How to Add/Remove Network Connections in FoxPro

Last reviewed: October 18, 1996
Article ID: Q105042

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, versions 3.0, 5.0
Microsoft FoxPro for Windows, versions 2.5x, 2.6x

SUMMARY

You can add and remove network connections from within a FoxPro for Windows application by using the Windows application programming interface (API) through FOXTOOLS.FLL, a library file included with FoxPro. To do this, see below.

NOTE: For backward compatibility, Visual FoxPro still supports FOXTOOLS.FLL (included in earlier FoxPro versions), the Visual FoxPro API library that allows calls to 16-bit .DLL functions. However, in Visual FoxPro, the DECLARE command is the preferred method for calling .DLL functions.

MORE INFORMATION

In a program, you must open the FOXTOOLS.FLL external library first. To do this, use the SET LIBRARY TO command as follows to ensure that the program finds the FOXTOOLS.FLL library in the FoxPro directory:
```
      SET LIBRARY TO SYS(2004)+'FOXTOOLS.FLL' ADDITIVE
```
Register the Windows API functions that you would like to call. In this case, use WNetAddConnection() and WNetCancelConnection().
```
      addconn=RegFn('WNetAddConnection','CCC','I')
      delconn=RegFn('WNetCancelConnection','CI','I')
```
To make a connection to a network device, issue the following command:
```
      =CallFn(addconn,"\\SERVER\SHARE","password","<drive>:")
```
To disconnect a network connection, issue the following command:
```
      =CallFn(delconn,"<drive>:",0)
```

WNetAddConnection()

The WNetAddConnection() function redirects the specified local device (either a disk drive or a printer port) to the given shared device or remote server. It takes the following parameters:

   Parameter         Description
   -------------------------------------------------------------------

   lpszNetPathName   A pointer to a null-terminated string specifying
                     the shared device or remote server, such as
                     \\SERVER\SHARE.

NOTE: Novell users should not use the double-colon syntax to reference a server and directory, as they may be accustomed to doing. For example, do not try referencing a directory using the following syntax:

   \\server\volume::\mydirectory

Instead use this syntax: \\server\volume\mydirectory

   lpszPassword      A pointer to a null-terminated string specifying
                     the network password for the given device or
                     server. If there is no password, you must still
                     include a placeholder, as follows:

                        =CallFn(addconn,"\\SERVER\SHARE","","<drive>:")

   lpszLocalName     A pointer to a null-terminated string specifying
                     the local drive or device to be redirected. All
                     lpszLocalName strings (such as LPT1) are
                     case-independent. Only the drive names A through
                     Z and the device names LPT1 through LPT3 are
                     used.

WNetCancelConnection()

The WNetCancelConnection() function cancels a network connection. It takes the following parameters:

   Parameter         Description
   -------------------------------------------------------------------

   lpszName          A pointer to the name of the redirected local
                     device (such as LPT1: or D:).

   fForce            A Boolean value that specifies whether any open
                     files or open print jobs on the device should be
                     closed before the connection is canceled.

REFERENCES

For more information about WNetAddConnection() and WNetCancelConnection(), see the Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit (SDK) "Programmer's Reference, Volume 2: Functions," which contains more information about the functions' return values and their meanings.

NOTE: These return values will not be interpreted by FoxPro for Windows.

Additional reference words: 5.00 VFoxWin 3.00 FoxWin 2.50 2.50a 2.50b 2.60
2.60a change net connection
KBCategory: kbnetwork kbinterop kbprg kbtool kbcode
KBSubcategory: FxprintNet

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Last reviewed: October 18, 1996
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