ID: Q109068
2.50B MACINTOSH kbinterop kbprg kbappnote kbfasttip
The information in this article applies to:
Microsoft(R) Technical Support Application Note (Text File)
FC0957: CROSS-PLATFORM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Revision Date: 12/93
No Disk Included
| 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 (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. |
NOTE: You must use a utility such as PC Exchange or Apple File Exchange in order to transfer Macintosh files to and from an MS-DOS formatted floppy disk. PC Exchange is available with System version 7.1.2. Apple File Exchange was available with versions of the Macintosh system.
1. Q. Can I run my FoxPro for MS-DOS and FoxPro for Windows
applications with FoxPro for Macintosh?
A. FoxPro version 2.5 is designed to be a cross-platform product. Aside
from platform-specific features, the command set in FoxPro for
Macintosh is identical to the command sets of FoxPro for MS-DOS
and FoxPro for Windows. All objects (databases, screens,
reports, labels, menus, projects, queries, and so on) created
in FoxPro version 2.5 can be transported, edited, and run between
the Macintosh, MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows, and eventually, UNIX
platforms. When you open an object created with FoxPro version 2.5
on one platform with FoxPro version 2.5 on another platform, FoxPro
invokes a transport program, which asks if you would like to
convert the object to the current platform.
FoxPro for Macintosh?
A. It is unlikely that your FoxBASE+/Mac application will run
unmodified under FoxPro for Macintosh. The command set of
FoxPro has evolved significantly since FoxBASE(R) was
developed. To ease the burden of converting to FoxPro for
Macintosh, we have provided FB+MIGRATE.APP, a utility that can
be used to 1) convert your FoxBASE+/Mac screens and reports for
editing in FoxPro for Macintosh, and 2) analyze your
FoxBASE+/Mac programs, flag FoxBASE+/Mac commands that are no
longer supported in FoxPro for Macintosh, and suggest
alternative commands that produce similar results in FoxPro for
Macintosh.
FoxBASE+/Mac?
A. There are two main advantages to using FoxPro for Macintosh
over FoxBASE+/Mac. First, FoxPro for Macintosh is a much more
powerful database development environment than FoxBASE+/Mac.
The FoxPro Menu Builder, Project Manager, Screen Builder, and
Report Writer simplify application development and increase
developer productivity. FoxPro's Relational Query By Example
(RQBE) tool provides a user interface to simplify data
retrieval and opens the door to the significant performance
gains available through Rushmore(TM) technology. Second, FoxPro
for Macintosh programs and objects are more compatible with
FoxPro for MS-DOS and FoxPro for Windows than ever before.
Macintosh?
A. The two main disadvantages of upgrading to FoxPro for Macintosh
are higher system requirements and conversion
adjustments. Since FoxPro for Macintosh is more powerful
and complex than FoxBASE+/Mac, it requires a more powerful
machine to run. The following table illustrates the differences
in system requirements between FoxBASE+/Mac and FoxPro for
Macintosh.
System component FoxBASE+/Mac requires FoxPro for Mac requires
Microprocessor 68000 or higher 68020 or higher
System software System 4.2 or later System 7.0 or later
Memory (RAM) 2 MB 4 MB (8 MB recommended)
Available disk space At least 3 MB At least 10 MB
The second main disadvantage is that FoxPro for Macintosh is
not completely backward compatible with FoxBASE+/Mac
applications. However, the FB+MIGRATE.APP utility does simplify
conversion. The combination of FoxPro's performance,
flexibility, and additional development tools should make the
conversion worthwhile.
behave the same on the Macintosh as it does on the MS-DOS and
Windows platforms?
A. The Macintosh doesn't treat volumes (a volume is the name of a
hard disk) the same way MS-DOS does. When you use the SET
DEFAULT command to change directories on a particular volume in
MS-DOS, this information is saved even when you move to a
different volume. Any reference to one volume from another
volume actually refers to the subdirectory last pointed to on
that volume. On the Macintosh, when you move from volume to
volume, your location within the hierarchy of a volume other
than the one pointed to isn't maintained by the system; thus,
the ? FULLPATH(CURDIR(<volume>)) command returns only the fully
qualified path of the volume to which you are currently
pointing.
A. On the Macintosh, volume and folder names, which make up a
fully qualified path, are normally delimited by colons (:). In
FoxPro for Macintosh, you can use the MS-DOS path conventions
to ensure cross-platform compatibility. For example,
"shiatsu:foxpro:tutorial" can be represented as
"shiatsu:\foxpro\tutorial."
long, can be somewhat cumbersome. Is there any way I can
abbreviate them?
A. In addition to 27-character volume (hard disk) names, folders
and files can have names up to 31 characters long. To
facilitate cross-platform compatibility with the MS-DOS and
Windows environments, FoxPro for Macintosh includes a SET
VOLUME command, which allows you to abbreviate the names of
volumes by using a single letter. Path names that consist of a
volume name and one or more folders can also be abbreviated
with a single letter. See the FoxPro "Language Reference" or
online help system for more information about the SET VOLUME
command.
okay on the Macintosh?
A. Yes. TrueType, a technology originally developed by Apple(R)
and licensed to Microsoft to bridge the gap between the
Macintosh and Windows environments, is incorporated into the
System 7 architecture. The Setup disks that come with FoxPro
for Macintosh include several TrueType fonts for the Macintosh
that are commonly used by developers in the Windows
environment.
Calculator items found on the System menu in FoxPro for MS-DOS?
A. The System menu in FoxPro for MS-DOS was largely included to
emulate the Apple menu on the Macintosh. However, in the
Macintosh and Windows environments, these tools are largely
redundant, since they are incorporated as desk accessories on
the Macintosh and as applications (with the exception of the
Puzzle) in Windows. For cross-platform compatibility, you can
access the native FoxPro utilities from the Command window.
Keywords : kbenv kbappnote kbfasttip kbinterop kbprg
Version : 2.50B
Platform : MACINTOSHLast Reviewed: May 12, 1998