 27 until some other key is pressed. Doing the keyboard changes lastkey from 27 so the only way it can be 27 again is by pressing escape or clicking a button that has Cancel set to .T.


http://fox.wikis.com/wc.dll?Wiki~SkipValidOnExit

VFP Form Event Sequence

 -When A Form Getting Loaded:
  1. DataEnvironmet.openTables()
  2. DataEnvironmet.beforeOpenTables()
  3. Form.load()
  4. [cursurs].Init()  - for each cursor in DataEnvironment
  5. DataEnvironment.init()
  6. [controls].init() -  for all controls in a form
  7. Form.init()
  8. Form.show()
  9. Form.activate()
  10. Form.refresh()
  11. [object1].when()  – for the first object in tab order
  12. [object1].gotFocus()  – for the first object in tab order

But In MSDN There Is A Slight Difference:
  1. Form.init()
  2. Form.activate()
  3. [object1].when()  – for the first object in tab order
  4. Form.gotFocus()
  5. [object1].gotFocus()
  6. [object1].message()

-If We Leave An Object And The Next Object Gets The Focus:

Whenever An Object Gets The Focus The Sequence Of The Events Is As Below:
  1. [object(i)].when()
  2. [object(i)].gotFocus()
  3. [object(i)].message()

And Whenever An Object Loses The Focus The Sequence Would Be:
  1. [object(j)].valid()
  2. [object(j)].lostFocus()

-If We Move To The Next Text Box From Currently Focused Text Box And Type Something In The Next Text Box:
  1. Text(i).keyPress()
  2. Text(i).valid
  3. Text(i).lostFocus
  4. Text(i+1).when()
  5. Text(i+1).gotFocus()

-When We Type In A Text Box:
  1. Text(i).keyPress()
  2. Text(i).interactiveChange()

-When We Leave A Form By Calling Realease() Method (Closing The Form):
  1. Form.queryUnload()
  2. Form.destroy()
  3. Form.[command buttons].destroy()
  4. Form.[objects].destroy()
  5. Form.unload()
  6. DataEnvironment.afterCloseTables()
  7. DataEnvironment.destroy()

-When We A Form Loses Focus (Like When Another Form Get The Focused):
  1. Form.lostFocus()
  2. Form.deactivate()

Che - 10/APR/2007
http://fox.wikis.com/wc.dll?Wiki~FormEventSequence

How to give focus to a FoxPro top-level form at start-up

When I tried to  create a form that comes up without the surrounding FoxPro Form/workspace and menu structure, I used these code:
 

In the form properties:
     ThisForm.ShowWindow = 2  && Set the window to As Top-Level Form

In the form Init method:
     _Screen.visible = .F.

The problem is the form lost focus when it runs. Users have to click the icon on the taskbar  to bring the form to the top.

On MSDN LostFocus Event page, there is explanation:

A form loses the focus when the form has no controls, all its controls have their Enabled and Visible properties set to false (.F.), or another form gets the focus.

 

So the second command caused the problem. I tried to solve this issue. I did some search and finally found this article:

http://hexcentral.blogspot.ca/2013/04/how-to-give-focus-to-foxpro-top-level.html

 

===================================================

How to give focus to a FoxPro top-level form at start-up

 By Mike Lewis

This is a question I often see in Visual FoxPro forums. An application needs to show a top-level form (typically a log-in screen) at start-up. But when you launch the form, it
appears behind other windows on the desktop. Even if it is at the front, it's not necessarily the active form. So how do you give the form focus programmatically?


None of the obvious techniques seem to work. These include toggling the form's AlwaysOnTop property, and calling the SetFocus method for one of its controls. However, the following code will always do the trick:

DECLARE INTEGER SetForegroundWindow IN WIN32API INTEGER
SetForegroundWindow(thisform.HWnd)
CLEAR DLLS "SetForegroundWindow"

 

All you have to do is place that code in the form's Init method, and the problem's solved. (The code works in VFP 7.0 and above.)

 

 

 

VFP function that combines individual xls files

VFP function that combines individual xls files

I need to put get data from VFP and put it into multiple sheets in an Excel file. I found this code on Internet. I have not tested it so far.

--------- Original link and post: ---------

https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/a9b81c52-2969-4403-81e2-b5ce891f1a2f/copy-to-excel-and-adding-worksheets?forum=visualfoxprogeneral

I have this function that we use to combine individual xls files:

************************************************************
* Function CombineExcelFiles
************************************************************
* Created...........: Craig Boyd 3/6/2006 23:55:50
*) Description.......:
* Calling Samples...: DIMENSION aXLSFiles(3)
*!*     aXLSFiles(1) = "C:\temp1.xls"
*!*     aXLSFiles(2) = "C:\temp2.xls"
*!*     aXLSFiles(3) = "C:\temp3.xls"
*!*     CombineExcelFiles(@aXLSFiles, "C:\XLSCombined.xls")
* Parameter List....:
* Major change list.:
function CombineExcelFiles (taXLSFiles, tcDestination, tlDeleteOriginal)
external array taXLSFiles
local loExcel as Excel.application, ;
 loWorkBook as Excel.Worksbook, ;
 loWorkSheet , ;
 lnCounter, lcWorkSheetCaption, lcError, ;
 lcValidChars

lcError = ""

try
 lcValidChars = "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789 "
 loExcel = newobject("Excel.Application")
 with loExcel
  .ScreenUpdating = .f.
  .DisplayAlerts = .f.
  .WorkBooks.add()
  lnCounter = 0

** Delete all existing worksheets except 1
  for each loWorkSheet in .WorkBooks(1).WorkSheets
   lnCounter = m.lnCounter + 1
   if m.lnCounter > 1
    loWorkSheet.delete
   endif
  endfor

  for lnCounter = 1 to alen(taXLSFiles,1)
   if file(taXLSFiles[m.lnCounter])
    lcWorkSheetCaption = juststem(taXLSFiles[m.lnCounter])
    loWorkBook = .WorkBooks.open(taXLSFiles[m.lnCounter])
    loWorkBook.WorkSheets(1).copy(null, ;
     .WorkBooks(1).WorkSheets(.WorkBooks(1).WorkSheets.count))
    .WorkBooks(1).ActiveSheet.name = ;
     right(alltrim(chrtran(m.lcWorkSheetCaption, ;
     chrtran(m.lcWorkSheetCaption,m.lcValidChars,"")," ")), 31) &&loWorkBook.Name
    loWorkBook.close(.f.) && Do not save changes
    if m.tlDeleteOriginal
     erase (taXLSFiles[m.lnCounter])
    endif
   endif
  endfor
** Remove the first original sheet from (Sheet1)
  .WorkBooks(1).WorkSheets(1).delete

  .WorkBooks(1).saveas(m.tcDestination)
  .ScreenUpdating = .t.
  .DisplayAlerts = .t.
 endwith

catch to loError
 lcError = Log_Error(m.loError)
finally
 if vartype(m.loExcel) = 'O'
  with loExcel
   .ScreenUpdating = .t.
   .DisplayAlerts = .t.
   .quit()
  endwith
 endif
endtry

return m.lcError
endfunc

---

Naomi Nosonovsky, Sr. Programmer-Analyst

Useful Excel Automation examples

http://www.tek-tips.com/faqs.cfm?fid=4266   Useful Excel Automation examples   Posted: 5 Oct 03 (Edited 8 Oct 03)

Here is an on-going compilation of Excel automation samples. How to copy a .jpg from a general field to an Excel sheet. oExcel =CREATEOBJECT("excel.application") oWorkBook = oExcel.workbooks.add() oSheet = oWorkbook.activesheet USE e:\trans\pics AGAIN IN 0 && The table with the general field that holds the jpg. LOCATE && Go op KEYBOARD "{CTRL+C}{CTRL+W}" && Copy the jpg MODIFY GENERAL pics.pic oSheet.paste() && Paste the clipboard content in the the sheet oExcel.visible = .t. How to create a chart via Excel automation #DEFINE xlColumnClustered 51 LOCAL oExcel as Excel.application LOCAL oWorkbook,oSheet oExcel = CREATEOBJECT("Excel.application") oWorkbook= oExcel.Workbooks.Add() oSheet = oWorkbook.activesheet WITH oSheet .Range("A1").Select .Range("A1").FormulaR1C1 = "1" .Range("A2").Select .Range("A2").FormulaR1C1 = "2" .Range("A3").Select .Range("A3").FormulaR1C1 = "3" .Range("A4").Select .Range("A4").FormulaR1C1 = "4" .Range("A5").Select .Range("A5").FormulaR1C1 = "5" .Range("A6").Select .Range("A6").FormulaR1C1 = "6" .Range("B1").Select .Range("B1").FormulaR1C1 = "10" .Range("B2").Select .Range("B2").FormulaR1C1 = "11" .Range("B3").Select .Range("B3").FormulaR1C1 = "50" .Range("B4").Select .Range("B4").FormulaR1C1 = "60" .Range("B5").Select .Range("B5").FormulaR1C1 = "70" .Range("B6").Select .Range("B6").FormulaR1C1 = "90" .Range("A1:B6").Select ENDWITH WITH oWorkbook .Charts.Add .ActiveChart.ChartType = xlColumnClustered .ActiveChart.SetSourceData(oSheet.Range("A1:B6")) .ActiveChart.HasTitle = .f. ENDWITH oExcel.Visible =.t. How to delete a sheet from a workbook Local oSheet,oWorkBook,oExcel oExcel = CREATEOBJECT("Excel.application") oWorkBook = oExcel.Workbooks.Add() oSheet = oWorkBook.activeSheet oSheet.Delete() oExcel.Visible = .t. How to add a sheet to a workbook Local oSheet,oWorkBook,oExcel oExcel = CREATEOBJECT("Excel.application") oWorkBook = oExcel.Workbooks.Add() oWorkbook.Sheets.Add oExcel.Visible = .t. How to move a sheet within a Workbook. oExcel = CREATEOBJECT("excel.application") oWorkbook = oExcel.Workbooks.Add() oWorkbook.Sheets.Add oSheet = oWorkbook.ActiveSheet oSheet.Move(,oWorkbook.Sheets(4)) && Move after sheet3 oSheet.Move(oWorkbook.Sheets(4),) && Move before sheet3 oExcel.Visible =.t. Mike Gagnon

A useful search tool, Filer, in Virtual FoxPro

This is a good search tool in VFP.

Filer

Years ago, Filer was what most FoxPro developers used to search and find files. After VFP 3.0, this disappeared and many developers screamed. Well, the Fox Team has listened and decided to bring back a little nostalgia. Enter the following in the Command window to see an example of how it runs:

DO FORM (HOME(1) + 'Tools\Filer\Filer.scx')

Search through the VFP Help file and read up on the new Filer, because this one is object-oriented and you can interact with it and implement it in your own applications. I guess you could call this FilerX!


The original article is here:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms947597.aspx