FIX: Extra EOF Char Inserted with SELECT Within Transaction

• Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, versions 5.0, 5.0a, 6.0

SYMPTOMS

You have an application that updates a record in a table, which is buffered, and the TABLEUPDATE() call is made within a transaction. This application also executes a SQL SELECT statement against the same table within the transaction. Another application or program running within a separate instance of Visual FoxPro then adds a record or records to the same table before the first instance has committed the changes. When the transaction is written from the first instance, an extra end of file (EOF) character, ASCII value 26, is written to the table.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.

This bug was corrected in Visual Studio 6.0 Service Pack 3. For more information about Visual Studio service packs, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q194022 INFO: Visual Studio 6.0 Service Packs, What, Where, Why

Q194295 HOWTO: Tell That Visual Studio 6.0 Service Packs Are Installed

MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

1. Start an instance of Visual FoxPro. Run the following code from a program file:

   
      CLEAR
      CLOSE DATA ALL
      CREATE DATABASE testdb
   
      CREATE TABLE testtab1 (F1 C(10) NOT NULL ;
         PRIMARY KEY, ;
         F2 C(10) NOT NULL)
      FOR lnj = 1 TO 10
         INSERT INTO testtab1 (F1) VALUES (PADL(ALLTR(STR(lnj)),10,'0'))
      ENDFOR
   
      CLOSE DATA ALL
   
      USE testtab1
      SET MULTILOCKS ON
      =CURSORSETPROP('buffering',5)
      GO BOTTOM
      REPLACE F2 WITH (SYS(2015))
      ?"Before BEGIN TRANS, Estimated - actual length =",TestTable()
      SUSPEND
   
      BEGIN TRANS
      SELECT * FROM testtab1 INTO CURSOR ctemp NOFILTER
      SELECT testtab1
      =TABLEUPDATE(.T.)
      ?"Within TRANS, Estimated - actual length =",TestTable()
      END TRANS
      =INKEY(1)
      ?"After END TRANS, Estimated - actual length =",TestTable()
      CLOSE DATA ALL
      * Read DBF into a string variable. Could FILETOSTR() in VFP 6.0.
      CREATE CURSOR ctemp (m1 m)
      APPEND BLANK
      APPEND MEMO m1 FROM testtab1.DBF
      lcLast2 = SUBSTR(m1, LEN(m1)-1)  && Return last 2 characters
      USE
   
      * Report ASCII value of last 2 characters.
      ?"Next to last char ASCII value =",ASC(SUBSTR(lcLast2,1,1))
      ?"Last char ASCII value =",ASC(SUBSTR(lcLast2,2,1))
   
      PROC TestTable()
         LOCAL lnEstSize, lnActualSize
         SET COMPATIBLE ON
         * lnEstSize = Header size + (record length*record count) + 1
         * The + 1 represents the end of file character, CHR(26)
   
         lnEstSize = HEADER() +RECSIZE()* RECCOUNT() + 1
         * The actual file size
         lnActualSize = FSIZE(DBF())
         SET COMPATIBLE OFF
         RETURN lnEstSize - lnActualSize
      ENDPROC 




2. Start another instance of Visual FoxPro. Set this instance to the same default directory as used in the instance of Visual FoxPro opened in step 1. Run the following code from a program file:

   
   USE testtab1
   SELECT testtab1
   APPEND BLANK
   REPLACE f1 WITH (PADL(ALLTR(STR(RECNO())),10,'0'))
   CLOSE DATA ALL 




3. ALT+TAB back to the first instance, then from the Program menu choose Resume. The estimated file size will be 1 byte less than the actual file size. The last 2 characters are both ASCII 26, or the end of file marker. There is one extra end of file character, as there should only be a single EOF character.

Additional query words: KBDSE

Keywords          : kbservicepack kbDatabase kbSQL kbVFp500abug kbVFp600 kbVFp600bug KbDBFDBC kbVS600sp2 kbVS600SP1 kbVS600sp3fix kbGrpFox 
Version           : WINDOWS:5.0,5.0a,6.0
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbbug 

Last Reviewed: June 1, 1999