|
Home > Archive > FoxPro Help and Support > June 2005 > Convert to a .net app
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 |
Convert to a .net app
|
|
|
| Hi all,
My comapny currently have a Foxpro system in place thats quite old now and
was fine 13 years ago with 3 people in the company. As it happens we have
around 85 staff now and the Management System app as we call it it is beging
to stuggle. It does alsorts of things using excel and creates PDF's auto
email reports etc. I'm part of the IT team that consists of three. I have
been tasked with the mission of some how converting this legacy app that
could altoget stop one day after a MS Office patch or os patch comes out
into a .net/ASP, VB application
My question is how/where would I start? I have the files that make the
foxpro app etc. I am completly new to visual fox pro. Can anyone point me in
the right direction to convert this application. I appreciate the ardus
mission ahead of me.
Thanks in advance.
dom
| |
| Eric den Doop 2005-06-02, 9:24 am |
| You can not convert VFP code to .NET code. You'll have to rewrite the app in
..NET to fully benefit from the .net framework, or use COM interop to load
VFP components in .NET.
You may want to read about some of the future plans for VFP and .NET:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/vfoxpro/roadmap/
--
Eric den Doop
www.foxite.com - The Home Of The Visual FoxPro Experts - Powered By VFP8
"Dom" <domb@the-leading-edge.com.au> wrote in message
news:OSyxaL2ZFHA.2212@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...
> Hi all,
> My comapny currently have a Foxpro system in place thats quite old now and
> was fine 13 years ago with 3 people in the company. As it happens we have
> around 85 staff now and the Management System app as we call it it is
> beging to stuggle. It does alsorts of things using excel and creates PDF's
> auto email reports etc. I'm part of the IT team that consists of three. I
> have been tasked with the mission of some how converting this legacy app
> that could altoget stop one day after a MS Office patch or os patch comes
> out into a .net/ASP, VB application
>
> My question is how/where would I start? I have the files that make the
> foxpro app etc. I am completly new to visual fox pro. Can anyone point me
> in the right direction to convert this application. I appreciate the
> ardus mission ahead of me.
>
> Thanks in advance.
> dom
>
| |
| Christian Ehlscheid 2005-06-02, 9:24 am |
| Hello,
> could altoget stop one day after a MS Office patch or os patch comes out
this is nonsense .. VFP will run smoothly even in Longhorn .., at least on
any MS OS that provides a 32bit environment .. so probably it won't run on
the next generation of 128 bit operating systems but they're several decades
away anyway ..
and if a new MS Office version break's your app cause of interface changes
it'll break any app in any language that uses the interface ..
you may want to check this online book just released:
http://foxcentral.net/microsoft/NETforVFPDevelopers.htm
Regards
Christian
"Dom" <domb@the-leading-edge.com.au> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:OSyxaL2ZFHA.2212@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...
> Hi all,
> My comapny currently have a Foxpro system in place thats quite old now and
> was fine 13 years ago with 3 people in the company. As it happens we have
> around 85 staff now and the Management System app as we call it it is
beging
> to stuggle. It does alsorts of things using excel and creates PDF's auto
> email reports etc. I'm part of the IT team that consists of three. I have
> been tasked with the mission of some how converting this legacy app that
> could altoget stop one day after a MS Office patch or os patch comes out
> into a .net/ASP, VB application
>
> My question is how/where would I start? I have the files that make the
> foxpro app etc. I am completly new to visual fox pro. Can anyone point me
in
> the right direction to convert this application. I appreciate the ardus
> mission ahead of me.
>
> Thanks in advance.
> dom
>
>
| |
| Stephen Ibbs 2005-06-02, 11:24 am |
| The original email pointed out that the app was 13 yrs old - ie 1992 -
so it is probably fpw26 rather than vfp
Stephen
Christian Ehlscheid wrote:
> this is nonsense .. VFP will run smoothly even in Longhorn .., at least on
> any MS OS that provides a 32bit environment
| |
| Paul Pedersen 2005-06-02, 1:24 pm |
| Moving an old FoxPro app to dotnet and/or VB will likely be difficult and
time-consuming. Those languages lack features that FoxPro has had for quite
a while. You'd have to emulate a lot of things.
In all likelihood, you'll get better, quicker, and certainly much easier
results moving it to VFP 9 instead. I can help if you like - see my page at
w w w. p r p B c A o N n A s N u A l t i n g . c o m
Remove spaces and the upper case fruit.
In any case, your old app is likely to continue running for a long time yet.
If worse comes to worst, you can always keep it on an older machine if
necessary.
"Dom" <domb@the-leading-edge.com.au> wrote in message
news:OSyxaL2ZFHA.2212@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...
> Hi all,
> My comapny currently have a Foxpro system in place thats quite old now and
> was fine 13 years ago with 3 people in the company. As it happens we have
> around 85 staff now and the Management System app as we call it it is
> beging to stuggle. It does alsorts of things using excel and creates PDF's
> auto email reports etc. I'm part of the IT team that consists of three. I
> have been tasked with the mission of some how converting this legacy app
> that could altoget stop one day after a MS Office patch or os patch comes
> out into a .net/ASP, VB application
>
> My question is how/where would I start? I have the files that make the
> foxpro app etc. I am completly new to visual fox pro. Can anyone point me
> in the right direction to convert this application. I appreciate the
> ardus mission ahead of me.
>
> Thanks in advance.
> dom
>
| |
| swdev2 2005-06-09, 3:24 am |
| Hullo Dom -
Sounds to me like you are a recent hire .
*SIGH*
Moving forward, though, with your IDEA -
I strongly suggest you stay with Visual FoxPro, at least Version 8, if not
Version 9,
and then have your company contract with an outside software development
company
for the rewrite.
Typically - a rewrite into something for that Dot Net Architecture will take
2.5 to 10 times MORE time than if you rewrote it in VFP 8 or 9. Your firm
will ALSO need a server robust enough to 'host' a dot net server thingie,
and now suddenly your app is browser centric. (Not a bad thing, just a
different thing) .
OH - and - yes - you will want to tell your employer that a ReWrite is
required - and could you please dig out the last set of signed off design
documents from the vault?
If your firm is still in OZ, and you need OZ-based VFP developers - let me
know - I'll put you in touch with a few development companies , as a
starter - just so you can have a 'better' reality check for your 'rewrite'
Other Digging with the language:
1. You Said -> "I'm part of the IT team that consists of three" - I take it
to mean you are not a developer at all, but one of those 'desktop support'
ppl. Right?
2. You Said -> "I have been tasked with the mission of some how [the use of
'some how' tells me you are not a developer, and that you really do not
understand the differences between VFP 9 and VS .NET] converting this legacy
app that could altoget stop one day after a MS Office patch or os patch
comes out into a .net/ASP, VB application" - Alas - there is NO WAY to
gaurantee (SP?) that an app will remain working after such a patch, and -
thats the Way that MS set it up. IF you really have that fear, then I
suggest that you switch to a LAMP architecture for your server and
application program code, and then make your GUI based on 'the Brower'
solely.
Also - the DOT NET Architecture really is not stable enough to support 24/7
data operations - lots of things are changing and are still in BETA. You do
understand the concept of BETA, right ? MS will not have a stable version of
Dot Net out for another few years, alas. In Microsoft's opinion - a staff
count of 85 is really not big enough to substantiate a shift to the Dot Net
Paradigm. Add a Zero and perhaps you'll fit MS's profile of a candidate
company for Dot Net Integration.
3. You Said -> "My question is how/where would I start? " - I suggest you
join the Sydney VFP UG and pose your questions to them, then engage a
consultant to come out for a day to your firm and do the stand up and walk
throughs, with your executive team and your IT staff (thats 3 IT staff,
right?) See http://www.svfpug.com.au/ for more info.
4. You Said -> "I have the files that make the foxpro app etc. " Great.
Now Copy/Burn the entire set to a CD, and put it in the Company Vault as a
Backup - you'll need them later .
5. You Said -> "I am completly new to visual fox pro. " Great - Which
Version of Visual FoxPro do you have installed on Your WorkStation? If Not 8
or 9, then I suggest you cut the Purchase Order to get Version 9 onto your
system, then you should (Assuming you want to be a VFP Developer) :
a. find a mentor from the UG
b. get some books and read - see http://www.hentzenwerke.com for more info
c. get the CJ Date tome on Database Theory ( see
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...=1118302584/sr=
8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/103-2699091-7891835?v=glance&s=books&n=507846 ] ) and
read it from cover to cover, twice. IMO - its not enough to know ONE
Vendor's approach to DataBase Technology - here's a quote: "Date's seminal
work is critical to understanding databases - a step mostly forgotten by
those who believe every concept can be taught using commercial products with
brain-dead examples in under 24 hours. Date teaches the logic and theory
that underlie all successful practice. You can probably buy a different book
and create a mock database faster, but you will neither understand nor be
able to use it well. Do yourself a favor and read this first to understand
what a database is; only then can you judge the value of other books."
d. Get a Sample Project and completely destroy it (something over 100 prgs,
80 forms, 12 class libraries) and watch things fire in the debugger .
6. You Said -> "Can anyone point me in the right direction to convert this
application" Sure ! Absolutely ! Go Engage a Consultant from the Sydney
UG . Also - check out:
1. www.foxite.com
2. www.vfug.org
3. www.universalthread.com
and read, read read.
Good Luck with your project ! mondo regards [Bill]
--
===================
William Sanders / EFG VFP / mySql / MS-SQL
www.efgroup.net/vfpwebhosting
www.dotnetconversions.com
"Dom" <domb@the-leading-edge.com.au> wrote in message
news:OSyxaL2ZFHA.2212@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...
> Hi all,
> My comapny currently have a Foxpro system in place thats quite old now and
> was fine 13 years ago with 3 people in the company. As it happens we have
> around 85 staff now and the Management System app as we call it it is
beging
> to stuggle. It does alsorts of things using excel and creates PDF's auto
> email reports etc. I'm part of the IT team that consists of three. I have
> been tasked with the mission of some how converting this legacy app that
> could altoget stop one day after a MS Office patch or os patch comes out
> into a .net/ASP, VB application
>
> My question is how/where would I start? I have the files that make the
> foxpro app etc. I am completly new to visual fox pro. Can anyone point me
in
> the right direction to convert this application. I appreciate the ardus
> mission ahead of me.
>
> Thanks in advance.
> dom
>
>
| |
| swdev2 2005-06-09, 3:24 am |
| Hullo Dom -
Sounds to me like you are a recent hire .
*SIGH*
Moving forward, though, with your IDEA -
I strongly suggest you stay with Visual FoxPro, at least Version 8, if not
Version 9,
and then have your company contract with an outside software development
company
for the rewrite.
Typically - a rewrite into something for that Dot Net Architecture will take
2.5 to 10 times MORE time than if you rewrote it in VFP 8 or 9. Your firm
will ALSO need a server robust enough to 'host' a dot net server thingie,
and now suddenly your app is browser centric. (Not a bad thing, just a
different thing) .
OH - and - yes - you will want to tell your employer that a ReWrite is
required - and could you please dig out the last set of signed off design
documents from the vault?
If your firm is still in OZ, and you need OZ-based VFP developers - let me
know - I'll put you in touch with a few development companies , as a
starter - just so you can have a 'better' reality check for your 'rewrite'
Other Digging with the language:
1. You Said -> "I'm part of the IT team that consists of three" - I take it
to mean you are not a developer at all, but one of those 'desktop support'
ppl. Right?
2. You Said -> "I have been tasked with the mission of some how [the use of
'some how' tells me you are not a developer, and that you really do not
understand the differences between VFP 9 and VS .NET] converting this legacy
app that could altoget stop one day after a MS Office patch or os patch
comes out into a .net/ASP, VB application" - Alas - there is NO WAY to
gaurantee (SP?) that an app will remain working after such a patch, and -
thats the Way that MS set it up. IF you really have that fear, then I
suggest that you switch to a LAMP architecture for your server and
application program code, and then make your GUI based on 'the Brower'
solely.
Also - the DOT NET Architecture really is not stable enough to support 24/7
data operations - lots of things are changing and are still in BETA. You do
understand the concept of BETA, right ? MS will not have a stable version of
Dot Net out for another few years, alas. In Microsoft's opinion - a staff
count of 85 is really not big enough to substantiate a shift to the Dot Net
Paradigm. Add a Zero and perhaps you'll fit MS's profile of a candidate
company for Dot Net Integration.
3. You Said -> "My question is how/where would I start? " - I suggest you
join the Sydney VFP UG and pose your questions to them, then engage a
consultant to come out for a day to your firm and do the stand up and walk
throughs, with your executive team and your IT staff (thats 3 IT staff,
right?) See http://www.svfpug.com.au/ for more info.
4. You Said -> "I have the files that make the foxpro app etc. " Great.
Now Copy/Burn the entire set to a CD, and put it in the Company Vault as a
Backup - you'll need them later .
5. You Said -> "I am completly new to visual fox pro. " Great - Which
Version of Visual FoxPro do you have installed on Your WorkStation? If Not 8
or 9, then I suggest you cut the Purchase Order to get Version 9 onto your
system, then you should (Assuming you want to be a VFP Developer) :
a. find a mentor from the UG
b. get some books and read - see http://www.hentzenwerke.com for more info
c. get the CJ Date tome on Database Theory ( see
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...=1118302584/sr=
8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/103-2699091-7891835?v=glance&s=books&n=507846 ] ) and
read it from cover to cover, twice. IMO - its not enough to know ONE
Vendor's approach to DataBase Technology - here's a quote: "Date's seminal
work is critical to understanding databases - a step mostly forgotten by
those who believe every concept can be taught using commercial products with
brain-dead examples in under 24 hours. Date teaches the logic and theory
that underlie all successful practice. You can probably buy a different book
and create a mock database faster, but you will neither understand nor be
able to use it well. Do yourself a favor and read this first to understand
what a database is; only then can you judge the value of other books."
d. Get a Sample Project and completely destroy it (something over 100 prgs,
80 forms, 12 class libraries) and watch things fire in the debugger .
6. You Said -> "Can anyone point me in the right direction to convert this
application" Sure ! Absolutely ! Go Engage a Consultant from the Sydney
UG . Also - check out:
1. www.foxite.com
2. www.vfug.org
3. www.universalthread.com
and read, read read.
Good Luck with your project ! mondo regards [Bill]
--
===================
William Sanders / EFG VFP / mySql / MS-SQL
www.efgroup.net/vfpwebhosting
www.dotnetconversions.com
"Dom" <domb@the-leading-edge.com.au> wrote in message
news:OSyxaL2ZFHA.2212@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...
> Hi all,
> My comapny currently have a Foxpro system in place thats quite old now and
> was fine 13 years ago with 3 people in the company. As it happens we have
> around 85 staff now and the Management System app as we call it it is
beging
> to stuggle. It does alsorts of things using excel and creates PDF's auto
> email reports etc. I'm part of the IT team that consists of three. I have
> been tasked with the mission of some how converting this legacy app that
> could altoget stop one day after a MS Office patch or os patch comes out
> into a .net/ASP, VB application
>
> My question is how/where would I start? I have the files that make the
> foxpro app etc. I am completly new to visual fox pro. Can anyone point me
in
> the right direction to convert this application. I appreciate the ardus
> mission ahead of me.
>
> Thanks in advance.
> dom
>
>
|
|
|
|
|