Foxtools Overview

Foxtools is a Visual FoxPro API library that exposes Windows DLLs for use in Visual FoxPro.

Functions in the Foxtools library allow you to set and retrieve file information, manipulate paths and file names, use system alerts, and perform many other functions.

Note   The Foxtools functions aren't supported by Microsoft Product Support Services (PSS), either electronically or via telephone. Many of these functions are included for backward compatibility with FoxPro version 2.6. Some functions behave differently depending on the platform for which they are used.

What's New

Several file name manipulation functions in Foxtools.fll have been added to Visual FoxPro. It's no longer necessary to use SET LIBRARY TO FOXTOOLS.FLL to call these functions. As a native function in Visual FoxPro, you can call them directly in your Visual FoxPro programs. They are the following:

AddBS( ) Function AGetFileVersion( ) Function (GetFileVersion( ) in FoxTools)
DefaultExt( ) Function
DriveType( ) Function
ForceExt( ) Function
ForcePath( ) Function
JustDrive( ) Function
JustExt( ) Function
JustFName( ) Function
JustPath( ) Function
JustStem( ) Function

Where Foxtools Gets Installed

When you install Visual FoxPro, Foxtools.fll is installed in the main Visual FoxPro directory. To use the Foxtools functions, issue the following command:

SET LIBRARY TO Foxtools

Note   API routines are documented in the Professional Reference section of Help under API Library Construction. These routines map to editor and window functions and allow you to extend Visual FoxPro using the C programming language.

RegFn( ), RegFn32( ), and CallFn( )

The Foxtools API library allows Visual FoxPro programs to call any Windows DLL functions that

• take the following arguments: integer, long, float, double, string/buffer. These can be passed by reference or by value.
  
  
• return the following types: integer, long, float, double, string/buffer. These are returned by value only.

  RegFn( ) and RegFn32( ) register a function and the arguments it takes, and CallFn( ) calls a registered function. The Windows DLL functions are documented in the books that come with the Windows Software Development Kit (SDK). The Windows SDK is also included with Microsoft C/C++ 7.0 and Visual C++.

  Note

• Fll32_16.dll is used for calling 16-bit DLLs under win32s. It uses the universal thunk to call 16-bit DLLs.
  
  
• Ddereg.exe is used for calling 16-bit DLLs under win32. It uses DDE to call 16-bit DLLs.