tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58818074580992470132024-03-05T19:59:16.615-05:00Cathy Pountney<p>"If you're not making someone else's life better, you're wasting your time!"
<p>"Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right!"</p></p>Cathy Pountneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04600819277331440680noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5881807458099247013.post-31554503245671859892017-01-13T08:40:00.001-05:002017-01-13T08:40:38.332-05:00Fixing our Healthcare Crisis<div class="MsoNormal">
My good friend, <b>John Koziol</b>, recently wrote a post about
Obamacare and that it sucks. I am also a believer that Obamacare sucks and I
agree with his assessment that all it did was raise the “count” of how many
people are covered by insurance. It forced people to purchase insurance that basically
covers catastrophic events. These are people who couldn’t afford insurance in
the first place, and now they are doling out money for a plan that still doesn’t
address their basic health care needs. Most are no better off, and many are
much worse.</div>
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For many of us that already had insurance, Obamacare
significantly raised our insurance rates. In my situation, my health insurance
premiums went from paying $1,000 a month $1,700 a month. Folks, that’s MY
portion, after my employer paid their portion!! When your health insurance premiums
are more than your mortgage, something is wrong!! Because of that increase, I
had to make the tough decision to find a new job that provided health insurance
at a more reasonable rate. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Obamacare simply forced people to purchase insurance. It did
not address the REAL issue, which in my opinion, is the exorbitant cost of
medical care. In fact, forcing people to purchase insurance only exacerbates
the problem. Over time, the system has become broken and people aren’t
recognizing why that happened. This is my take on it …<o:p></o:p></div>
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Employers began providing health insurance to employees,
which everyone loved. Unions, such as auto workers and teachers, demanded the
cream of the crop insurance plans which costs the employees very little or
nothing because the employer paid for it. As more and more people were covered
by insurance, they disregarded the cost of medical care because it didn’t come
out of their pocket. People literally had no idea how much their employer was
paying for their health insurance. In addition, people literally had no idea
how much the insurance company was paying for their doctor visit, or MRI, child
birth, or surgery. They didn’t care about any of this because it didn’t come
out of their pocket. They simply had a $10 copay and that’s all that mattered
to them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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All this fed into the medical industry being able to raise
their prices, again and again and again, without the majority of people
realizing it. The insurance companies were paying the bill, not the average
person. So of course, with expenses rising, insurance companies increased their
rates. You can’t blame the insurance companies because that’s a no-brainer; If
your expenses increase, you have to increase your income .. Duh! And because
employers were paying the increased insurance premiums, the people still didn’t
pay attention. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Finally, businesses had enough and started making the
employees chip in more for their health insurance. And deductibles increased.
And copays increased. And that’s when people started to complain. But they’re
just complaining at the employers and insurance companies, not the medical
industry. And the people certainly aren’t recognizing how their “doesn’t matter
to me what it costs” attitude created this mess. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I believe one of the keys to fixing the system is
transparency and equality. Providers should have a price sheet that lists the
cost of each of their services. And the cost is the same for everyone no matter
who their insurance company is or whether the patient is paying cash out of
pocket. No more charging different rates depending on who is paying the bill. The
provider’s price sheet should be available to anyone who asks. Right now you
can’t get that. Try asking your provider how much they will charge for a
particular service. Most of the time you won’t get an answer. And even if you
do get an answer, often the actual charge ends up more.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My current insurance company recently implemented a feature that addresses some of these issues. They have an app that I can load on my phone. If I need a major service, such as an MRI, I can search the app for approved providers near me. But it doesn’t just stop at that. Some of the providers are indicated as “preferred” providers because their costs are less than others. If I chose one of these “preferred” providers for the MRI, the insurance company rewards me with a rebate check of $50, $100, or whatever is appropriate for that service. I believe that’s a step in the right direction by educating the people and allowing them to make wiser decisions. Stop and think about that for a minute. If the insurance company is paying me $100 for choosing provider A over provider B, it probably means they are saving way more than $100 for that service. That should open your eyes to the disparity of the cost charged by different providers.</div>
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I believe another key to fixing the system is contribution. People
need to have skin in the game. What I mean is that people should have to pay a
portion of the insurance premium, and a portion of the services (copays, co-insurance,
or a combination). Free does not work. If it’s free, people will abuse it. When
it’s free, people are irresponsible and go to the E.R. for a runny nose. When
it’s free, people don’t care what the costs are, which contributed to our current
situation. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I believe a combination of the above factors (transparency, equality, and contribution) work together to fix the system. When people have skin in the game, they begin to care about the costs. And when people can shop around and compare costs for a particular service, providers will be forced to become more competitive. As the cost of services are brought back down to reasonable rates, the cost of insurance premiums will go down accordingly. It's a win-win.</div>
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As many of you know, I have battled the healthcare and insurance industries for years. I hate them. I despise them. Simply put, the system is broken. It's time we fix it. I pray that the incoming administration -- Democrat, Republican, Black, White, Male, and Female -- will all work together and fix it.</div>
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Cathy Pountneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04600819277331440680noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5881807458099247013.post-28142230090662234372013-08-10T23:00:00.001-04:002013-08-10T23:00:39.636-04:00Bonding with the new teamFor the better part of my 30+ career as a software developer, I've had the luxury of working from home. It's been a great experience and I've loved it. It gave me the opportunity to be flexible with my children's school and sport schedules, as well as the ability to deal with some difficult medical issues within my family.<br />
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But alas ... it was time for a change. My youngest son was graduating from high school this year and that afforded me the opportunity to relocate from Michigan to someplace warmer. Earlier this year, a series of events unfolded that allowed me to do just that. As of June, my husband and I have relocated to North Carolina and I am now working for<b> SunGard Public Sector</b>. I am lovin' it here in North Carolina. I am lovin' the new job. And I now realize how much I missed working with REAL people (my dog didn't really give me much feedback with development ideas.)<br />
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A few months after getting settled into my new job, I showed up at work one morning and found a giant replica of the <b>Visual FoxPro 7.0</b> box in my office. In 2001, <b>Microsoft</b> had this box made as a promotional gimmick. There was only one box made. At the time, I was working for <b>Microsoft </b>as a contractor. Several of us from the <b>Fox Team</b> took our picture around the box, which was sitting on the tailgate of my SUV. My license plate is "FOX ROX" and we thought it would be fun to pose with the box, the plate, and the team. The picture has been on my cork board ever since. A few months later, the box was put on stage at the <b>2001 Advisor DevCon</b> conference in San Diego, CA. It was later given away as a door prize at the end of the conference. That was the last time I ever saw that box ... until now.<br />
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Apparently, several people from <b>OSSI </b>(now <b>SunGard</b>)<b> </b>were in attendance at the conference. They didn't win the box, but <i>Frank Luo</i> really wanted that box. He approached the guy who won and offered a trade: a case of Fox Software mugs for the box. A deal was made and the box has been with <b>OSSI/SunGard</b> ever since. Whenever new developers are hired, the box mysteriously appears in their office some morning.<br />
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As you can imagine, I was stunned the other morning when I saw that box in my office. I never imagined the box was still around twelve years later. The people at <b>SunGard </b>didn't know that was the ONLY box, nor did they know about the picture the Fox Team had taken with the box and my car. I shared the photo with my coworkers and we all reminisced about 2001. And then we got the bright idea ... I still have a "FOX ROX" license plate so let's recreate that photo!<br />
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And so we did ... and we had a ton of fun doing it! <br />
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<br />Cathy Pountneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04600819277331440680noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5881807458099247013.post-16061802637864483382012-10-21T19:45:00.000-04:002012-10-21T19:46:57.017-04:002012 FoxPro Lifetime Achievement Award Wow .. during the keynote of the 2012 Southwest Fox conference (<a href="http://www.swfox.net/">www.swfox.net</a>), I was presented with the 2012 FoxPro Lifetime Achievement Award. This was a surprise to me! Nobody told me this was going to happen! I was so caught off guard that I didn't even say "Thanks" or give an acceptance speech! Heck .. I'm only 25, so how in the world could I be considered a candidate for a "Lifetime" award (humor me .. it's my fantasy.) Seriously, though, where do I even begin to express how humbled I am to have received this? The list of previous recipients includes many well-respected people in the FoxPro Community (<a href="http://fox.wikis.com/wc.dll?Wiki~FoxProCommunityLifetimeAchievementAward">Click here</a> for a full list).<br />
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I began working with Fox products in 1989. It took 10 years before I actually attended my first conference and realized there was a great FoxPro Community. I quickly discovered it was so gracious, so helpful, so supportive and so welcoming. It didn't take long before I stepped out my comfort zone and began writing articles, writing books, and speaking at conferences. It's been a wonderful journey. It has forced me to learn things that I wouldn't have otherwise known. It has forced me to dig deep, be tenacious, and not accept "that can't be done" as an answer. It has forced me to keep my skill set sharp and continue to discover new and creative solutions.<br />
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What I hadn't predicted was what a wonderful group of friends I would gain along the way. The FoxPro Community is such a friendly group of people. They share their knowledge openly and freely. They truly want to help others. I've been lovingly dubbed the "Reporting Queen" by the FoxPro Community and I wear that crown with great honor. I'm so glad that I've been given the opportunity to give back to the community that has given so much to me.<br />
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To everyone in the FoxPro Community, please accept my heartfelt "Thanks" for your friendship, your knowledge, your support, and this wonderful award!<br />
<br />Cathy Pountneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04600819277331440680noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5881807458099247013.post-1313420913686541892010-11-02T05:39:00.002-04:002010-11-02T05:50:48.639-04:008th Microsoft MVP Award Received!<p><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">I am thrilled that once again I have been honored with the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional award for my contributions to the VFP Community. This is my 8th year in a row and it's always a great feeling to be recognized for your efforts. The sad news is there are only 14 recipients this year. That means many other well-deserving people who are serving the Fox Community didn't receive the award. On the other hand, it also makes me feel even more honored that I'm included in this group of wonderful people. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">See <a href="https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/communities/mvp.aspx?product=1&competency=Visual+FoxPro">https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/communities/mvp.aspx?product=1&competency=Visual+FoxPro</a> for a complete list of VFP MVPs.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif""><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1v2E4P1fgzeSfCY8tlRvSqHP_UUmZACDlf5lbuBccEyYJQZAN50RfRnP9iupSWndyW8YsDzFXRnE-4sYZ2WvG_vd3USrisH0BiPcKLiTxKVAEVzPdqWSUqeijre899OOX5X7Zvk99Os0-AxP4/s1600-h/image%5B2%5D.png"><span style="text-decoration:none;text-underline:none"><img border="0" width="180" height="76" id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP08UQuYpcexNCAT_TzJ4b0oTltb54T78jNYHGx0JOebm3B642kpsI4qLKtH3Jlr5pjI5BYUBk7ou3Zb14BZdi3s_kgokbfYQa7KZseEyP9Q4wD8Ly9KUBYujkWL3UME2THD4oh1uYafUOltGC/?imgmax=800" alt="image" title="image" /></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>Cathy Pountneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04600819277331440680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5881807458099247013.post-30201461109403073262010-06-16T13:56:00.005-04:002010-06-16T14:06:46.438-04:00New VFP 9 SP2 and Sedna Book Available<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLU5VVu26x2vH1E4tp1o_VzyQKyuFKnoM8EbVTitRiOrlL3NPR5aslVKK_1cn6GTGm1CLtAiSzYfW3pjeAt5_KgDqA_UJGItq4G_MsdShKuKGCkTMqBnRu-zV_Bwh8gtg3xv-vR1DILk7T/s1600/makingsoscover100.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 140px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLU5VVu26x2vH1E4tp1o_VzyQKyuFKnoM8EbVTitRiOrlL3NPR5aslVKK_1cn6GTGm1CLtAiSzYfW3pjeAt5_KgDqA_UJGItq4G_MsdShKuKGCkTMqBnRu-zV_Bwh8gtg3xv-vR1DILk7T/s320/makingsoscover100.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483434204541168674" /></a><span style="Calibri","sans-serif"font-family:";">After a <em><span style="Calibri","sans-serif"font-family:";">really</span></em> long time in gestation, “Making Sense of Sedna and SP2” has finally been published by dFPUG in both English and German. This book, co-authored by Tamar E. Granor, Toni Feltman, Doug Hennig, Rick Schummer, Bo Durban, and me, </span>goes into tremendous depth on VFP 9 Service Pack 2 and Sedna, including installation gotchas, things that work, things that <em><span style="Calibri","sans-serif"font-family:";">almost</span></em> work, and how to make the use of the new features in both products. “Making Sense of Sedna and SP2” is available now from <a href="http://www.hentzenwerke.com/catalog/makingsos.htm">Hentzenwerke Publishing</a> as an e-book and will be available in printed version in July.<div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>Cathy Pountneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04600819277331440680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5881807458099247013.post-50638157242368083512010-05-11T21:22:00.004-04:002010-05-11T21:40:18.259-04:00Update on my sonIt's been almost 4 weeks since my son's horrible moped accident. I'm very happy to report he is doing remarkably well. He spent 4 days in ICU and another 3 days in the hospital. The first several days at home were pretty rough mentally and physically, but soon things began to work out and we adjusted. <div><br /></div><div>Originally we were told it would be 4-6 weeks before they allowed him to bear any weight on his right leg because of the pelvic fractures. However, one day shy of the 3 week mark, the x-rays reveals miraculous healing and he was given the thumbs up to walk unassisted. Nobody had to tell Kyle twice! He gave up the wheelchair and the walker and began walking right away. He wouldn't even use crutches. He still has a pretty noticeable limp, but considering he was hit by a truck .. well .. at least he's walking!<div><br /></div><div>He still suffers from double-vision and more recently some hearing issues. The doctors are scheduling him an appointment with a post-concussion clinic to address those issues. Hopefully those are temporary symptoms and his vision and hearing will return to normal soon. </div><div><br /></div><div>He's back in school part time. He was spending 1/2 a day at the high school and the other 1/2 a day at the career tech center in a welding class prior to the accident. He's back at the high school but not quite ready to go back to welding class yet. Of course, *HE* thinks he is but I'm still leery. The doctors don't want him to do any heavy lifting or anything that could jar or impact his stomach. They want to give the internal organs plenty of time to heal. </div><div><br /></div><div>Since the accident first occurred, we've learned a little bit more. For example, he actually broke 5 ribs, not 4 as we thought. I also learned that he didn't tumble end over end and land in the grass like I was first told. Instead, the impact of the truck sent him and the moped flying across the intersection. The moped hit the curb and then landed up on the grass. Kyle, however, went airborne and then his body slammed into a tree and was bounced back onto the grass several feet away from the tree. So not only did he get hit by a truck, he also slammed into a tree. Talk about bad luck!!</div><div><br /></div><div>I've seen the moped. I've seen pictures of the truck's grill. I've seen the tree and the missing bark about 3-4' off the ground. I'm amazed he's alive! Truly, I am! I'm also amazed at the outpouring of support from all my friends in the Fox Community. I want to thank everyone for all that you did! You guys (and gals) rock!! </div></div>Cathy Pountneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04600819277331440680noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5881807458099247013.post-51135479827586242042010-04-19T06:58:00.006-04:002010-04-19T07:52:52.245-04:00Stay safe!It's been quite a while since I blogged. I've been very busy and never seem to find the time. However, today I seem to have a lot of time as I'm sitting in my son's hospital room. Kyle, my 17 year old, was in a severe vehicle accident on Thursday. He was riding his moped and was hit broad side by a truck. He went airborne and tumbled end over end repeatedly and landed in the grass about 45 feet away. <div><br /></div><div>As you can imagine, Kyle's injuries are severe. Lot's of internal bleeding from damaged organs. The doctors rate the injuries on a scale of 1 to 5. His spleen is between a 1 and 2, his kidney is a 3, and his liver is damaged the most and rated a 4. Luckily, the internal bleeding stopped on its own and Kyle didn't need surgery. He's still not out of the woods yet as any wrong movement could restart the bleeding, but it's looking very good at this point. The doctors plan to let him get out of bed on Tuesday. </div><div><br /></div><div>Besides the internal injuries, Kyle also has 4 broken ribs and a broken pelvic bone. Those should all heal on their own. Once the trauma team gives the "okay" that Kyle can get out of bed, the orthopedic team will work with him to teach him how to move and walk without putting weight on the right side. He also had a pretty ugly slash on his arm and a major puncture wound in his abdomen. <div><div><br /></div><div>Considering the severity of the accident, Kyle is doing quite well and we're happy with the improvement. For anyone that wants to keep tabs on his progress, I have a "Care Pages" website set up: <a href="https://www.carepages.com/carepages/KyleMoped">https://www.carepages.com/carepages/KyleMoped</a></div><div><br /></div><div>What I really want to get across in this blog is safety!!!!</div><div><br /></div><div>Kyle's accident was his fault. He didn't have his attention focused on driving. He was in the right-most lane of a busy intersection. The light was red and there was a school bus in front of him. Kyle was on his way to his first job interview, and thus was unfamiliar with where he was headed. While waiting for the light to turn green, he was looking down and fumbling with the GPS. </div><div><br /></div><div>What happened next was a split second of poor judgment because of a lack of focus. The vehicle to his left rolled forward a little bit. The bus in front of him turned right. Kyle registered the movement of both those vehicles as, "The light must have turned green." He didn't realize the bus turned because of the "Turn right on red" rule. Without verifying the green light himself, Kyle just drove ahead right through the busy intersection. Unfortunately, there was a truck coming towards him from the right. The truck hadn't been able to see him because the large school bus was blocking the view. The speed limit is 45 on that road so the truck was moving very fast when he slammed directly into the right side of Kyle.</div><div><br /></div><div>So the first point in today's blog is that I want everyone to remember to stay focused while driving. We've all done it. We've all turned our focus to something else. Fumbled with the radio. Talked on the cell phone. Admired something on the side of the road that caught our attention. I'm just as guilty as everyone else. Of course, Kyle is a young driver and hasn't had near as much experience as most of us. I'm sure that's a huge factor in the distraction being so detrimental to Kyle's bad decision. But we all know that we could have easily made that same mistake.</div><div><br /></div><div>The second safety point of my blog is to stress the importance of wearing a helmet!!!</div><div><br /></div><div>Had Kyle not been wearing a helmet, I would not be writing this blog. Instead, I would be dealing with my son's funeral. There is absolutely no doubt about this fact. Those who witnessed this accident described it as horrendous. I have talked with the unfortunate man who was driving the truck. He told me that as he ran to Kyle's side, he just knew in his heart that he was going to be dead. He didn't think it was possible for someone to survive that impact. The driver was quite shaken up and so relieved to hear that Kyle is going to survive. He was even more relieved that Kyle suffered no brain damage. </div><div><br /></div><div>Surviving being hit at 45 mph and tumbling end over end for 45 feet across pavement, up over a curb, and into the grass is a true testament to the importance of wearing a helmet. I really doubt Kyle would have lived if he hadn't had a helmet. If he had lived, he certainly would have had severe permanent brain damage. So I can't stress enough the importance of wearing a helmet!</div><div><br /></div><div>It's tough world out there! Please be safe!</div></div></div>Cathy Pountneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04600819277331440680noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5881807458099247013.post-25754589795463717722009-10-01T10:20:00.002-04:002009-10-01T10:24:29.904-04:007th Microsoft MVP Award Received!<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 19px; font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="margin-top: 0px; font: normal normal bold 130%/normal 'Lucida Grande', 'Trebuchet MS'; letter-spacing: -1px; color: rgb(153, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: -webkit-xxx-large; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; "><h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="margin-top: 0px; font: normal normal bold 130%/normal 'Lucida Grande', 'Trebuchet MS'; letter-spacing: -1px; color: rgb(153, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; ">I'm thrilled to announce that Microsoft has bestowed upon me the Visual FoxPro MVP Award for the 7th year in a row. I appreciate this recognition very much!! I love the FoxPro Community, I love interacting with all the people, I love sharing knowledge, and I love learning from others. </span></h3><div>Thank you to the entire FoxPro Community for letting me be a part of this wonderful group of people!!</div><div><br /></div><div class="post-body entry-content">For a complete list of other FoxPro MVPs, <a href="https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/communities/mvp.aspx?product=1&competency=Visual+FoxPro" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 153); ">click here</a>.</div></span></span></span></h3></span>Cathy Pountneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04600819277331440680noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5881807458099247013.post-87680971663297566092009-08-04T07:20:00.002-04:002009-08-04T07:27:00.698-04:00Special Southwest Fox Rehearsal in Lansing, MI<p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.swfox.net/">Southwest Fox</a> is the best FoxPro conference in North America and this year, 8 of the 16 speakers live in the Great Lakes region. We’re proud of this fact .. but .. it’s created a problem because they’re all vying for limited user group slots to practice their sessions. To overcome this issue, the three FoxPro user groups in Michigan have banded together to create a special one-day event as a platform for these speakers to practice their conference sessions. Please join us for this wonderful event!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><br /></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Info at a glance:<o:p></o:p></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><b>Southwest Fox Rehearsal</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">Saturday, August 29, 2009</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">8:30 – 5:30</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">Springhill Suites Marriott, Lansing, MI</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">Cost: $20.00 donation to cover beverages, snacks and lunch</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><b>Speakers/Sessions:<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Mike Feltman – HTML and Visual FoxPro</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Toni Feltman – Data Driven Applications</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Walt Krzystek – SQL Server Tips & Tricks</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Jody Meyer – Speak to Me: Applying MS Office Automation to Real Business Needs</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Paul Mrozowski – Refactoring Legacy Code</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Cathy Pountney – Making the Most of VFP 9 SP2 Reports (Part I)</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><br /></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>The FoxPro Community Gives:<o:p></o:p></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The organizers and speakers are all donating their time to this event. In addition, MMFUDG, GRAFUG, and White Light Computing are donating money to cover the cost of the room and equipment. All we’re asking from you is a $20 donation to cover the cost of snacks, beverages, and lunch. All profits above our expenses will be donated to the Ceil Silver Ambassador Fund. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Ceil Silver Ambassador Fund is intended to raise money from the VFP community to bring a developer to the Southwest Fox conference as an ambassador for the developers in his or her country. This gives the recipient the opportunity to meet and share experiences with developers attending Southwest Fox and gives other attendees the opportunity to learn about VFP development in the recipient's country. The Fund is named in memory of Ceil Silver, a long-time member of the Visual FoxPro community, who passed away in January, 2009. Read more about the fund here: <a href="http://www.swfox.net/ambassador.aspx">http://www.swfox.net/ambassador.aspx</a>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">You can help too by making an additional donation to the Ceil Silver Ambassador Fund. To sweeten the pot the organizers of the Southwest Fox Conference have made a generous offer. Any person who is not already registered for Southwest Fox 2009 and makes a donation over the $20 will receive a dollar-for-dollar discount off their registration for Southwest Fox (over the $20, up to $125). It’s like getting the Super-Saver Early Bird discount AFTER the deadline. In fact, the organizers will even throw in a free pre-conference session for those who donate $50 or more above the $20 food cost. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><br /></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Registration:<o:p></o:p></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Only 40 seats are available so please register soon to ensure your spot. To register, please send an email confirmation along with your lunch choice (see below) to Rick Schummer (DAFUG) and send payment of $20 (or more) by check or paypal. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><b>PayPal:<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><a href="mailto:rick@rickschummer.com">rick@rickschummer.com</a> (No credit cards please / Use the “Personal” option)</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><b>Check:<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">DAFUG</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">c/o Rick Schummer</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">42759 Flis Dr.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">Sterling Heights, MI 48314</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><br /></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Hotel:<o:p></o:p></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">For anyone interested in staying at the hotel, a room rate of $89 has been negotiated. Just mention that you’re attending this special one-day seminar.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><b>Springhill Suites Marriot<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">111 South Marketplace Boulevard</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">Lansing MI 48917</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><br /></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Schedule:<o:p></o:p></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Here’s the planned schedule (order of the speakers will be determined at game time).</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">8:30 – 9:45 1st presentation</p> <p class="MsoNormal">10:00 – 11:15 2<sup>nd</sup> presentation</p> <p class="MsoNormal">11:30 – 12:45 3<sup>rd</sup> presentation</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Lunch (30 mins)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">1:15 – 2:30 4<sup>th</sup> presentation</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2:45 – 4:00 5<sup>th</sup> presentation</p> <p class="MsoNormal">4:15 – 5:30 6<sup>th</sup> presentation</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">We hope to see all of you there!!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Rick Bean (MMFUDG), Rick Schummer (DAFUG), Jody Meyer (GRAFUG), Cathy Pountney (GRAFUG)</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><br /></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>LUNCH CHOICES:<o:p></o:p></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">You have the choice of a sandwich or wrap. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>If you want a sandwich - Choose one from each category:<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><b>Breads</b>: White / Wheat / Marble Rye / Roll / Croissant</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><b>Meats</b>: Ham / Roast Beef / Turkey / Salami / Pastrami / Chicken / Liverwurst</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><b>Cheeses</b>: American / Cheddar / Swiss / Provolone</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>If you want a wrap – Choose one of the following:<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">Caesar Salad Veggie Wrap </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">Italian Veggie Wrap</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Available Condiments – Choose as many as you want:</b> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Mustard / Dijon / Mayo / Miracle Whip / Lettuce / Tomato / Onion / Pickle / Banana Peppers</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Side choices – Choose one of the following:<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Chips (default) / Fruit Cup / Cottage Cheese / Applesauce / Coleslaw</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Deli spear</b> – Available upon request.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Beverages<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Coffee, tea & bottled water will be available throughout the day.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">A selection of pop will be available as well (feel free to offer suggestions).</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Cathy Pountneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04600819277331440680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5881807458099247013.post-39520635845203953152009-06-19T13:58:00.003-04:002009-06-19T19:19:37.005-04:00Southwest Fox 2009<p class="MsoPlainText">I hope you'll consider joining everyone at <a href="http://swfox.net/">Southwest Fox 2009</a>. The Visual FoxPro conference for Visual FoxPro developers will be held October 15-18, 2009 at the Arizona Golf Resort and Conference Center. Register by July 1st for the Super Saver registration that offers $125 off the conference fee and includes one free pre-conference session. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoPlainText">Southwest Fox includes a terrific selection of sessions from great presenters. Each of the 28 regular conference topics will be offered twice and the conference materials will include a white paper for each, so you can learn about the topics you can't fit into your schedule. There will be four sessions to choose from in each of the regular conference slots, so you'll always be able to find a topic that appeals. Plus the four pre-conference sessions give you a chance to come up to speed in areas you know you need.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoPlainText">You can find the complete list of speakers (<a href="http://www.swfox.net/beta/speakers.aspx">http://www.swfox.net/speakers.aspx</a>) and topics (<a href="http://www.swfox.net/beta/sessions.aspx">http://www.swfox.net/sessions.aspx</a>) on the Southwest Fox website.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoPlainText">Going to a conference is one of the best investments you can make in your career. The opportunity to learn about Visual FoxPro and related technologies from industry experts is worth the cost of admission. But a conference also gives you the chance to interact with your colleagues, renewing old relationships, turning virtual friendships into live ones and forming new ones. The time you spend talking with people between sessions, at meals, and in the hotel bar or lobby after hours turns out to be as valuable as the sessions themselves.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoPlainText">If you've never been to a VFP conference or to Southwest Fox, make 2009 the year you give it a try. If it's been a while since you made it to a conference, I urge you to come back. And if you were at Southwest Fox last year, you know why you shouldn't miss this year's edition.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoPlainText">On top of all the benefits Southwest Fox offers you personally, there's also a benefit for your local user group. For each member of a user group who attends, their group will receive $25. That will help run the group, contributing toward bringing speakers in from elsewhere, and providing occasional meeting refreshments. Please let your local user group know if you plan on attending so they can let the organizers know you are a part of the group.</p>Cathy Pountneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04600819277331440680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5881807458099247013.post-20143377339995247302009-05-01T12:55:00.006-04:002009-05-03T09:26:14.039-04:00Cathy to speak at Southwest Fox 2009<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I'm excited to announce that I will be speaking at Southwest Fox 2009 and will be making two presentations:</span><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">Making the Most of VFP 9 SP2 Reports (Part I)</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family:Verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">In addition to lots of bug fixes, VFP 9 SP2 offered up some major enhancements to the Visual FoxPro Report Writer. This session (the first of a 2-part series) explores the new Dynamics, Advanced, and Rotation features. It also takes you behind the scenes and explains how these features are implemented. If you want to write professional reports with lots of pizzazz, this session is a must-see.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family:Verdana;"><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">You will learn:</span></p><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">How to correctly install SP2 and obtain the hotfixes</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">How to use the new Dynamics feature (e.g. negative numbers in red)</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">How to use the new Advanced features (e.g. HTML-related properties)</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">How to use the new Rotation feature</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">How the new features are implemented behind the scenes</span></li></ul></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">Making the Most of VFP 9 SP2 Reports (Part II)</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family:Verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Part I of this 2-part series shows you how to use the new reporting features introduced in VFP 9 SP2. This session steps it up several notches by showing you how to add your own features. Not only will you learn how to implement those features on your reports, but you'll also learn how to make the features available in the Report Builder's UI. In addition, you'll see a "best practices" methodology that makes it easy for developers to share their enhancements with one another. You don't want to miss this session. Come be a part of history in the making!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family:Verdana;"><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">You will learn:</span></p><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">How to dynamically shrink a font</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">How to create text and graphic watermarks</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">How to modify the Report UI to include your custom features</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">How to data-drive all your custom features</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">How to share new features with other developers</span></li></ul></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">There's a wonderful lineup of speakers and sessions this year so I hope you all can make it to Mesa, Arizona from October 15 through the 18th. You can read all the details on the website: </span><a href="http://www.swfox.net/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">www.swfox.net</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div>Cathy Pountneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04600819277331440680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5881807458099247013.post-5647629372286380372009-04-09T08:30:00.004-04:002009-04-09T09:01:45.468-04:00SET TALK appears to be on when running reports with SP2<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">I've been using VFP 9 SP2 ever since it first came out which was a long time ago. Yeah, I know there was that nasty Data Group bug, but to me, the enhancements in SP2 far outweighed the negative. Now that Microsoft has released a <a href="http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/KB968409">hotfix </a>for the Data Group bug, I'm hoping more developers jump on the bandwagon and start adopting SP2. That said, a colleague reminded me last night about a bug where text is echoed to the screen as if a mysterious SET TALK ON had been issued. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; ">This is a bug, but it’s one that you can easily fix yourself. You see, some of the new enhancements in SP2 were not implemented in the core VFP exe. They were implemented with a creative use of several Report Listener subclasses that reside in the FFC directory. When you run reports with SP2, the default behavior is to utilize these Report Listeners instead of the base VFP Report Listener class. The bug exists in one of those classes so you can change it yourself.</span><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; ">Modify the fxListener class of the _ReportListener class library and change the code in the LoadReport method. Simply move <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">This.setFRXDataSessionEnvironment()</b> so it comes before <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">This.createHelperObjects()</b> and the problem is solved. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black"><o:p>If you’re running on Vista, however, you have to be aware of the Virtual Store and work around it. When you edit the fxListener class, Vista makes a copy of the _ReportListener class library in the Virtual Store and your modifications are actually saved there and not in the C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual FoxPro 9\FFC directory as you expected. Because a Virtual Store is specific to each user, it means the change you just made only works for the login you’re currently using. As soon as you switch to another login, the changes don’t exist for that user. To permanently fix the bug, move the _ReportListener class library from your Virtual Store back to the C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual FoxPro 9\FFC directory, overwriting the original. Also, be sure to delete the _ReportListener class library from the Virtual Store for all users. If you forget this step, those users could be accessing an old copy of the class library.<br /></o:p></span></p>Cathy Pountneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04600819277331440680noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5881807458099247013.post-55877966929256397712009-04-08T09:27:00.003-04:002009-04-08T09:31:33.545-04:00VFP 9 SP2 Hotfix Updated<table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellpadding="0" style="mso-cellspacing:1.5pt; mso-yfti-tbllook:1184"> <tbody><tr style="mso-yfti-irow:0;mso-yfti-firstrow:yes;mso-yfti-lastrow:yes"> <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri;">The VFP 9 SP2 Hotfix which addresses the Report Data Group bug (download from <a href="http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/KB968409">http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/KB968409</a>) has been updated. This latest file includes the missing VFP9T.DLL (Multi-threaded runtime) file. In addition, the other hotfixes are no longer password protected.</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table>Cathy Pountneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04600819277331440680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5881807458099247013.post-63173917173015940482009-04-04T11:29:00.003-04:002009-04-04T11:57:54.840-04:00Installing VFP 9 SP2Now that Microsoft has related the HotFix for the Report Data Group bug (<a href="http://cathypountney.blogspot.com/2009/03/microsoft-fixes-data-group-bug-in.html">read about it here</a>), developers who have been holding off are now upgrading to VFP 9 SP2. This is great and I'm glad to see it. However, I'd like to take the time to remind everyone about some "gotchas" that might happen if you don't follow the right procedure when upgrading. <div><br /></div><div>If you have VFP 9 SP1 installed on your machine, there's a problem with the installation when upgrading from SP1 to SP2. It doesn't tell you there's a problem, but it doesn't fully install everything. The recommended procedure is to completely uninstall VFP 9 from your machine. Then re-install VFP 9, without any service packs. Once that step is completed, install Service Pack 2. Do NOT install SP1 .. skip that entirely. Just go straight to SP2. </div><div><br /></div><div>If you are running Vista, you also have to remember about the Virtual Store so as not to get bitten. Whenever you change a file in the Program Files directory, Vista creates a copy in your Virtual Store and redirects all future access to the new file. When Visual FoxPro opens a class, it does something that makes the O/S think it's been changed. Therefore, if you have ever opened any classes in VFP's FFC directory, those classes are now copied and sitting in your Virtual Store. That means when you upgrade to SP2, it installs new FFC files in the Program Files directory, but Vista keeps referring to the old ones in the Virtual Store whenever you access them. It completely ignores the new ones loaded with SP2. To get around this, delete the files from your Virtual Store ... HOWEVER ... if you have actually changed any of the FFC classes, you'll need to make copies of the files in the Virtual Store before deleting them so you can go back and compare your changes to the new SP2 versions and merge as needed. </div><div><br /></div><div>For those of you who want to install SP2 and still keep plain-Jane VFP 9 or VFP 9 SP1, that's not a problem. Rick Schummer wrote a great whitepaper that explains how to do this (<a href="http://www.whitelightcomputing.com/resources/VFP9AllVersionsOnOneComputer.pdf">Rick's whitepaper</a>). </div>Cathy Pountneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04600819277331440680noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5881807458099247013.post-42553466773058146962009-04-04T08:40:00.004-04:002009-04-04T11:29:36.735-04:00VFP 9 SP2 Hotfix Minor GlitchA few days ago I blogged about Microsoft releasing a hotfix for the VFP 9 SP2 Report Data Group bug (<a href="http://cathypountney.blogspot.com/2009/03/microsoft-fixes-data-group-bug-in.html">read it here)</a>. Last night, Rick Schummer blogged about a slight glitch with the hotfix and let us all know that Microsoft will have a resolution quickly. Instead of repeating what he said, I'll just point you to his blog post: (<a href="http://rickschummer.com/blog/2009/04/vfp-9-sp2-hotfix-minor-glitch.html">read it here</a>). <div> </div>Cathy Pountneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04600819277331440680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5881807458099247013.post-62525485800066468112009-04-02T16:01:00.001-04:002009-04-04T11:29:18.965-04:00Microsoft fixes Data Group Bug in Reports!<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">W</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">o</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">o</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">H</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">o</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">o</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">Yippee!!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">Hooray!! </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">I'm jumping for joy!!</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>I'm extremely excited to let everyone know that Microsoft has fixed the serious Data Group bug in VFP 9 SP2 reports which I blogged about <a href="http://cathypountney.blogspot.com/2007/11/gotcha-serious-report-bug-with-data.html">here</a>. The bug is officially described in the following Microsoft KB article, where you'll also find detailed instructions on how to get the fix. </div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><span class="apple-style-span"><b><i><span style="Georgia","serif";font-family:";color:#993399;">FIX: The group header of a data grouping is not printed at the top of each page as expected after you intall Microsoft Visual FoxPro 9.0 Service Pack 2 (</span></i></b></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="Georgia","serif";font-family:";color:black;"><b><i><a href="http://support.microsoft.com/kb/968409">968409</a></i></b></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><b><i><span style="Georgia","serif"; font-family:";color:#993399;">)</span></i></b></span><b><i></i></b></p></div><div>I've heard lots of developers say they've held off upgrading to SP2 because of this one bug. So those of you that fall in this category .. it's time to upgrade!! There are no more excuses!! </div><div><br /></div><div>Several people in the FoxPro Community, myself included, worked hard at getting this bug fixed and spent a lot of time testing it. Please ... I don't want to hear any bitching from anyone about how long it took to get this. Instead, let's all focus on the positive side which is the fact that Microsoft listened and provided a fix to a serious bug.</div><div><br /></div><div>P.S. Read Rick Schummer's <a href="http://rickschummer.com/blog/2009/04/vfp-9-sp2-hotfix-released.html">blog</a> for more thoughts about this bug fix. </div>Cathy Pountneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04600819277331440680noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5881807458099247013.post-72897545196433322662009-03-22T19:04:00.013-04:002009-03-22T20:12:21.275-04:00Workaround: Gap with Multiple Data GroupsIn November, 2007, I reported a bug in the VFP 9 Report Writer that related to data groups (<a href="https://connect.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=312572">Bug 312572</a>). This isn't the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">major </span>data grouping bug that everyone's been talking about, but rather a smaller one I stumbled on while doing all my testing. It has to do with a strange gap of whitespace appearing on the report under certain circumstances as shown in the following:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWX3m_hHuLd1wQnhSwGKZdtmybDZK3yP31Q_SXSI6zLjKUDJeaTo-lJ46e_y5-W4Sf2wFOfEdIWXbrSzYfUJQhjHgU7OxgF1lu8wogePSAdSc8ZrLGUkprK0VKsSRhSBNtwKkvdI0bUxX1/s1600-h/GapExample.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 175px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWX3m_hHuLd1wQnhSwGKZdtmybDZK3yP31Q_SXSI6zLjKUDJeaTo-lJ46e_y5-W4Sf2wFOfEdIWXbrSzYfUJQhjHgU7OxgF1lu8wogePSAdSc8ZrLGUkprK0VKsSRhSBNtwKkvdI0bUxX1/s400/GapExample.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316163132580341714" /></a><br /><br />After getting some insight from a developer at Microsoft, I was able to understand what was going on behind the scenes. That knowledge helped me figure out a workaround for this issue.<br /><br />The report has three data groups. The first data group breaks on an expression of: <span style="font-weight:bold;">.T.</span> The second data group breaks on a field in the data: <span style="font-weight:bold;">GrpField</span>. The third group is used to print some whitespace every 5 detail records. Its expression is: <span style="font-weight:bold;">INT(rnLine / 5)</span>. The report also has a variable defined to help count the number of detail lines: Name = rnLine, Value to store = 0, Initial Value = 0, Reset value = GrpField, Calculation = Count.<br /><br />The problem is that the third data group uses the rnLine report variable which is reset on the second data group. As the second data resets, it alters the value of the report variable, which messes with the data grouping and completely confuses the Report Writer.<br /><br />The solution is to alter the report variable in a slightly different way so it doesn't confuse the data grouping. Only two slight changes are required, but the changes are enough to make the Report Writer happy. First, change the definition of the report variable to reset at the end of the report instead of the second data group.<br /><br />The second change is to add the following to the On Entry Expression in the Data Group Header of the second Data Group: <span style="font-weight:bold;">_VFP.SetVar('rnLine', rnLine - MOD(rnLine,5))</span><span style="">.</span> This change manipulates the report variable by reducing the value back to the last number that triggered a break. It's a sneaky workaround that's pretty effective as shown in the following example that doesn't have the gap:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_I8sXe5O3DZ9Ck5yhvZQtYtouSJTluKo5GRWqOlW_2trwb4ZmUlQQbQrF5YMvVkhx-62AeQj532y7o9hoMOALYkOADiTAg7M1kMifmRxFG-dc8HCdNEuSi3LDi_YYdikBdAgpKQXvwoeC/s1600-h/GapFixExample.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 175px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_I8sXe5O3DZ9Ck5yhvZQtYtouSJTluKo5GRWqOlW_2trwb4ZmUlQQbQrF5YMvVkhx-62AeQj532y7o9hoMOALYkOADiTAg7M1kMifmRxFG-dc8HCdNEuSi3LDi_YYdikBdAgpKQXvwoeC/s400/GapFixExample.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316168086415663906" /></a><br /><br />As with most of the Visual FoxPro Report Writer, a little creative thinking can go a long way!Cathy Pountneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04600819277331440680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5881807458099247013.post-49450128732256366192009-01-24T08:49:00.005-05:002009-03-23T15:58:11.438-04:00VFP9 Help File fix<div>As many of you know, the Help file for VFP 9 is a mess. There's good news on that front!! Instead of repeating what Rick Schummer blogged about, I'm just going to direct you to his blog.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://rickschummer.com/blog/2009/01/vfp-9-sp2-help-file-fixed-coming-to.html">http://rickschummer.com/blog/2009/01/vfp-9-sp2-help-file-fixed-coming-to.html</a><br /></div><div><br /></div>Cathy Pountneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04600819277331440680noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5881807458099247013.post-43933560592713343952008-11-22T19:28:00.011-05:002008-11-22T20:07:51.272-05:00Thanks to the Southwest Fox AttendeesI want to give a huge thanks to all the people who attended Southwest Fox 2008, and especially those who attended my sessions. The conference organizers have tallied up the evaluations and forwarded all the scores and comments to the speakers. We really do read them and we really do appreciate them. The comments help us know what we're doing right and what we need to improve.<br /><br />I'm extremely giddy to share the news that you made me the #1 speaker of SWFox this year. My <em>"Customizing Your Vertical Market Application"</em> session ranked #1 amongst 34 session topics. My <em>"Introduction to the VFP 9.0 Report Writer"</em> precon ranked #2 for the morning session and #4 for the afternoon session. I can't believe it .. I had the #1, #2, and #4 sessions of the entire conference. Wow .. did I mention how giddy I am? :-)<br /><br />The written comments were great. I thank all of you for taking the time to write them. I can't list them all, but here's a sampling of some.<br /><br /><em><strong><span style="color:#000000;">From the Report Writer Precon:</span></strong></em><br /><em><span style="color:#993399;"></span></em><br /><em><span style="color:#993399;">"Cathy did a great job of keeping me engaged and interested."</span></em><br /><p><em><span style="color:#993399;">"Her presentation was easy to follow/understand and had entergy/liveliness so it was interesting."</span></em></p><p><em><span style="color:#993399;">"Couldn't have been better." </span></em></p><p><em><span style="color:#993399;">"I finally learned how to use Report Listeners." </span></em></p><p><em><span style="color:#993399;">"Practical, real world tips and tricks." </span></em></p><p><em><span style="color:#993399;">"Great white paper content."</span></em></p><p><span style="color:#000000;"><strong><em>From the Customizing a Vertical Market App Session:</em></strong><br /></span><br /><em><span style="color:#993399;">"Outstanding idea and implementation that I can apply to my applications."<br /><br />"The speaker portrayed the concept in a very straightforward and organized way."<br /><br />"I loved this session. Great ideas! Great presentation. Love the pictures!"<br /><br />"The session was both fun and informative. I liked how Cathy demonstrated the approach to extending a vertical market app by making fun of the organizers. Even more fun when at least one of them was in the room at the time."<br /><br />"Made a complex topic, and discussed it in a simplified manner, that allowed a beginner, such as myself, to absorb the key concepts."<br /><br />"Lively, useful, good examples, entertaining."<br /><br />"The go-kart thing was very funny."<br /><br />"Best value session."<br /><br />"This stuff races." (with a picture of a go-kart next to it)<br /><br />"Wanted to see if Cathy would change her session after hearing last night that she lost to Doug and Rick. Amazed she did. Does she get extra credit for doing so? In my book, yes!"<br /><br />"Best session of the entire conference. Absolutely loved the report factory - this will pay for the entire conference."</span></em></p>Again, I want to thank all of you for attending my sessions and taking the time to fill out the evaluations. We've all been to one or more sessions over the years that are full of content, but boring and hard to follow. Sometimes you leave thinking the speaker is really knowledgeable, but you're scratching your head because you didn't understand it and aren't sure how to go back to the office and apply what you just saw. My goal when giving sessions is to share my knowledge in a manner that's fun and easy to absorb. I'm also hopeful that my passion for software development shines through and rubs off on others. Based on the feedback, it looks like I'm right on track (pun intended).<br /><br />Now that I'm done thanking the attendees .. I have to turn my attention to the conference organizers. Word has it from Tamar that Rick and Doug tried as hard as they could to come up with an angle to skew the rankings so I didn't come out on top. They relished their go-kart win over me and have been having a lot of fun rubbing it in. They knew ... I mean they REALLY knew .. that I would turn around and rub this in their faces. And they're right ... nah nah nah nah!! ;-)<br /><br />Seriously though .. the ribbing is all in fun. I have a lot of respect for all the speakers at Southwest Fox, even Rick and Doug.Cathy Pountneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04600819277331440680noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5881807458099247013.post-5269676664814996412008-11-04T20:55:00.010-05:002009-03-22T19:15:36.231-04:00Catching UpIt's been a while since I've done some blogging so here's bunch of things all wrapped up in one post.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#3333ff;">Southwest Fox</span></strong><br />The <a href="http://www.swfox.net/">Southwest Fox 2008 </a>conference did not disappoint. I learned lots of new stuff, met lots of new people, and got to hang out with old friends. The sessions were great! The giveaways to the attendees were out of this world! The social networking was unmatched. If you've never attended a conference, I can't stress enough how much value you get out of going. Online forums are nice, but they don't match the face-to-face personal connections you make at a conference.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#3333ff;">GoKart Racing</span></strong><br />If you haven't been following this story, in 2006 several of us went racing at <a href="http://www.f1racefactory.com/">F1 Race Factory </a>during the conference. The rules say whoever has the fastest lap, wins. I had the fastest lap, Rick Schummer was behind me by .03 seconds, and Doug Hennig was right behind him. Rick, however, likes to tout that he had the fastest average lap, therefore, he declared himself the winner (at least in his own mind).<br /><br />Of course, I was very gracious with my win in 2006 ... NOT! I rubbed it in their faces every chance I got. It was fun and the smack that went back and forth was pretty intense. In 2007, we all went back for a rematch. Unfortunately, they were too busy and we weren't able to race. That was fine by me. One more year to continue declaring myself the winner over Rick and Doug.<br /><br />For 2008 we made reservations ahead of time assuring that we would have a chance to win. Unfortunately for me, it was not good. Both Rick and Doug beat me ... twice! Doug was the winner in our race, Rick was second, and I was a distant 5th. When we take into account some of the other races, Rick Strahl was the overall winner. He kicked our butts! Ironically, Rick Schummer once again had the fastest average lap, so he once again, is touting victory.<br /><br />I guess I'll have to put up with a year of getting my nose rubbed in my loss!!<br /><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>Blame It On Rick</strong></span><br />Ever needed to shift the blame to someone else? Well, now you can. Just visit <a href="http://www.blameitonrick.com/">www.blameitonrick.com</a>, make a post, and relieve yourself of all blame. Rick Schummer is graciously accepting the blame for anything you want to send his way. Check out this fun website if you have a chance.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#3333ff;">VFPx</span></strong><br />At Southwest Fox, the <a href="http://www.codeplex.com/VFPX">VFPx project </a>on <a href="http://www.codeplex.com/">CodePlex</a> was heavily talked about. It is considered the future of FoxPro. It's a place where us, the FoxPro Community, can share utilities and FoxPro source code with others. In fact, all the FoxPro xbased source code has been posted on VFPx and is available for the community to maintain and move into the future. The "Call To Action" throughout the conference was to encourage people get involved. Consider downloading some projects and doing some testing. Offer your help as a developer on some projects. Consider submitting new projects. Anything to help the FoxPro Community!<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#3333ff;">FoxTabs</span></strong><br />The VFPx project on CodePlex has a new utility called <a href="http://www.codeplex.com/VFPX/Wiki/View.aspx?title=FoxTabs&referringTitle=Home">FoxTabs</a>. I've been using it for a week now and it's pretty useful. It lets you quickly jump between windows within your FoxPro development environment. It's still in beta, but it's worth checking out.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#3333ff;">Foxit Reader</span></strong><br />I recently learned about a new free PDF reader called <a href="http://www.foxitsoftware.com/">Foxit Reader</a>. It appears to be faster than the standard Adobe reader. I've been using it for about a week so far and I like it. There's a free version with the basics or you can upgrade to a "pay" version to get more features. Check it out and see if you like it.<br /><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>eWallet</strong></span><br />If you're like me, you have a gazillion logins and passwords to remember for various websites. Several months ago I started using a product called <a href="http://www.iliumsoft.com/site/ew/ewallet.php">eWallet</a> by <a href="http://www.iliumsoft.com/">Ilium Software </a>to help me keep my head on straight. It lets me organize logins and passwords and so much more. I can track my credit cards, my insurance cards, membership information, etc. The software lets me quickly launch a website and it automatically enters my login and password for me. It's a real time saver!<br /><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>Blogs</strong></span><br />I've added a few people to my Blogroll so check it out when you get a chance.Cathy Pountneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04600819277331440680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5881807458099247013.post-42691599485137718282008-10-01T14:30:00.006-04:002008-10-01T14:35:43.620-04:00MVP AwardI'm happy to announce that Microsoft has bestowed upon me the Visual FoxPro MVP Award for the 6th year in a row. I always enjoy interacting with the Fox Community and sharing my knowledge whenever possible. Thanks to the entire Fox Community for letting me be a part of you!<br /><br />For a complete list of other FoxPro MVPs, <a href="https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/communities/mvp.aspx?product=1&competency=Visual+FoxPro">click here</a>.Cathy Pountneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04600819277331440680noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5881807458099247013.post-49107976787436476462008-09-28T10:24:00.003-04:002008-09-28T10:27:42.583-04:00TwitterI keep hearing about this "Twitter" thing so I decided to check it out. I created an account so I can start following a few people and see if this is something I want to continue doing. Heck, I might even make a few posts myself. But to be honest .. I'm afraid this might become a time zapper .. so I decided I would try it out for a short time and decide whether I want to continue with it. <br /><br />If you Twitter .. let me know and I'll add you to my list.Cathy Pountneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04600819277331440680noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5881807458099247013.post-72039298246417203622008-09-08T10:27:00.011-04:002009-03-22T19:12:51.366-04:00Workaround: Dangling Datasession Left After Running ReportIn December, 2007, I posted about a bug in VFP 9 that causes a dangling datasession after running a report from form with a private datasession and using report listeners chained together as successors. Microsoft still hasn't fixed the problem, but I now have a workaround for the bug.<br /><br />First of all ... I have to give credit where credit is due. I didn't come up with the solution. It was given to me by Rick Hawkins ... so thanks Rick!! But now that I have the solution, I want to share it with everyone who follows my blog (all three of you.)<br /><br />The solution is actually quite simple ... just before you instantiate any report listener object, switch to datasession 1, instantiate the object, then switch back to the previous datasession.<br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"><span style="color:#666666;"><br />LOCAL lnDataSession, loListener, loListener2<br /><br />lnDataSession = SET('DataSession')<br />SET DATASESSION TO 1<br />loListener = CREATEOBJECT('ReportListener')<br />loListener.ListenerType = 1<br />loListener2 = CREATEOBJECT('ReportListener')<br />loListener.Successor = m.loListener2<br />SET DATASESSION TO (m.lnDatSession)<br /><br />REPORT FORM Whatever OBJECT m.loListener<br /></span></span><span style="color:#666666;"></span><br /><br />I'd rather Microsoft fix the bug, but I guess a workaround is the next best thing!Cathy Pountneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04600819277331440680noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5881807458099247013.post-49381260291527335302008-05-05T16:16:00.006-04:002009-03-22T19:15:23.788-04:00Problems with Code Sector - Direct Folders - Round 2Wow ... what can I say other than, I'm shocked at the appalling behavior of this company.<br /><br />In my previous blog post, I explained that this company has been less than responsive in my request for help because the product did not perform properly on Vista. I eventually asked for a refund and they were also non-responsive to that too. After posting that blog I sent a link to the company so they could see the bad publicity their behavior was generating. I received a comment on the blog stating:<br /><br /><em>"This problem was resolved on March 27, I'm sorry I forgot to let you know. You may download Direct Folders 3.31 or make a refund request at Plimus website".</em><br /><br />Hmmm .. it's now May 5 and they "forgot" to inform me of the newer version, despite my repeated attempts to contact them and ask them when the new version was available. That didn't sit right with me so I decided I didn't want software from this company on my machine and I would just ask for a refund (yet again). Here's the reply I just got from them:<br /><br /><em>Dear Cathy,<br /><br />Refunded. Next time test software before purchasing.<br /><br />Best regards, Jeff</em><br /><br />Whoa! Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed!!! I'm shocked at what a snotty reply they sent me. I guess this just confirms that I don't want software from this company on my machine!Cathy Pountneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04600819277331440680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5881807458099247013.post-82580102231026757122008-05-03T16:21:00.002-04:002008-05-03T16:30:29.527-04:00Problems with Code Sector - Direct FoldersBack in February, I purchased a product called Direct Folders from Code Sector based on a recommendation of a colleague. This utility is supposed to provide an easier way to manage your folders. Unfortunately, that's not what happened for me.<br /><br />I'm running Vista so I made sure the product was Vista compatible before purchasing. Their website said it was. So far, so good. I bought the product and installed it. So far, so good. Then I started using it .. not so good. Apparently, it only works correctly on Vista if you're running in Admin mode .. which I'm not! The "configuration" option is not accessible without Admin rights, yet that is the option that you're supposed to use to set the tool up to work the way you want. Kinda hard to set it up if you can't run the "Config" option!<br /><br />I contacted product support and they told me they were working on a version that's more compatible with Vista. OK .. I can wait a little while .. but how long is a little while. I repeatedly asked them WHEN this newer version will be available and they never replied to any of my requests. After a month I got disgusted and uninstalled this product from my machine. I then asked them for a refund, explaining the problem. Again, I have gotten no responses from them despite repeated attempts to ask for a refund.<br /><br />So apparently this company only responds when you're buying the product. Anything negative and they pretend they didn't hear you! BUYER BEWARE!!!Cathy Pountneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04600819277331440680noreply@blogger.com2