The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft FoxPro for Macintosh, version 2.5b
Microsoft(R) Technical Support Application Note (Text File)
FC0959: GENERAL INTERFACE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Revision Date: 12/93
No Disk Included
The following information applies to Microsoft FoxPro(R) version 2.5
for Macintosh(R).
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| Copyright (C) 1993 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved. |
| Microsoft, FoxPro, and MS-DOS are registered trademarks and Windows|
| is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. |
| Macintosh is a registered trademark and Finder is a trademark of |
| Apple Computer, Inc. |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------
General Interface Features
- Q. How can I choose the default push button in a dialog box
when I am using the keyboard?
A. Press COMMAND+ENTER to choose the default push button in a
dialog box. The default push button in a Macintosh dialog box
is outlined with a bold oval.
- Q. Why isn't my CONFIG.FP file loaded when I start FoxPro for
Macintosh?
A. On the Macintosh, the configuration file must be named
CONFIG.FPM, and it must be located in the same directory as the
application. If you are starting FoxPro from an alias, you
still must place the CONFIG.FPM in the same directory as the
actual application to which the alias points.
- Q. How can I adjust the style of the text that appears on the
FoxPro desktop when I execute commands that print?
A. With the Command window active and the SHIFT key held down,
choose Screen Font from the Text menu. This allows you to
change the screen font. Also see the MODIFY WINDOW command in
the "Language Reference." Remember that the name of the window
to be modified in this case is "screen."
- Q. In FoxBASE+/Mac, the Debug and Trace commands are located
on the Window menu. Are they available in FoxPro for Macintosh?
A. The designers of FoxPro decided to rearrange the menus so that
options are grouped by function. The Trace and Debug commands
are located on the Program menu, which is consistent with
FoxPro version 2.5 for MS-DOS and Windows.
- Q. Although FoxPro's language is rich, it doesn't contain all
the functions I need to get my job done. How can I extend
FoxPro's dictionary of commands and functions?
A. A Library Construction Kit (LCK) for FoxPro for Macintosh,
similar to the LCKs for MS-DOS and Windows, is available to
assist you. FoxPro for Macintosh accepts internal HyperCard(R)
1.0 commands (XCMDs) and functions (XFCNs). These code
resources are written in a programming language such as C,
Pascal, or Assembler and are incorporated into FoxPro through a
special resource interface.
Anyone using the LCK should have a solid understanding of one
or more of the these languages, as well as the Macintosh
Toolbox, which is described in "Inside Macintosh", a
multivolume reference describing all the function calls
available in both the Macintosh ROMs and the system software.
This reference set is published by Addison-Wesley.
To specify the file that contains the code that FoxPro should
load and call, use the SET XCMDFILE command described in the
FoxPro "Language Reference."
- Q. When I modify a database structure, why is the Picture
type unavailable?
A. Just as in FoxPro for MS-DOS and Windows, the picture type is
maintained for compatibility with FoxBASE+/Mac. All Picture
type objects must now be incorporated into tables using object
linking and embedding (OLE).
- Q. What is object linking and embedding (OLE)?
A. OLE is a data-interchange technology developed by Microsoft
that is prevalent in the Windows environment and available in
many applications on the Macintosh, such as Microsoft Word and
Microsoft Excel. OLE allows you to link or embed text, images,
sound, and full-motion videos (QuickTime(TM) movies, for
example) into your FoxPro tables. OLE objects are stored in
general fields. For more information about OLE, see the
"Developer's Guide."
- Q. What are wizards?
A. Wizards are designed to make often-repeated tasks easier to
accomplish. Wizards are agents that, when invoked to perform a
task, ask you a small set of questions to accomplish what would
ordinarily require a great deal of effort. Wizards are
available for generating reports, screens, and, if you own the
Distribution Kit, setting up floppy disks for distribution of
your application. The wizards can be invoked from the Run menu.
- Q. The Program menu contains the Beautify command. What does
it do?
A. The Beautify command alters the appearance of program files so
that they are easier to read. For example, you can alter the
case of keywords and variables and add indentation within
procedures and DO CASE statements. You can also highlight a
program's organization by bracketing flow-control statements.
FoxPro Window Features
- Q. Why can some windows in FoxPro be resized but others
can't?
A. FoxPro for Macintosh contains both windows you can size and
windows you can't size. Windows that contain a text-editing
region are sizable. Examples of sizable windows are the Command
window, the Screen Design window, and the Report Layout window.
These windows may contain scroll bars and a sizing box in the
bottom-right corner of the window. Windows you can't size are
usually dialog boxes that contain interface objects such as
push buttons. Examples of windows you can't size include the
View and RQBE windows.
- Q. Why doesn't the FoxPro desktop window contain scroll bars?
A. The FoxPro desktop window was not designed to be a scrollable
window.
- Q. Can I change the title of the FoxPro desktop window to
better suit my application?
A. The title of the FoxPro desktop window can be changed in two
ways. The first is to include the "TITLE=" directive in the
CONFIG.FPM file. For more information, see the "Installation
and Macintosh Features Guide." The other method is to use the
MODIFY WINDOW command from within your application. For more
information, see the "Language Reference." Remember that the
name of the FoxPro desktop window is "screen."
To further customize your application, you can also change the
About Microsoft FoxPro command on the Apple(R) menu. For more
information, see the related commands SET APLABOUT and ON
APLABOUT in the "Language Reference."
- Q. When I click a window to make it active and then issue a
command in the Command window, why doesn't the output for that
command appear in the active window?
A. There is an important distinction between the active window and
the output window. A window does not have to be active to be
the output window. The active window is the foremost window on
the desktop. No part of an active window is obscured by any
other window. An active window also has one or more of the
following characteristics: horizontal stripes across the title
bar; a visible close, zoom, or size control; or scroll bars.
Bear in mind that these attributes are not defined for some
windows, such as modal dialog boxes.
- Q. What does the check mark signify in the list of windows on
the Window menu?
A. The Window menu lists the currently defined windows. The
"screen" (that is, the FoxPro desktop window) is always
defined. The check mark appears next to the current output
window. For more information about the output window, see the
ACTIVATE WINDOW command and the WOUTPUT() function in the
"Language Reference."
- Q. What happened to all the output windows available in
FoxBASE+(R) for the Macintosh?
A. FoxBASE+/Mac doesn't support user definition of output windows.
It provides only nine screens to which output can be directed.
In FoxPro for Macintosh, this limitation has been eliminated;
the number of windows you can define is limited only by the
amount of available memory. To create your own output windows,
use DEFINE WINDOW and other related commands. Note that the
SCREEN command in FoxBASE+/Mac has been supplanted in FoxPro by
the MODIFY WINDOW command. For more details, see the "Language
Reference."
- Q. How can I hide all windows in front of the current output
window?
A. On the Macintosh, press COMMAND+OPTION+CTRL+SHIFT.
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