BINMEMO

A Program For Moving Binary Files In and Out of FoxPro Memo Fields

by Greg Dunn

MEMO itself, I have need for a small

FoxPro, unlike other dialects ofxBase, database file for use in building a list of

allows binary data to be stored in memo memo fields. (I use a database file rather

fields. That means that you can, among than an array because I have no way of

other things, stuff DOS files of any knowing, in advance, how many items will

into memo fields. Even better than that, end up in my list.) Now I almost always

you can get them back out again! Your associate a SYS.DBF with my applica-

.DBF file becomes an infinitely expan- tions, and in file SYS keep various utility

sible briefcase, information, such as next index key

I’ve thought of a number of uses for values, user configuration data, and the

this facility, and I’ll bet you can think of like. I decided this SYS file would be a

more. For example: in program BIN- nice place to keep my utility .DBF, which

BINMEMO is also useful in ex-

tracting help entries from the

Fox (or Tom Rettig’s) help file.

You can write the entries to

disk, then print them using

your favorite printer utility. Or

modify BINMEMO to print

memos directly!

Procedure binmemo

SET PROCEDURE TO binmemo

PRIVATE ALL

CLOSE ALL

CLEAR ALL

CLEAR

SET TALK OFF

SET BELL OFF

SET SAFETY OFF

SET CONFIRM ON

SET sysmenu ON

SET MESSAGE TO 22 center

DEFINE WiNDOW w_brow FROM 5,5 TO 20,74 CLOSE FLOAT GROW’

ZOOM IN SCREEN TITLE ‘Choose a record’ SYSTEM SHADOW;

COLOR SCHEME 10

SELECT 0 && activate unused work area

USE sys && open the ‘system’ file (contains various stuff

&& used by this program)

* The utility dbf file MEMOUST.DBF, used later in this

* program, is kept in a memo field in SYS.DBF. We now

* extract it to the disk so it will be available when

* we need it. It will be deleted from the disk at the

* termination of this program.

IF FlLECmemolist.dbf”)

DELETE FILE memolist.dbf

ENDIF

memfield = mLdbr

fname = ‘memolist.dbf

w_handle = 0

DO createfile WITH fname, w_handle

IF lw_handle = = -1

DO writefile WITH w_handle, (memfield)

ELSE

= terminateO

ENDIF

continues on page 6

LA. FOX