Development Team Blog

Did you know that in Windows most error messages can be converted to text using the Copy (Ctrl+C) function? This is a tremendous, yet somewhat hidden and thus underutilized, feature of Windows.

Most importantly, it works with standard Visual DataFlex errors and all messages based on the standard Windows MessageBox interface (see Message_Box, Info_Box, Stop_Box, etc. in the Visual DataFlex help index).

So, for example, if you run the Order sample workspace and try to ...

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This post contains information about configuring a source control system to be used for Visual DataFlex projects. This post can be used in conjunction with Source Control and Visual DataFlex 101: The Basics and Source Control and Visual DataFlex 102: Multi-Developer Use. Also, see my previous post, The Case for Source Control to learn why you should use it.

What Files to Check Into Source Control

The rule of thumb for checking in source code is only to check in files ...

Source Control and Visual DataFlex 101: The Basics got you started with source control.; this post will show you how to use source control when multiple developers work on the same project. This post builds on the previous post and assumes you are familiar with the information in it, so if you have not, please read it now.

Just as the aforementioned post, the purpose of this post is to allow you to start using source control in a fast and efficient manner. It is not intended to explain ...

In The Case for Source Control, I told you why you should use source control. Now I will show you how to use source control with Visual DataFlex. This post will demonstrate the basics of source control from a single developer perspective. Source Control and Visual DataFlex 102: Multi-Developer Use moves on to using source control when multiple developers work on the same project. The purpose of this post is to allow you to start using source control in a fast and efficient manner. See Configuring Source Control for Visual DataFlex ...

Source Control has been discussed in our forums off and on for years and it appears that some developers are not convinced that using it will benefit them. If you are not currently using source control, you should seriously reconsider doing so. I hope this article clears up most questions you have.

Source control is often also referred to as "version control" or "revision control". I prefer the term source control because it does so much more than simply tracking revisions, as I will ...

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Our forums are chock full of information and we want to make sure that everyone can make the most of this.

Post all relevant information

Sometimes the operating system on which you encounter a problem matters, sometimes it does not, sometimes other product versions matter. By providing all the pertinent information from the get-go, it allows people who read your posts to better help you and not have to guess. At minimum, I would suggest that you provide the following ...

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A big part of our job as software developers is knowing lots of detailed information, but I would argue that knowing how to find information when you need it is even more important. So here is an assortment of resources and tips for Visual DataFlex developers. I use just about all of these resources on a daily basis:

• The DAW Development Team blog (you're reading it now )
• The DAW Forums: Peer to peer support for developers.
• DAW Knowledge Base (KBase): Technical articles with

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We try to make migration from any Visual DataFlex revision to the latest revision as smooth as possible for our developers, but one migration-related question has come up repeatedly in the forums: "Some of the files in my workspace didn't get migrated. What's going on?"

The migration wizard uses the same code parser that the Studio uses to determine what to migrate. As Sonny recently discussed in his blog Under the Hood: The Studio Parser, most source code files are not autonomous, ...