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Getting Started with .NET

CODE Framework: Testing

The CODE Framework provides a set of tools for developing n-tier, service-oriented applications. In addition, there is a set of recommended patterns and practices that provide guidance in enabling developers to achieve Rapid Application Development, Contract-First implementation, and a system that allows you to change a contract without breaking an implementation. However, one question which has been repeatedly asked throughout our trainings and seminars is, “How do I Unit Test when I’m using th...

CODE Framework: Building Productive, Powerful, and Reusable WPF (XAML) UIs with the CODE Framework

In a prior installment of this series of articles about CODE Framework (“CODE Framework: Writing MVVM/MVC WPF Applications”, Jan/Feb 2012), I discussed how to use the WPF features of CODE Framework to create rich client applications in a highly productive and structured fashion reminiscent of creating ASP.NET MVC applications, although with WPF MVVM concepts applied. In this article, I will dive deeper into the subject and discuss the unique benefits of the CODE Framework WPF components which en...

CODE Framework: Building Services and SOA Business Layers

In the last issue of CODE Magazine, we took a look at CODE Framework’s WPF features. This time, we are going to look at a completely different area of the framework: Creating business logic and middle tiers as SOA services. SOA is the cornerstone of many modern applications, creating systems that are more maintainable, flexible, and suitable for a wide range of scenarios, ranging from Windows to Web and Mobile scenarios using a wide variety of technologies, and outperforming conventional multi-t...

CODE Framework: Writing MVVM/MVC WPF Applications

The CODE Framework is an open-source application framework by the makers of CODE Magazine. It is entirely free of charge. It covers a wide range of features that can be applied altogether or individually in an À la carte fashion. All of these features revolve around a single concept: Building advanced business applications in a productive and maintainable fashion while maintaining great application architecture. In this article, we are focusing on a subset of the CODE Framework, specifically the...

Passing objects between FoxPro and .NET COM Components

COM Interop between Visual FoxPro and .NET seems trivial at first, but the devil is in the details.Simple COM calls using methods and properties with simple parameters are easily accomplished. However, once you start dealing with complex objects - objects with hierarchies or specific object types required by .NET as parameters or properties, you start running into problems. This article looks at some of the issues that you need to look out for when dealing with objects in applications that call ...

Operator Overloading

To help you understand .NET development from a VFP perspective, this article introduces you to operator overloading and shows you how to apply it for powerful programming in .NET.

Compare Events and Delegates in VFP and .NET

Events play a larger role in .NET than they do in Visual FoxPro. Learn how events work in the .NET world to write powerful applications.

Improve Code with Enums

To help you understand .NET development from a Visual FoxPro perspective, this article introduces you to the concept of enums and shows you how to use them to improve code quality.

Compare Static Members in VFP and .NET

You're familiar with instance members in Visual FoxPro. Now find out how you can benefit from static members in Visual Studio .NET.

Compare Visual Inheritance in VFP and .NET

Find out how your knowledge of visual inheritance in Visual FoxPro can help you take advantage of Visual Studio .NET's slightly different model.

Compare Constructors and Destructors in VFP and .NET

Unlike VFP, .NET forces you to give up control over the destruction of objects, but you get some benefits in return.

Compare Interfaces and Polymorphism in VFP and VS.NET

Polymorphism is the use of multiple objects with the same methods that do different things.Interfaces let you create flexible architecture in your application. Find out how these concepts differ in Visual FoxPro and Visual Studio .NET.

Compare Variables in VFP and VS.NET

Learn about different types of variables, and what it means to perform boxing, unboxing, and casting operations.

Compare Inheritance in VFP and VS.NET

If you're starting to work with Visual Studio .NET, you'll find you have a head start when it comes to inheritance.Here are some of the differences.

Compare Methods, Properties, and Fields in VS.NET and VFP

Discover the differences and similarities between Visual Studio .NET and Visual FoxPro.

OOP: VFP vs. VS.NET

And discover why and when you should use .NET.

COM Interop and Strong Typing

The basics of using a VFP COM component from .NET are relatively simple, but the more objects we use, the harder it gets. In order to make one's life easier from the .NET side, the component must be built a certain way from the VFP side. For instance, it's very common to create objects on-the-fly in VFP, given the ease of doing so. However, these objects cannot be consumed from .NET without writing extra code. This article covers some aspects of how the developer can improve the COM Interop expe...

VFP and .NET: The Best of Both Worlds

Several years have passed since the first beta version of Visual Studio .NET and Microsoft is now looking toward their 3rd release of the product. Visual FoxPro (VFP) has also been around for several years with a new version (VFP 9) due late this year. Both tools have great features that can make our lives as developers much easier. So why shouldn't we use both tools? There are features in .NET that can greatly benefit VFP applications. On the other hand, VFP provides developers with great featu...

.NET Interop for Visual FoxPro Applications

Now that .NET is here you've undoubtedly had the urge to use or at least play with the new functionality that the platform provides. Unfortunately migrating to .NET from Visual FoxPro (or most other development languages) is a big step that requires a steep learning curve. Integration between the old and the new will be crucial as a first step to provide for the ramp up time that's needed to get up to speed on the new platform as well as providing vital links between old and new applications. In...

Calling VFP COM components from .Net and ASP.Net

Now that .NET is here you've undoubtedly have the urge to use or at least play with the new functionality that the platform provides. Unfortunately migrating to .NET from Visual FoxPro (or most other development languages) is a big step that requires a steep learning curve. Integration between the old and the new will be crucial as a first step to provide for the ramp up time that's needed to get up to speed on the new platform as well as providing vital links between old and new applications. I...

.NET and Visual Studio Adoption

Comparing VFP String Performance to .NET String Performance

The series of test conducted here are based on the "String Processing with VFP" article published in the Spring 2000 issue of CoDe Magazine.

VFP Conversion Roadmap Whitepaper

This whitepaper discusses strategies for managers converting Visual FoxPro (VFP) applications to .NET, and lays a foundation for producing an implementation plan.

.NET Data Access with LINQ: A VFP Perspective

For Visual FoxPro developers, data access represents the daily bread and butter. Data access is a core feature of Visual FoxPro (which after all is an xBase descendent) and nobody gives much thought to the ability to run a select-statement right within a VFP program.Most languages however (including .NET languages such as C# or Visual Basic .NET) are not as data centric and thus do not support data manipulation as a core language concept. At least until now. But all this is about to change with ...

Creating Multi-threaded .NET componentsfor COM Interop with Visual FoxPro

Multithreading is a powerful feature that allows you to asynchronously execute code while continuing to work or provide a responsive user interface to your application..NET makes multithreading very easy and in this installment you’ll see how to create and execute multithreaded components and communicate with them via events.Multithreading is a powerful feature that allows you to asynchronously execute code while continuing to work or provide a responsive user interface to your application..NET ...

Handling .NET Events in Visual FoxPro via COM Interop

Last month I started a series of articles that are looking at a few advanced topics in using .NET COM Interop with Visual FoxPro. This month, I look at handling .NET events through COM Interop and briefly introduce creating and interacting with multi-threaded .NET components from your Visual FoxPro applicationsEvent Handling is an important feature both in Visual FoxPro and .NET.But both .NET COM objects and Visual FoxPro require special handling in order to deal with hooking up to COM events. ...