NOTES ON "FOXPRO"

FoxPro
FoxPro is very powerful Database Management System.
Its integrate development Environment allows
programmer's language. It is both an interpreter and true
compiler. As interpreted language, it translates each
command into computer instructions, as it is executes the
translation time, most possibly during loops.
A compiler improves performance by translating command
to machine instructions just once. It replaces commands
such as PRINT or LIST with blocks of machine code. This
compiled programs run faster than interpreted codes.
FoxPro supports arithmetic functions such as addition,
subtraction, multiplication, and division. It also provides
many special mathematical and financial functions.
The main screen combines a menu bar across the top line
with a command prompt environment based on the
command window. FoxPro opens the command window at
the beginning of each session. Commands entered into it
execute immediately.
WHAT IS A FOXPRO DATABASE?
It is a collection of related and relevant information. It
could be check register, accounting ledger, payroll, client
list or inventory. Or it could be any of thousands of
applications in business, education, engineering, and the
professions, the sciences and other fields.In general, a
database consists of number of RECORDS .In FoxPro, a
record may consist a number of items such as employee
code number, employees name, address, date of joining,
salary, designation etc. A number of such items in
FoxPro's record are known as FIELDS. Number of fields
make up a single record of single person, and number of
such record made up an entire DATABASE.
Eg: Employee Registry
Field Field
Field
Field 3 Field 4
1
2
5

Field 6

Code Name Address
R001 Raman

Date of
Salary Designation
Joining

A/3
01-0112,500 Accountant
Andheri 1967

154/
03-06Personal
6,000
Andheri 1988
Secretary
Set commands: FoxPro environment functions.

Goo5 Gauri

Set talk on/off : Determines whether or FoxPro display
command result.
Set Bell on/off : Turns the computer bell on or off and set
the bell attributes.
Set status on/off : Set the status bar on or off.
Set safety on/off : Specifies the format for date expresses
DD-MM-YY
VARIABLE TYPES
Character type Date type Numeric type Logical type
Store space (35) time.
Store {99/99/99} birthdate
Store 0 to Salary,
Store .1. pass fail ('.Y.', '.N.') OR ('.T.', '.F.')
DATE FUCTIONS:
?DATE () : Return the current system date. ?TIME () :
Return the current system time.
?Day (date()) : Return the numerical day of the month or
the given date expression. Example:
Store {03/10/75) birthDate . The birthday along with
other command.
?Month (date()): Return the numeric month for the given
date.
?Year (date()) : Returns the numeric year of the given
date.
?Dow (date()): Return the numeric day of the week for

given
date. ?Cdow (date()): Return the character day of the
week for given date.
?Dtoc 0 : will convert Date type variable to character
type. We cannot find day, month of variable which is of
character type.
?CtoD (): Converts a character expression or variable to a
date related function to Cow, month on when a character
expression is converted to date expression. Eg. Store
CtoD to vdate.
DATABASE FUCTION :
Create : Creates a new database file create
Employees.dbf.
Use Emplyoees.Dbf: Use command opened the database
file and it's associated in.
Close all: - Closes all open databases, index file etc.
Append - use for adding records in a database. First open
database with USE command then appends records in it.

Modify structure: - Allows adding new or deleting of in
database field. Display structure: - Display the structure
of database. Rename <filel> to<file2>: Renames the
name of <filel>to<file2> Edit - Allows the user to edit or
modify record.
Replace: - Replace command replaces the field with
mentioned text or values.
Syntax:- Replace all bonus with 7500 for Designation
"officer "

You can also use. And. . or. clause for applying two or
more condition for query record.
LIST AND DISPLAY FUCTION
(a) List: - Display the entire record list.
(b) List all: - Same as list command.
(c) List off: - Will list the records without displaying the
record numbers.
(d) List for name="s" Example. List for salary>2500 .and.
salary<4750
(e) List Code, Surname, Firstname, Salary, Doj for
Doj>={01/04/1998}
(f) List to printer
(g) You can use. And., Or. Clauses with list for applying
two or more conditions. (h) List next next 3
I) Display: used for displaying a record.
II) Display all: Displays all the records but screen at a
time. List commands does the same function but the
records simply scroll upward on the screen if all the
records do not fit on the screen.
Ill) Display Memory: - Display the current contents of
memory variables and arrays.
MOVING TO RECORDS
Go/Goto<recordno>: Positions the record pointer on the
specified record number in dbf. Eg.:
Goto 16
Go top: Position the record pointer on the first record of
the database.

Go bottom: Position the record pointer on the last record
of the database.
Skip: Positions the record pointer on the next record from
the present record. Try Skip+5 and also Skip -3 while
status is on. A database should be used or open, and
observe which record becomes your present record.
BROWSING THE RECORDS
Browse:
Browse for NAME="s"
Browse fields NAME, SALARY, DESIGNATION
Browse nomodify, nodelete, noappend: Browse the
records but you can not modify them or
delete them or add more records to your database.
DELETING RECORDS
Delete: delete the record on which your record pointer is
positioned.
Delete for: Used for deleting records which match the
conditions specified, e.g. Delete for
dateofjoin>{01/01/1969}
Recall: - Unmarks the records, which is marked for
deletion. Only unmark the record if the record pointer is
positioned on the deleted record.
Pack: Permanently removes the record marked for
deletion. Once records are packed they cannot be
Recalled.
Zap: The use of this single command permanently deletes
all the records of the entire database.
Deleted (): this command along with list command will
display only records, which are marked for deleted.
Syntax: list for deleted().

SPECIAL FUCTIONS:
Note: A database has to be opened for working with the
following commands.
? Fcount ()- Returns the number of fields in an open
database.
? Recsize Q-Display the size of the records.
? RecnoQ- Displays the current record number.
? Reccount()-Counts the number of records in a database
file.
? Reccount()-Counts the number of records in a database
file.
? Count- can be used for counting records, which match a
criteria. E.g. Count for Salary>4500
? Int (<expN>)- Returns a Integer portion of a numeric
expression. ? Len (<expN>) - Returns the number of
characters in a character expression.
?Abs(<expN>)-Retum the absolute value of the specified
numeric expression. ? Right (Vname2): Returns the
specified number of rightmost characters from a character
string.
? Left (<expN>)- Return a specified numeric of character
expression starting with the leftmost character.
? Replicate ("*", 35) -Returns a character string that
contains a specified character expression repeated a
specified number of times.
?CurDir()- Returns the currents MS-DOS directory.
?Dikspace()- Returns the number of bytes available on the
default disk drive. Lower () Returns a specified character

expression in lower case letters.
? Upper (): - Returns the specified character expression in
upper case letters.
TRIM FUCTIONS
"xname=Abraham Lincoln"
Ltrim():-Returns the specified character expression with
leading baink removed. ?Itrim(xname) will remove blank
from name.
RtrimQ:- Return the specified character expression with
trailing blank remove
?rtrim(xname): will remove blank from name.
SubstrQ:- Return a specified number o character from the
given expression or mem field.
Zname="Anthony"
?Substr(zname,l,3) will display only 'ant'
?substr(zname,5,2) will display from character and 2
more characters of the variable Only 'on' will be displayed.
ARRANGING RECORDS AND VIEWING THEM IN
ASCENDING (A-Z) (0-5) OR DESCENDING (Z-A)
ORDRER.
RECORDS ENTERED IN THE DATABASE NEED NOT BE IN
ORDERED form. But while
printing displaying reports, we need to show them in a
ordered form so as to give meaning to the
reports. Sometimes reports may be needed on
alphabetically listing of the Salesman name or on
the Data wise bill entries.
From one data to another may be required for reporting
and extracting information from them.

Hence it is of utmost importance that records entered
should be arranged so as it arrive to
decision-making. FoxPro provides two simple and most
efficient ways to arrange the record
entered and not only to view them in that form but also to
query them so as to quickly search to
the user mentioned criteria.
These two methods are 1) SORT 2) INDEX.
A) SORT: is a mentioned in which the user mentions the
field on which he wants the performs the sort and the
output is generated and stored in a different target
database file contain the sorted output on the fields
mentioned in the sort command. You have to open the
target database file to view the sorted records. /D is use
to sort in a descending order, otherwise it will sort in
ascending order.]
Syntax:
Use <filename>
Sort on <field> /D to xfile -/D is used for Sorting in a
descending order.
Use xfile
Browse
To sort on more than one field:
Use SALES DBF
Sort on STATE, CITY to STATE
Use STCT.dbf
Browse
a) INDEX: Index command arrange the record in
ascending or descending order but the fundamental
different between sort and index is that, with Index
command a number of the database which are indexed in
Ascending or Descending order. In the sample given
below, in the friends' database the field has three names,
which are not in alphabetical order. If we index it and
store it in the index file name.idx only the record numbers
will exist but arranged in such a way that the

corresponding names are in alphabetical order.
Hence we have to associate out source database
(Friends.dbf) with the index file (name.idx) to view the
records of the source database in the ordered form. When
some more records are added in the source database the
index file will have to be build up again can be surd to
search records matching particular criteria when the
database very huge (e.g. more than 60,000 to 70,000)
records. The index file being smaller in size takes less
space.
OTHER COMMAND
Clear all: Clear all the memory variables and activate
Windows, menus, popup etc from the memory.
Clear : Clear the screen or Active window.
Quit: To exit from FoxPro. Be sure to close all open
database and other files before quitting. Run or !
(Exclamation marks) - is used or running a MS-DOS
command without quitting it. IV) FILE DELETING
COMMANDS
Delete File <Filename>: Deletes a file from the disk.
Erase <File name>: Erases the file from the disk.

REPORT AND LABEL
REPORT: This command produces reports using report
layouts that have been designed earlier. If CONSOL has
not been SET OFF, the report is displayed on the screen.
They can also be sent to the printer or a text file.
Before this command is used, the report form must have
been created a saved in a file. The command CREATE
REPORT lets you design these report form using the report
Layout Window. The default extension for these files FRX.
LABEL: This command produces mailing labels for the
database file that is open in the currently selected work
area if CONSOLE has not been SET OFF, the label at

displayed on the screen. They can also be sent to the
printer or to a text file.
Before this command is used, the label form must have
been crated and save in a file. The command CREATE
LABEL lets you design these mailing label from using the
label layout window. The default extension for this file is
LBX.
Create a one .dbf file with the help of following field and
solve the questions answer.
Field
Type Width
Name
Name

Character 20

DOJ

Date

Eng

Numeric 3

Hindi

Numeric 3

marathi

numeric

8

3

NOTES ON "FOXPRO"

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NOTES ON "FOXPRO"