Microsoft Corp. has announced the release of the Microsoft Visual FoxPro relational database management system version 3.0 for the Apple Power Macintosh. This new version provides robust, 32-bit rapid application-development (RAD) tool with full object-orientation and integrated client/server capabilities that make it easy to organize data, define database rules and build applications. With its visual design tools and wizards, Visual FoxPro 3.0 lets users build professional solutions quickly. Unveiled to thousands of developers at last year's FoxPro(R) International Developers conference, Visual FoxPro 3.0 enables developers to create full-featured distributable applications rapidly by providing an integrated development environment with powerful object-oriented programming tools, client/server capabilities and support for ActiveX(TM) technologies.

Rapid Cross-Platform Application-Development Capabilities

Through RAD, Visual FoxPro allows users to build components (objects) that can be reused. Visual FoxPro has been extended to allow creation of true objects, classes and subclasses. In addition, objects can be created with code or visually and reused at any time. Visual FoxPro has exposed the native event loop and evolved to comply with graphical operating system programming paradigms, allowing users to build event-driven applications.

Unique Characteristics: The Tools You Need

Visual FoxPro for Power Macintosh provides the tools needed to take advantage of the unique characteristics of the Macintosh Finder as well as features of the Macintosh operating system version 7.1.2 and higher. Users can take advantage of these operating system features in Visual FoxPro applications: Macintosh aliases, the Apple Menu, Apple Guide support, Apple events in Visual FoxPro, AppleScript), QuickDraw GX features and QuickTime data.

Visual FoxPro 3.0 for Power Macintosh supports the core suite of Apple events for programming between scriptable Macintosh applications: Open, Run, Print and Quit. Visual FoxPro 3.0 for Power Macintosh enables developers to build their applications on the Power Macintosh platform but deploy applications on either Power Macintosh or Macintosh 680x0 family machines. This provides maximum power for the developer and maximum flexibility for deploying solutions in mixed hardware environments.

Developing Cross-Platform Applications

As a cross-platform development tool, Visual FoxPro 3.0 enables the creation of graphical applications that run unmodified on the Macintosh and in the Microsoft Windows(R) operating system. Most files created in Visual FoxPro for Power Macintosh can be opened directly in Visual FoxPro for Windows, and vice versa, without conversion because there is no difference between these file types on the two operating systems.

Additional Product Enhancements

Visual FoxPro includes an additional array of tools, components and information that broaden the range of database-application creation and help the developer distribute solutions on a large scale. They include the following components:

* Transformer. The Transformer is a powerful tool for creating rules that change properties for forms and classes. The changes can be applied to single or multiple files, or to entire projects. This is especially useful in developing cross-platform applications.

* Database Container. Another major enhancement is the inclusion of the Database Container. In Visual FoxPro, users create databases to organize and relate tables. The database container provides the architecture for storing data and all project-related objects, and brings additional benefits. With the Database Container, users can create persistent relationships between tables, stored procedures and many table-level extensions (such as field- and record-level rules and default field values), and they can create views of local and remote data.

* Class browser. The class browser in Visual FoxPro 3.0 for Power Macintosh allows developers to trace class hierarchy in their solutions graphically, and it can be used to view, use, and manage classes and their user-defined members and components.

The class browser displays interrelationships between classes in a visual class library file (.VCX) and can be used to open single or multiple class libraries. This allows developers to design new classes and redefine, remove and rename a class. The Visual FoxPro class browser also displays the actual code behind classes in a class library or form. The developer can take advantage of this capability to learn object syntax by studying this code and can then reuse the code based on development objectives.

* Upsizing Tools. The Upsizing Tools built into Visual FoxPro 3.0 allow developers to automate the process of upsizing data from Visual FoxPro to Microsoft SQL Server(TM) database back ends, including Microsoft SQL Server version 6.5. The Upsizing Wizard preserves the database structure, including data, indexes and defaults and also automatically converts the Visual FoxPro validation rules to Microsoft SQL Server equivalents.

* Wizards. Visual FoxPro has added a number of wizards that help users create tables, forms, reports and queries, as well as interact with other Microsoft Office applications such as Microsoft Excel and Word. Wizards offered in Visual FoxPro 3.0 for Power Macintosh include Form Wizard, Cross-Tab Wizard, Query Wizard, View and Remote View Wizard, Group/Total Report Wizard, Mail Merge Wizard, and Table and PivotTable(r) dynamic views Wizard.

Visual FoxPro 3.0 for Power Macintosh is now available for approximately $499 for new users and approximately $299 for users upgrading from previous versions or competitive products.

 

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