The LA Fox Developer Newsletter

January 1995

Pick a Project, Any Project

by Kelly G. Conway, Practical Business Solutions

Since I started developing in FoxPro, it seems that I always have been working on multiple projects at the same time. For years, I’ve had an idea that I should write myself some sort of program that runs when FoxPro starts up that lets me select the project I want to work on that session. I figured I would get it done whenever I “got around to it.” Well, I never got around to it, so I finally decided to sit down and write it a while back.

It turned out to be much simpler than I thought and still is, at least to me, very useful. I thought that I would share that tool with you this month. The reason for sharing it is not only so that you may make use of it (maybe you’ll find it useful for you, maybe not), but also to give some insight into the making of such a tool. Also, maybe someone out there will have a better version already written and I can learn from their ideas too.

I call my project selection utility DEV (short for development). That reminds me to give you some insight into the way I have my development projects organized on my computer’s hard disk. I have created a directory off of the root called “DEV.” I also have created a subdirectory of DEV for each project on which I am working. I have contemplated a middle level which would be a subdirectory for each client. Then all projects for a particular client would exist in sub-directories under the client’s subdirectory.

My biggest reason for doing this is to ease backups. All I need to do to back up all of my projects under development is backup the DEV directory (and all sub-directories). I also find it convenient to locate a project I have not worked on for a month or so. Because I know that they all are located under DEV, I can look through a shorter list of subdirectories than I would have to if I placed all of my projects in separate directories off of the root.

Back to DEV. DEV consists of a simple table (DEV.DBF) and one program (DEV.PRG). The table contains one record for each project. The fields contained in DEV are DE_PROJ (the name of the project), DE_CLIENT, (the name of the client) DE_PATH (the directory path were the

project’s top-level directory is located) and DE_SETUP (an optional program to run when I choose to work on the project).

I have configured FoxPro so that DEV.PRG is executed when I start FoxPro. I did that by adding “COMMAND=DO C:\DEV\DEV.PRG” (without the quotes) to the CONFIG.FPW file in my FoxPro directory (e.g., C:\FPW26). It also is possible just to “DO DEV” from the command window after FoxPro already has started. I use that method too when I stop working on one project and start working another.

Either way DEV is executed, it reads the records contained in DEV.DBF and presents me with a pop-up list of projects from which I may choose to work. I can use the arrow keys, {PgUp} and {PgDn) (which would indicate that I am working on far too many projects at the same time) or {Home} and {End} to move the highlight to the project I would like to work on. Since the list of projects is a FoxPro popup list, I also can type the first few letters of a project and quickly move the highlight to that project. The list of projects displays the DE_PROJ field mentioned above and is in alphabetical order.

With a project highlighted, I can press {Enter} to indicate that I wish to work on it. I also can press {Esc) if I wish to do something besides work on a current project. If {Esc} is pressed, DEV simply exists, leaving you in the default working directory for FoxPro.

If I choose a project and press {Enter}, DEV uses the SET DEFAULT command to put me into the project directory (as specified in the DE_PATH field of the current record). DEV then looks to see whether I put anything in DE_SETUP for the project. If a valid program name is in the DE_SETUP field, DEV executes that program. The program name that I put in DE_SETUP typically is the program I call SETUP in each project. That program issues all of the appropriate SET commands for the project, including SET

PATH.

After DEV sets my default and runs the SETUP program, I’m ready to work on that project. When I need to switch over and work on another project, I just issue “DO \DEV\DEV" in the command window and go through the process of selecting a project again.

There are some obvious enhancements that could be [Con't, page 8]

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