Introduction
The provided source materials detail the availability of free sample projects and source code downloads for Microsoft Visual FoxPro (VFP), a legacy database programming language. The information is derived from official Microsoft download pages, developer community repositories, and third-party resource sites. Key offerings include the Visual FoxPro 8.0 Samples download from the Microsoft Download Centre, which contains a suite of projects demonstrating new features in that version. Additionally, sources describe the availability of Visual FoxPro XSource, which provides the source code for various VFP 9.0 components. The materials focus on software development resources rather than consumer product samples, and the information is presented from a technical perspective for developers. All download instructions and file specifications are based solely on the details provided in the source documents.
Visual FoxPro 8.0 Samples Download
The primary source for official samples is the Microsoft Download Centre. The download package, titled "Visual FoxPro 8.0 Samples," is described as containing different projects designed to show how new features in Visual FoxPro 8.0 can be used. Each project is self-contained and can be run independently. A readme text file is included in each project to describe the sample program. The samples were originally created in a folder called C:\Demo\VFP8_Samples for reference, but the files can be installed in any directory to open and run.
The download file is VFP8_Samples.exe. According to the source, file sizes and hashes are retrieved from the Wayback Machine’s indexes and may not match the latest versions of files hosted on Microsoft servers. The system requirements for the samples are specified as Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, or Windows 2000 Service Pack 2, along with Visual FoxPro 8.0.
The installation instructions are as follows: - Click the Download button on the download page to start the download. - To start the installation immediately, click Open or Run this program from its current location. - To copy the download to your computer for installation at a later time, click Save or Save this program to disk.
The sample projects within this download demonstrate specific new features of VFP 8.0. The available projects include:
- AutoIncrement: Demonstrates Visual FoxPro 8.0's ability to create tables that support Auto Increment.
- Collections: Shows how to add, remove, sort, and find items in the new Collection class.
- EmptyClass: Illustrates the use of the new Empty class, described as the lightest weight class available. This project demonstrates adding properties and using the enhanced Gather and Insert Into functions.
- EventBinding: Demonstrates the extended event handling support to include native Visual FoxPro objects.
- FormsUI: Shows many enhancements made to the user interface for Forms in VFP 8.0.
- Grid: Highlights enhancements made to the Grid control. These include the ability to auto fit columns, hide columns, center checkboxes, use highlighting features, and lock columns.
- SubClassMember: Demonstrates the ability to use custom pages in a Pageframe, custom command buttons inside of Command Groups, custom option buttons inside of Option Groups, custom columns inside a Grid, and custom headers inside of columns.
- TryCatch: Focuses on using Structured Error Handling with Try/Catch.
- XMLAdapter: Introduces the XMLAdapter class, which provides an object-oriented approach for working with hierarchical XML data. It leverages familiarity with tables and fields to expose XML contents.
Visual FoxPro XSource and VFPX Projects
Another key resource described is Visual FoxPro XSource, which is made up of the source in the XSource.zip file located in the Visual FoxPro \Tools directory. XSource contains the source files for various Visual FoxPro components. The license governing XSource is found in the XSource_EULA.txt file included with all XSource releases.
For maintenance purposes, VFPX (a developer community) splits XSource into 21 main projects. Some of these projects may contain collections of smaller projects, such as Builders and Wizards. A notable point from the source is that the Data Explorer is not included in VFPX because DataExplorer 3 supersedes it.
The VFPX project list, as provided in the source, includes a range of tools and components. The table below summarises the available projects, their purpose, production status, and whether they are open source or have a source code licence.
| Tool/Component | Description | Status | Open Source | Source Code Licence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ProjectHookX | Extendible projecthook class | Production | ✓ | |
| ReportingApps | The default implementation of Visual FoxPro 9's Report Applications (XSource) | Component | Production | |
| Ribbon Control | A Microsoft Office 365-like ribbon control for VFP forms | Component | Production | ✓ |
| Samples | VFP samples (VFP Samples folder) | Tool | Production | |
| SCCText | Translates Visual FoxPro binary files into text equivalents and back | Tool | Production | |
| Sedna | Microsoft Visual FoxPro 9.0 "Sedna" Add-Ons | Component | Production | |
| SFMail | A library to send emails from VFP applications | Component | Production | ✓ |
| SF RegExp | VFP wrapper for DotNet RegExp | Component | Beta | ✓ |
| Sidekick | A collection of powerful VFP add-on tools launched via command line | Tool | Production | ✓ |
| ssClasses | Library of useful classes | Component | Production | ✓ |
| StripeX | Provides a wrapper for working with Stripe.com | Component | Production | ✓ |
| SubFox | Seamless integration for Subversion source code control | Tool | Beta | ✓ |
| Tab Menu | Ribbon control generated from VFP menus | Component | Beta | ✓ |
| TabbingNavigation | Makes navigating through FoxPro the same experience as SQL Management Studio or Visual Studio | Tool | Alpha | ✓ |
| Table Designer X | Non-modal replacement for the VFP Table Designer | Tool | Planning | |
| TaskListManager | (Description not provided in source) |
Third-Party and Community Resources
The source materials also reference several third-party and community websites that offer free Visual FoxPro code and projects. These include:
- SourceCodester.com: This site is described as offering "Free Visual FoxPro Code" and allows users to "Download 10 latest Visual FoxPro system's projects with source code for free here."
- RaviTaxali.com: This site is associated with the book "Visual FoxPro Made Simple" by Ravi Kant Taxali. It offers sample files used in the book for download via a button on the webpage. The site also provides an email contact for comments: [email protected].
- VFPG GitHub (VFPX): The VFPX project list is hosted on GitHub at
https://vfpx.github.io/projects/. This page serves as a directory for the various projects that constitute the split XSource. - VFPX/XSource GitHub: The source code for XSource is also available on GitHub at
https://github.com/VFPX/XSource.
It is important to note that while these third-party sites are referenced in the source data, their reliability and the current status of the files they offer cannot be independently verified from the provided chunks. The primary, official source for the VFP 8.0 samples remains the Microsoft Download Centre.
Conclusion
The available source materials confirm that free sample projects and source code for Visual FoxPro 8.0 and 9.0 are accessible to developers. The official Microsoft Download Centre provides a comprehensive suite of self-contained sample projects for VFP 8.0, demonstrating features such as AutoIncrement, Collections, and XMLAdapter. The download is available as an executable file (VFP8_Samples.exe) with specific system requirements. Furthermore, the Visual FoxPro XSource programme, which includes the source code for VFP 9.0 components, is maintained by the VFPX community and split into numerous projects covering tools, components, and utilities. Additional resources are available through third-party websites, though users should exercise caution and verify information against official sources where possible. For UK-based developers seeking to explore or utilise legacy Visual FoxPro capabilities, these resources provide a starting point for accessing sample code and project examples.