Visual FoxPro

Best Practices for the

Next Ten Years

Conference Proceedings Outline

Great Lakes Great Database Workshop 2006

2  Visual FoxPro Best Practices for the Next Ten Years

1. Best Practices for Development Environment Setup

Windows
Barbara Peisch
Nancy Folsom
Tamar Granor
Whil Hentzen

VFP Startup Routines

Barbara Peisch
Cathy Pountney
Doug Hennig
Marcia Akins
Nancy Folsom
Rick Borup
Rick Schummer
Tamar Granor
Whil Hentzen

Frequently Used Tools

Barbara Peisch
Cathy Pountney
Doug Hennig
Nancy Folsom
Rick Borup
Rick Schummer
Tamar Granor

Best Practices Summary

2. Best Practices for Error Handling

Introduction

Errors happen
Programmer errors
Predictable errors
Unpredictable errors

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Real world stories

User response

Application response
Address without notification
Address with notification
Try again
Avoid
Abandon

Error handling fundamentals

Determining the cause of the error
Notification
Be assertive
Error Log
Clean shut down

Types of error handling in VFP

Default error handling
Global
Object-level
Structured

Error handling priorities

Using one style
Mixing two styles
Mixing all three styles

Error handling strategy

Logging errors
Who, when, where, why, adn how
Use VFP's LIST command
AERROR function array contents
Environment settings
Program call stack
Form datasessions
config.fpw contents

Communicating errors and bugs

Phone call
Screen shots
Recording a screencase
4  Visual FoxPro Best Practices for the Next Ten Years

Send the error log files

Send a report
RSS feed

Tracking errors

Commercial framework approaches

Visual FoxExpress
The Global Error Handler
Use of Try/Catch
Handling of Expected Errors
Miscellaneous
Visual Extend (VFX)
Global Error Handler
TRY/CATCH
Error methods
Visual MaxFrame Professional (VMP)
Codemine
Object error event
ON ERROR handler
TRY...CATCH
The nErrorMode Property
Errors in Server Applications
Error Event Log and Text Log
Mere Mortals for VFP
Promatrix

Resources

Special thanks

Conclusion/Summary

About the Author

3. Best Practices for Class Design

Introduction

Where should the code go?

Stand-alone program file or instance
UDF/Procedure File
Visual Classes
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Non-visual Classes

When should you define a class?

Will it be Re-Usable?
Will it help to Manage Complexity?
Is it Worth the Effort?

What sort of class do we want?

The component (abstract) model
The real world (concrete) model

What do you do when defining a class?

Must:
Could:
Should:

Managing the Hierarchies

The Class (or "Inheritance") hierarchy
How VFP implements inheritance
The "Object" (or "Containership") hierarchy
Composition and Aggregation

How do you build your Classes?

Class Library Structure
Look for Patterns
Code in Methods, not Events
Beware of putting functionality too high in the hierarchy
Methods should do one thing and one thing only
Use template methods for a consistent interface

Conclusion

About the Author

6  Visual FoxPro Best Practices for the Next Ten Years

4. Best Practices for User Interface Design

Why do user interfaces matter?

Designing Interaction

Designing Good Interfaces

Basic principles
Consistency
Visibility
Feedback
Simplicity
Error-tolerance
Accessibility
Standards and gudinelines

Putting the principles to work

Application-wide issues
Use task terminology
Uselanguage well
Use color wisely
Use scalable fonts
Make your application easy to use with both the keyboard and the mouse
Remember so the user doesn't have to
Provide Undo

Application Control and menus

Organize the menu bar sensibly
Provide hot keys and meny shortcuts
Clue users in about menu items' behavior
Manager users' access to menu items
Use toolbars as mouse shortcuts
Large and small toolbars offer users more control
Shortcut menus provide another alternative

Forms
Forms have title bars
Distinguish between dialogs and documents
Data entry forms are not modal
Keep dialogs to a minimum during processing
Dialogs are modal
Facilitate the most common action
Saving data
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Finding data

Controls
Use the right control for the job
Use graphical buttosn in toolbars
Keep tooltips to tools
Give the user access only to options that are available
Make capitalization uniform
Supply reasonable defaults
Group related controls visually
Set navigation order correctly

Better applications

Resources

5. Best Practices for Local Data Access

Some basics
Should we use DBF files for primary data storage?
Security
Integrity
What's good then?

Naming conventions

The Visual FoxPro DBC

Keys
Primary Keys
Candidate Keys
Foreign Keys

Indexes
Structural and Non-Structural Indexes
Should you Index on DELETED()

Updating Records

Data Buffering
What do we mean by 'buffering' anyway?
Buffering strategies
8  Visual FoxPro Best Practices for the Next Ten Years

Locking strategies
Buffering modes
What does all this mean when creating data-bound forms?
So how should we set up buffering in a form?
Using BufferModeOverride
Using CursorSetProp()
So what mode of buffering should I use in my forms?

Transactions
Restrictions and limitations
When to use a transaction?
What effect does rollback have on data?
Does that mean we can use transactions to enable SQL to see 'pending' changes?
How does a transaction impact on FoxPro's locking mechanisms?
Can multiple transactions exist simultaneously?

Optimization and Performance

Working with NULLs

Gotcha! Null Strings can fool you

Extending SQL in VFP

Sub queries
Derived Table
Computed Columns
Approaching complex queries
Example: What haven't they ordered recently?

The Last Word

About the Author

6. Best Practices for Remote Data Access

What do we mean by 'remote' data?

Remote Server Advantages/Disadvantages

Cost of Implementing a Dedicated Server

Getting connected
Connecting to a database server with ODBC
Connection Strings
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Using SQLStringConnect()
Named Connections
Using SQLConnect()
How do I connect to a database using OLEDB
Connecting to a database that is not installed locally
Which is beter, ODBC or OLEDB
Which is better, DSNs or Connection Strings

Tools for accessing remote data

FoxPro's SPT functions
Connection management
Connection properties
Command execution
Miscellaneous

Interacting with Remote Data

Embedded quotations
Empty and Null Values
Solution: Format VFP Values using a function
It's not just fomrat
Handling NULLs
Fuzzy Queries
Embedded Functions
User-defined Functions

Transactions management

Server side code

Stored procedures

The Last Word

About the Author

7. Best Practices for Refactoring

Tune-up Your Code
When a pig needs more than lipstick
Example bad smell: Comments
Example best practice: Good comments explain why, not what
Example refactoring: Rename Method and Introduce Assertion
10  Visual FoxPro Best Practices for the Next Ten Years

Best Practices while Refactoring

Test after every change
Make small changes
Don’t change unrelated code
Know When To Stop
Stop if a bug appears
Stop if the system changed
Stop when you’re uncertain
Stop when you're finished and the final test runs correctly
Stop if you’re tired

Identifying Bad Smells

Commented Code
Bad Comments Explain What, not How or Why
Comment States an Assumption
Parameters
Many Parameters
Procedure Changes Value of a Parameter
Conditionals
Conditional Structures and Behavior
Conditional Parameters
Business Logic in UI Controls
Overburdened Class
Data Clumps
Duplicate Code
Long or Procedural Code
Change an Odor to an Aroma
General Purpose Refactoring
Replace Magic Number with Symbolic Content
Extract Method
Rename Method
Hide Delegate
Introduce Assertion
Refactor Conditional Structures
Decompose Conditional
Replace Nested Conditional with Guard Clauses
Replace Temp with Query
Remove Assignments to Parameters
Refactor for N-tier Architecture
Self Encapsulate Field
Separate Domain from Presentation
Duplicate Observed Data
Convert Procedural Design to Objects

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Conclusion/Summary

Bibliography

Biography

8. Best Practices for Reporting and Output

Overview

What does "Best Practices" mean?

Sample Files
PRG files
Form file
VCX-based classes
Reports

VFP Settings
Setting REPORTBEHAVIOR
Report's Private Datasession

Overview of an output system

Use standard naming conventions and techniques
Reduce the number of places that require changes
Use an N-Tier Solution
The front end
Data retrieval
The output class

The Details
The Data Class
The Front End
Checkbox class
Container class
Naming convention
How things interact
The Output Class
cReportMode
cProgressMess
lCancelProcessing
lDontConfirmOutput
12  Visual FoxPro Best Practices for the Next Ten Years

cDefaultOutputFile
cOutput
lDebug
Process flow

Debugging
Bugs that trigger an error
At development time
At runtime
Bugs that give incorrect results
That doesn't add up!
Only your user knows for sure

Putting it all together

Add a new report using existing output methods and PrtOut form
Using your own form or program
Adding a new output tool or format

And finally...

9. Best Practices for Project Management

Overview

In the Beginning - Creating the Vision and Scope Document

Business Requirements
Vision of the Solution
Scope and Limitations
Business Context

The Groundwork - Making some early decisions

Choose a Methodology
Waterfall Method
Agile Development
Iterative and Incremental Development
Choose the Tools
Project Management
Documents
Database
Langauge
Framework
3rd Party Tools
Source Control
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Bug Tracking/Enhancement Requests

Help

The Team - Assembling and managing the team

Assembling the Team
In-house vs. Outsoucring
In-house
Consultants
Offshore Outsourcing
Hiring New Staff
Undesirable Characters
Desirable Characteristics
Provide Training
Managing the Team
Set a Good Example
Be a Good Listener
Be Accountable
Be Respectful
Trust the Team
Get to Know the Individuals
Adjust Your Management Style
Understand What Drives Each Individual
Understand the Strengths and Weaknesses of Each Individual
Keep the Morale High
Morale Budget
Comp Time
Recognize a Good Job
Know What's Going On
Status Reports
Regular Meetings
Indentify FYI Items vs. Action Items

The Details - Defining and clarifying the goals

Cosmic Truths
The Two Facets of Requirements
Requirements Development
Requirements Management
The Documents
Use Case Document
Software Requirements Specification
Preparing the Documents
How much details
Less
More
How to Gather Information
Chose Your Words Wisely
14  Visual FoxPro Best Practices for the Next Ten Years

A Picture is Worth 1000 Words

The Schedule - Determining when it will be done

Estimating
Scheduling
Managing Slippage

The Construction - Building the application

Naming Conventions and Coding Standards
Naming Conventions
Forms, classes, methods, programs, and functions
Variables
Table names, cursors, and indexes
Field names
Coding Standards
Parameter Validation (valp)
Asserts (debugmsg)
Header Comment (hdr)
Change log (log)
Change Comment (chg)
Change Block (chgb)
To Do List (todo)
Code Reviews
Documentation

The Test - Making sure we did it right

Create a Test Plan
Types of Testing
Unit testing
System testing
The Implementation
The Documentation
Build a Test Matrix
Bug Bash
Bug Fixes

The Implementation - Going live

Installation
Data Conversion
Training
Change Requests

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The End - Wrapping up loose ends

In Conclusion - What have we learned?

10. Best Practices for Debugging

(tips from panel)

11. Best Practices for Vertical Application Development

Introduction

Application Licensing and Activation

Application Licensing
Application Activation
Other Licensing Ideas

Error Reporting
Diagnostic Logging
Other Error Handling ideas

Application Maintenance Models

Subscription management
Customer Purchase
Software Activation
Subscription Renewal
Other Subscription Issues

Version Update Mechanisms

Support Policies

Summary

Biography
16  Visual FoxPro Best Practices for the Next Ten Years

12. Best Practices for Middle Tier Development

Introduction

Defining the Middle Tier

General design considerations

Where does the middle tier live?

Accessing distributed components

Designing for COM+

Passing Data

Writing the Code

Installing and configuring in COM+

Configuring COM+ security

Conclusion

13. Best Practices for Deployment

Use modular design to facilitate different deployment types

Make the data independent of the app

Choose a setup authoring tool and learn it well

Use incremental refinement to fine tune your process

Document your process

Always use a checklist

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Use version numbering for the primary EXE

uUse version control for MSI installs

Review what you must include

Review what you cannot include

Recompile all files

Remove printer environment inforamtion from report files

Copy all updated files to your gold directory

Build your setup from your gold directory

Manual builds

Semi-automatic builds

Fully automatic builds

Consider installing the VFP runtime files separately

Consider excluding reports from the EXE

Consider installing the VFP OLE DB provider and the ODBC driver

Test on a clean machine

Test as a regular user, not an administrator

Document what's new by date and version number

Maintain the historical record

Conclusion/Summary

* eof