====================================================================== Microsoft(R) Product Support Services Application Note (Text File) FW0721: INTERFACE FEATURES QUESTIONS & ANSWERS ====================================================================== Revision Date: 2/93 No Disk Included The following information applies to Microsoft FoxPro(R) for Windows(TM), version 2.5. -------------------------------------------------------------------- | INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS DOCUMENT AND ANY SOFTWARE THAT MAY | | ACCOMPANY THIS DOCUMENT (collectively referred to as an | | Application Note) IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY | | KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO | | THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND/OR FITNESS FOR A | | PARTICULAR PURPOSE. The user assumes the entire risk as to the | | accuracy and the use of this Application Note. This Application | | Note may be copied and distributed subject to the following | | conditions: 1) All text must be copied without modification and | | all pages must be included; 2) If software is included, all files | | on the disk(s) must be copied without modification [the MS-DOS(R) | | utility DISKCOPY is appropriate for this purpose]; 3) All | | components of this Application Note must be distributed together; | | and 4) This Application Note may not be distributed for profit. | | | | Copyright 1993 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved. | | Microsoft, FoxPro, and MS-DOS are registered trademarks and | | Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. | -------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Q. The windows and controls created in FoxPro 2.5 for Windows look different from those in FoxPro for MS-DOS. Why is this? A. The windows and controls in FoxPro 2.5 for Windows look different from those in FoxPro 2.5 for MS-DOS because FoxPro for Windows was designed to conform to the Windows 3.1 interface guidelines for applications. These guidelines allow Windows 3.1 users to use the same methods of moving, selecting, and changing windows across all Windows-based applications. FoxPro windows now include Control-menu boxes and minimize, maximize, and restore buttons. For a complete discussion of window styles and terminology, consult the "Getting Started" manual. 2. Q. What is the purpose of the window Control-menu box? A. The Control-menu box provides a quick method for moving, sizing, selecting, and switching windows. Clicking the Control- menu box opens the menu with its list of tasks. Double-clicking the Control-menu box closes the window. 3. Q. I have noticed that some windows can be resized and others cannot. Why is this? A. FoxPro for Windows contains both sizable and nonsizable windows. Windows that contain a text-editing region are sizable. Examples of sizable windows are the Command window, the Screen Design window, and the Calendar window. These windows contain scroll bars and a sizing box in the bottom- right corner of the window. Examples of nonsizable windows include the View window and the relational-query-by-example (RQBE) window. Nonsizable windows use only the Control-menu box and the Minimize button. 4. Q. The keyboard shortcuts in FoxPro for Windows have changed. Why is this so? Is there a way to restore the FoxPro for MS-DOS style keystrokes? A. FoxPro for Windows uses the Windows-standard keystrokes (such as ENTER) to select a focused choice. FoxPro for Windows supports both an MS-DOS keystroke mode and a Windows keystroke mode. Refer to FoxPro's online help for details on differences in the two keystroke modes. You chose at installation time which mode to use; however, you can change the mode at any time interactively in FoxPro by issuing one of the following commands: set keycomp to dos or set keycomp to windows Each time you load FoxPro, the default KEYCOMP setting is invoked. To change the setting of KEYCOMP permanently, change the CONFIG.FPW file to include the appropriate statement: keycomp=dos or keycomp=windows 5. Q. When I create a database and press the ENTER key to add a new field, I find that the dialog box unexpectedly closes. Why is this? A. The keystroke navigation is different between Windows and MS- DOS. In FoxPro for MS-DOS, the keystroke equivalent of clicking the focus button is CTRL+ENTER, whereas in Windows, it is the ENTER key. Pressing the ENTER key in the Table Structure dialog box tells FoxPro you have chosen the OK button. To restore the MS-DOS keystroke mode in Windows, issue the command "set keycomp to dos". 6. Q. The menu for FoxPro for Windows has changed. Why is this? Is the MS-DOS version of the menu available? A. The menu in FoxPro for Windows has been modified for consistency with the Windows Interface Application Design Specification. The System menu in the FoxPro 2.0 menu bar has been removed, and a number of specific menu items have been moved elsewhere. Take a moment to explore the new menu structure and familiarize yourself with the changes. Note that a brief message describing each menu item is displayed in the status bar at the bottom of the main FoxPro window. If you are more comfortable with the menu bar layout of FoxPro 2.0, we have provided a FoxPro menu program that recreates this layout. This program is called DOS.MPR and is located in the GOODIES subdirectory. Running this menu program replaces the FoxPro for Windows-style menu bar with the FoxPro 2.0-style menu bar layout while retaining the Text menu for multiple font support. To automatically display the FoxPro 2.0 menu bar when FoxPro for Windows is open, place the following command in the CONFIG.FPW file to execute the DOS.MPR program: command = do c:\foxprow\goodies\dos\dos.mpr NOTE: Modify the complete path specification for DOS.MPR based on your specific installation. 7. Q. The Edit menu contains a number of new options, such as Paste Special and Change Link. What are these options, and how are they used? A. These new Edit menu options support object linking and embedding (OLE). The options include: Paste Special, Insert Object, Object, Change Link, and Convert To Static. For a detailed discussion of OLE topics, consult the FoxPro "Developer's Guide". For additional information on the new Edit menu options, consult the FoxPro "User's Guide". 8. Q. The Program menu contains a new option called Beautify. What does it do? A. The Beautify option makes program files easier to read by altering the appearance of the file. Options include altering the case of keywords and variables, and adding additional indentation within procedures and DO CASE statements. Action diagram symbols can also be added to the .PRG file to highlight program organization by bracketing specific control statements such as: IF DO [item] ELSE DO [item] ENDIF 9. Q. The Text menu is a new feature. What does it do? A. The Text menu adds support for multiple fonts and text formatting. The Font option makes all your installed Windows fonts available in FoxPro. NOTE: A font option is also available for Browse windows. The Enlarge and Reduce Font options change all text to the next available point size in the currently selected font. To alter the spacing of the current text file, select Single, 1 1/2, or Double space. The Indent option performs a block indent by automatically moving a selected group of lines to the next tab stop. The Undent option does the opposite by moving a selected group of lines back to the previous tab stop. 10. Q. Occasionally a menu option called "Object" becomes visible. When is it displayed and why? A. The Object menu is available when either the Screen Builder or the Report Writer window is open. As with the Text and Browse menus, the Object menu has access to fonts. Specific options on the Object menu are enabled and disabled based on the currently selected object. For example, a rectangle drawn in the Screen Design window may have an outline or pen color, a background or fill color, and a fill pattern. 11. Q. FoxPro for Windows includes the Windows-style Help dialog box. Is there any way to access the FoxPro 2.0-style help system? A. By default, FoxPro for Windows uses the Windows-style Help system. To access the FoxPro-2.0 style help system, enter the following option in the Command window: set help to foxhelp.dbf Pressing F1 or choosing Help from the menu will bring up the FoxPro 2.0-style help system. To return to the Windows-style Help system, enter the following command in the Command window: set help to foxhelp.hlp To permanently change the help system to the FoxPro 2.5 for MS- DOS style, add this statement to your CONFIG.FPW file: help=foxhelp.dbf