Microsoft®Visual FoxPro® RoadmapSedna October 14, 2005
Keynote Roadmap • Welcome • Recent VFP team efforts • VFP 9.0 SP1 beta • VFP Roadmap - Sedna • Feature set overview and demos • VFP stand-alone • VFP interop with other • Other interop with VFP • VS 2005, .NET LINQ, and more • Resources • Summary
Recent VFP Team Efforts • SP1 for Visual FoxPro 9.0 • Working on Sedna • VFP-like features for future VS and .NET • VFP community conferences and activities • Meet team members here: • Calvin Hsia, KenX, Milind Lele, Lance Delano
State of the VFP Union • 5600+ participated in April 2005 VFP Survey online • Less than half are now using VFP 9.0 • 51% have used VFP over 10 years • 80% small company, 68% mid-size, 27% enterprise • 71% maintaining apps, 69% new apps, 25% web apps • 89% DBFs, 55% SQL Server, 22% MSDE • 75% integrate Office with VFP apps • 11% apps 1000+ users, 43% 100+, 30% under 25 • 26% VS.NET, 21% XML WS, 25% ASP/ASP.NET, 35% COM • 20% VB6, 13% VB.NET, 12% C#, 10% Java, 8% C++ • 31% plan to use VS.NET within next 2 years • 98% plan to using VFP within next 12 months
RememberingDrew and Brent Speedie
SP1 for Visual FoxPro 9.0 • Service Pack 1 for Visual FoxPro 9.0 • VFP 9.0 is very stable today • SP1 beta available online • Scheduled RTM end of 2005 • EULA update for XSource.zip • Free distribution ofXbase componentsvia GotDotNet.com • SP1 bug fix list online
Dev Tools RoadmapDeveloper Perspective WinFX = Avalon + Indigo Native to Longhorn Add-on for WinXP SednaVFP + .NET 1st half 2007 Yukon = SQL Server 2005 Whidbey = Visual Studio 2005
Visual FoxPro Roadmap • Stabilize Visual FoxPro 9.0 (SPs) • Compatibility with Microsoft platform • Interoperability • .NET Framework interop • SQL Server 2005 (including Express version) • VS DDEX Provider for VFP data • Windows Vista compatibility • WinFX - WPF (Avalon) output , WCF (Indigo) compatibility • Office 12 (XML document I/O) • Extensibility • Xbase • C++ DLLs using SET LIBRARY TO • ActiveX controls • New data-centric features for VS / .NET • New data-centric features in VS 2005 • LINQ (SQL, Objects, and XML) in future version of VS/.NET • Sedna pricing and distribution determined in 2007
New Xbase Components • Enhanced report system functionality • Enhancements for using report listeners • Builders for report listeners • Other report enhancements via Xbase • MY Support • Easy and quick access to common functionality • Discoverability • Extensibility • Additional IntelliSense (FoxCode) features • Additional GDI+ classes and samples • Tool for VFP COM Type Libs
ActiveX Controls • Include free ActiveX controls in Sedna • Provided by 3rd party vendor partnerships • Possibilities include… • ListView and TreeView • Navigation • Office like toolbars/menus • Animation • Calendars • Data Input • Dialogs • Multi-Column Day View • Other
Speaker: Craig Boyd • SednaX • VFP community effort to create open source add-ons for Visual FoxPro 9.0.
.NET Framework Interop • Audio • Clipboard • FileHTTP • MapDrive • StopApp • EncryptDecrypt • PowerStatus • Mouse • Network • Registry • RegEx • XML/XSLT • XML Web Services • …
SQL Server 2005 Upsizing • New Upsizing Support for SQL Server 2005 • The current Upsizing Wizard is not up-to-date and only upsizes to a “compatible” mode • New separate Xbase tool for SQL Server 2005 • FFC based, possible UI on top • Updates to Data Explorer in Task Pane
Windows Vista Integration • Create Vista API wrappers for VFP • Over 3500 new API calls in Vista • Expose via Xbase and/or SET LIBRARY TO DLLs • User interface control • System event handling • Desktop searching
A Look Ahead to Avalon • Unified approach to UI, documents, and media • Integration as part of development and experience • Integrated, vector-based composition engine • Utilizing the power of the PC throughout the graphics stack • Ease of deployment • Allowing administrators to deploy and manage applications securely
WPF (Avalon) Integration • Scenarios include combining VFP forms and WPF forms in one solution • WPF form for VFP app home page/navigation • WPF form with report summary, graphics, etc. • WPF form with rich UI data entry • Reporting output to XAML • ReportListener classes to support output to XAML
WCF (Indigo) Integration • Update existing XML web service FFC to use Indigo instead of SOAP Toolkit • Update IntelliSense and XML Web Service Builder • Enhance XML web services FFC for Indigo • Async • Federation • Security • Reliability
Surprise Speaker: Randy Brown
Office 12 Integration via XML • Office 12 will support native PDF output • Office 12 XML support add-ins for: • Office 2000, Office XP, Office 2003 • Export VFP data to Office XML (Excel) • Reporting output to Office XML documents
Speaker: Milind Lele • VS DDEX Provider for VFP Data • ADO.NET provider for VFP • Integration of the VFP data provider into VS • Allows improved design-time experience in the Visual Studio IDE working with VFP data
Speaker: Rick Strahl • Web Connection 5.0 • Visual FoxPro 9.0 with Visual Studio 2005
<book> <title/> <author/> <year/> <price/> </book> SQL WinFS Objects XML Speaker: Calvin HsiaThe LINQ Project VB C# Others… .NET Language Integrated Query StandardQueryOperators DLinq(ADO.NET) XLinq (System.Xml)
Sedna Feature Areas • VFP stand-alone • Xbase add-on via extensibility • ActiveX controls • VFP interop with other • .NET Framework interop • SQL Server 2005 (including Express version) • Windows Vista • WPF (Avalon) • WCF (Indigo) • Office 12 (XML) • Other interop with VFP • VS DDEX Provider for VFP data • VFP-like features in other • VS 2005, .NET LINQ, and more
Visual FoxPro Resources • VFP web site on msdn.com • http://msdn.com/vfoxpro • VFP 9.0 beta, whitepapers, and samples • .NET resources for VFP developers • VFP team member blogs • Product support • Community resources • More MSDN Developer Centers • http://msdn.com • Channel 9 on MSDN • http://channel9.msdn.com
Additional VFP Resources • Book: New in Nine: VFP’s Latest Hits • Book: .NET for VFP Developers • UniversalThread.com (SP1/Sedna sections) • FoxPro Advisor Magazine • FoxTalk 2.0 Newsletter • CoDe Focus for VFP 9.0 • VFP 9.0 retail prices same as VFP 8.0 • MSDN Subscriptions • LINQ reference information and free download: • http://msdn.com/netframework/future
Free from Microsoft for SWFox • 200 What’s New in VFP 9.0 books • 200 .NET for VFP Developers books • 175 Visual Studio 2005 Beta 2 DVDs • 110 VFP 9.0 20”x14” wall posters • 150 VFP 9.0 dashboard jelly cell pads • Raffle copy of Visual FoxPro 9.0
Summary • Upgrade to Visual FoxPro 9.0 • VFP 9.0 works great with VS 2005 • VFP 9.0 works better with SQL Server • VS 2005 + SQL 2005 launch: Nov 7th 2005 • VFP 9.0 case studies to market VFP • Chat about VFP 9.0 online with others • Work with the VFP team on Sedna • Meet team members here: • Calvin Hsia, KenX, Milind Lele, Lance Delano • Have fun here at SW Fox!!!
