FIX: Filer:Application Error If Long Filename in VFP Directory

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, versions 3.0, 3.0b

SYMPTOMS

When you try to run the Filer from the Command window you get this error:

   VFP.EXE application error. The instruction at "0x30312035 referenced
   memory at 0x30312035. The memory could not be "read"

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. This problem has been fixed in Visual FoxPro 5.0 for Windows.

MORE INFORMATION

If you create a file with a name that is longer than 220 characters before the extension, the Filer will be unable to use the file. This is true for both Windows NT and Windows 95. This does not happen with Windows version 3.x because it does not support long file names.

Under Windows NT, the longest file name that Visual FoxPro can create is 239 characters, even though the Windows NT limit for file names is 255 characters

Under Windows 95, Visual FoxPro can create a file name of 244 characters.

This is an example of a 220-character file name:

aaaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaaa aaaaa aaaaa aaaaa aaaaa aaaaa aaaaa aaaaa bbbbb bbbbb bbbbb bbbbb bbbbb bbbbb bbbbbb bbbbb bbbbb bbbbb bbbbb bbbbbbb bbbbb bbbb bbb bbb ccccc ccccc cccccccccc cccc ccc

This is an example of a 239-character file name:

aaaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaaa aaaaa aaaaa aaaaa aaaaa aaaaa aaaaa aaaaa bbbbb bbbbb bbbbb bbbbb bbbbb bbbbb bbbbbb bbbbb bbbbb bbbbb bbbbb bbbbbbb bbbbb bbbb bbb bbb ccccc ccccc cccccccccc cccc cccc jjjjjjjjjkkkkkkkn

Steps to Reproduce Problem

Create a file with a LONG filename. Such as this:

aaaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aaaaa aaaaa aaaaa aaaaa aaaaa aaaaa aaaaa aaaaa bbbbb bbbbb bbbbb bbbbb bbbbb bbbbb bbbbbb bbbbb bbbbb bbbbb bbbbb bbbbbbb bbbbb bbbb bbb bbb ccccc ccccc cccccccccc cccc cccc.DBC

Then attempt to run Filer from the Command window.