.

NET for Visual FoxPro Developers

.NET for Visual FoxPro Developers

Written by Kevin McNeish

Edited by Cathi Gero
ISBN: 1-930919-30-1
Length: 508 pages
Copyright 2002 by Kevin McNeish
Published by: Hentzenwerke Publishing
Click the book image above to order a paperback printed version of this book which
includes an electronic version in PDF format along with sample source code.

Summary
The complete 500 page .NET for Visual FoxPro Developers book written by Kevin McNeish
and edited by Cathi Gero is now online. This book has been made available through the
cooperation between Hentzenwerke Publishing, Microsoft Corporation, and the book
author Kevin McNeish.
Visual FoxPro is one of the best Microsoft tools for creating desktop, client-server, and
Web applications. However, it would be a mistake to ignore .NET. Microsoft has put a lot
of resources into making .NET a revolutionary platform for creating both desktop and
http://foxcentral.net/microsoft/NETforVFPDevelopers.htm (1 of 6) [29/05/2007 08:40:32 p.m.]

.NET for Visual FoxPro Developers

Internet application software.

If youre simply curious about what .NET offers, this book provides a strong overview of
the .NET Framework and the C# and Visual Basic .NET languages, helping you to assess
these new technologies through the lens of Visual FoxPro. If youre already sold and are
ready to learn specifics about how to use .NET in your software development projects,
this book provides plenty of how to, step-by-step and best practices information
that will help you climb the .NET learning curve and get up and running quickly.
The first chapter sets the stage for the rest of the book by answering questions such as
What is .NET? and Why should I be interested in .NET? Other chapters take you into
the details of the C# and Visual Basic .NET languages to help you decide which is best for
you. After learning the basics, other chapters take you step-by-step through the process
of building your first .NET Windows application, Web Forms application and XML Web
Service.

Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction to .NET
Every six or seven years Microsoft makes a quantum leap in technology. In February of
2002 that quantum leap was .NET. What is .NET and what does it mean for Visual FoxPro
developers? This chapter provides an overview of .NET, the .NET Framework and
languages, and helps explain why you should investigate .NET for your software
development projects.
Chapter 2 - Visual Studio .NET
Visual Studio .NET is the latest incarnation of Microsofts suite of software development
tools. The VS .NET team has done a great job providing a top-notch experience for the
developer regardless of the .NET language they use. This chapter takes you on a tour of
VS .NET, familiarizing you with its features so you can get up and running quickly.
Chapter 3 Introduction to C#
Some developers are afraid of C# because C-based languages have a reputation for
being advanced, and thus difficult to learn and use. This chapter aims to dispel any
misgivings you might have by providing a side-by-side comparison of C# and Visual
FoxProyoull be amazed at their similarities. It helps you leverage your knowledge of
Visual FoxPro in learning the basics of C#.
Chapter 4 Introduction to Visual Basic. NET
Many Visual FoxPro developers have an aversion to anything that bears the name Visual
Basic. This chapter aims to help you look past this prejudice and take a fresh look at the
http://foxcentral.net/microsoft/NETforVFPDevelopers.htm (2 of 6) [29/05/2007 08:40:32 p.m.]

.NET for Visual FoxPro Developers

new incarnation of Visual BasicVisual Basic .NET. As you read this side-by-side
comparison of Visual FoxPro and Visual Basic .NET, youll see that Visual Basic has grown
up and is a first-class citizen alongside C# and C++.
Chapter 5 Object Orientation in C# and Visual Basic .NET
This chapter provides a look at object orientation in .NET by means of a side-by-side
comparison of C# and Visual Basic .NET object-oriented features. It also compares Visual
FoxPros object-orientation to that of the .NET languages and shows a number of
advanced object-oriented features that are not currently available in Visual FoxPro.
Chapter 6 Tour of the .NET Base Classes
Although there is a lot of heat generated in arguments regarding which .NET
programming language is easier to use and learn, ultimately THE biggest learning curve
is not C# or Visual Basic .NETits the .NET Framework. This chapter takes you on a tour
of some of the more interesting and useful namespaces and classes and shows you how
you can use them in your applications.
Chapter 7 Data Access with ADO.NET
To a Visual FoxPro developer, one of the most important aspects of a software
development product is data access. This chapter shows you how to use Microsofts new
universal data access technology, ADO.NET, to access and manipulate a wide variety of
dataincluding VFP data. Since there are a number of different ways you can access data
from ADO.NET, this chapter also provides information on best practices for data access.
In addition, it also compares Visual FoxPros new xCursor technology to ADO.NET.
Chapter 8 - .NET Business Objects
The VFP community has known about the importance of business objects for several
years now. They continue to be extremely important in all types of .NET applications
including Web Forms, Window Forms and Web Services. This chapter explains what
business objects are, why you should use them and how you to implement them in .NET.
Chapter 9 Building .NET Windows Applications
Microsoft has placed a tremendous emphasis on .NET being a platform to create,
consume, and deploy XML Web Services. I think this is a mistake. It has caused many
developers among the uninitiated to believe that .NET is only for building applications
that access the Internet. Ive heard the question over and over again: Why should I use .
NET when Im not creating applications that access the Internet? This chapter aims to
dispel this notion.
Chapter 10 Building Web Applications with ASP.NET
If youve never created a Web application before because you didnt have time to climb
the learning curve, this could be your big chance. This chapter shows how you can put to
http://foxcentral.net/microsoft/NETforVFPDevelopers.htm (3 of 6) [29/05/2007 08:40:32 p.m.]

.NET for Visual FoxPro Developers

use everything you learned in the previous chapter about building Windows Forms
applications (plus a few extra twists) into building ASP.NET Web Applications. It also
demonstrates how you can reuse the business objects created in the previous chapter by
taking you step-by-step through the process of creating an ASP.NET Web Application.
Chapter 11 - .NET XML
XML has taken the software world by storm. Everything from configuration files, Visual
FoxPro and databases (such as SQL Server) to Microsoft Office, and Web Services have
the ability to work with XML. In many ways, the .NET Framework was built with XML in
mind. This chapter discusses incorporating XML into your .NET applications and also
provides an overview of XML base classes for reading, writing and manipulating XML.
Chapter 12 XML Web Services
According to Microsoft, XML Web Services is what .NET is all about. This chapter provides
a brief overview of XML Web Services, then provides step-by-step instructions for
creating your first .NET Web service, and shows how to consume it and other XML Web
Services in .NET.
Chapter 13 Error Handling and Debugging in .NET
Error handling in .NET is quite a bit different than error handling found in previous
versions of VFP. However, both .NET and Visual FoxPro 8 have trycatchfinally blocks
that provide a far more powerful, and flexible way to handle errors in your application.
This chapter also discusses Visual Studio .NET debugging tools. As youll see, many are
similar to Visual FoxPros; some are better, and some are not!
Chapter 14 - .NET Security
One of the important features of .NET is its advanced security capabilities. This chapter
discusses the built-in security features of .NET, including assemblies, code groups,
permissions and security policies and shows you how to make use of these in your
desktop and Internet applications.
Chapter 15 Interoperability with Visual FoxPro
Theres no need to lose the time and money you have invested in your Visual FoxPro
code. This chapter shows you how to make the best use of your existing Visual FoxPro
applications by accessing them from .NET. It also turns the tables and shows you how to
access .NET from within Visual FoxPro.
Appendix A - Language Comparison Tables
The tables in this appendix provide a side-by-side comparison of Visual FoxPro, C#, and
Visual Basic .NET features.
Appendix B - Type Comparison Table
http://foxcentral.net/microsoft/NETforVFPDevelopers.htm (4 of 6) [29/05/2007 08:40:32 p.m.]

.NET for Visual FoxPro Developers

The tables in this appendix provides a side-by-side comparison of Visual FoxPro, C#, and
Visual Basic .NET data types.
Appendix C - The Visual FoxPro Toolkit for .NET
This appendix discusses the Visual FoxPro Toolkit for .NET, which gives VFP developers a
great boost up the .NET learning curve.

Author bio:
Kevin McNeish is President and Chief Software Architect of Oak Leaf Enterprises, Inc, and a
Microsoft .NET/C# MVP. He is a speaker with MSDN Canada Speakers Bureau and is also a
well known speaker and trainer throughout North America and Europe. He is co-author of
the book "Professional UML with Visual Studio .NET", author of the book ".NET for Visual
FoxPro Developers", has authored several articles for CoDe magazine and has been
interviewed on the .NET Rocks! Internet Radio Show. He is the Chief Software Architect of
the Mere Mortals .NET Framework and spends about half his time on the road training and
mentoring companies to build well-designed, high-performance .NET desktop, Internet and
Smart Device applications. He has also helped many developers transition to the .NET
development platform in his highly acclaimed .NET training classes. e-mail:
kevinm@oakleafsd.com, Web: www.oakleafsd.com. Phone: 434-979-2417.

Editor bio:
Cathi Gero, C.P.A., is founder and development director of Prenia Corporation, providing
custom software applications, training, and architectural designing to businesses and
developers. Cathi is a Microsoft .NET/C# MVP and is an active member of the .NET
community. She has extensive experience developing applications using the .NET
Framework, SQL Server, Visual FoxPro, and Crystal Reports as well as other technologies.
She is a member of the Microsoft .NET Advisory Council. She is an internationally known
speaker at conferences and user groups, author of numerous articles for Microsoft, and
technical editor for several .NET books, including ".NET for Visual FoxPro Developers". Her
monthly column, Cathi Geros .NET Tips appears in Universal Thread Magazine. Her
Weblog, featuring .NET Tips and Tricks, can be found at http://blogs.prenia.com/cathi.
Most of the year Cathi travels to various companies providing onsite training, mentoring,
and development experience. Contact Cathi via email at cgero@prenia.com.

http://foxcentral.net/microsoft/NETforVFPDevelopers.htm (5 of 6) [29/05/2007 08:40:32 p.m.]

.NET for Visual FoxPro Developers

http://foxcentral.net/microsoft/NETforVFPDevelopers.htm (6 of 6) [29/05/2007 08:40:32 p.m.]