VFP 8 was released to manufacturing at the end of January and became available to MSDN subscribers less than a week later. By the time you read this issue, it should be available through retail channels.

I want to focus here on what VFP 8 offers that will change the way you work.

Changing the way you code
The first area that's really different in this version is dealing with data, especially remote data. The new CursorAdapter class lets you work with ADO, ODBC, XML, and native VFP data the same way. You can design and test an application with native data, then change a couple of properties and work with remote data. Same thing if you suddenly need to switch from ODBC to XML or ADO. CursorAdapters give you the best of remote views and SQL Pass-through, but eliminate some of the problems of those approaches to client-server work.

The next big area you'll want to rethink is error handling. The introduction of structured error handling with the TRY-CATCH-FINALLY syntax lets you eliminate tons of nested IFs and CASE statements. It also results in more readable code. For details, see the Answers column in the February 2003 issue and Andrew MacNeill's article in this issue.

The ability to bind code to VFP events and to fire events offers new solutions to old problems. The BINDEVENT() function lets you connect code to events dynamically so, for example, you can hook a progress control into an existing process without having to touch the original process's code. Similarly, you can fire code for events occurring in objects for which you don't have source.

Dealing with certain container classes, such as pageframes and grids, has long been a problem because they always used the appropriate baseclass for their contents. VFP 8 lets you indicate what page class is used in a pageframe, what column and header classes are used in grids, what data environment class is used in a form, and so forth. This means you can design without having to work around artificial limits.

Changing the way you work
VFP 8's new tools change things, too. The Toolbox replaces the Form Controls toolbar, but you can use it not only to put controls on forms, but to manage Web services, pieces of text, and other files you use frequently. See Cindy Winegarden's articles in the January 2003 issue and this issue for more information.

Now that we have Code References, it's hard to imagine how we ever lived without it. This new tool lets you search for, and even replace, strings or regular expressions in a project. I've used it extensively to examine the code for the new tools. It also offers the ability to quickly find the definition of an item. For more information, see the Answers column and Andrew MacNeill's article, "Code References Tool Outdoes the Filer," in the March 2003 issue.

The Task Pane Manager may completely change the way you approach the development environment. It comes with built-in panes for a number of common tasks and can be extended in all kinds of ways. Expect third-party vendors to provide VFP task panes for their products. For more information, see my article in the February 2003 issue, "Introducing the Task Pane Manager," and my article in this issue.

There are also significant enhancements to several of the existing tools. The Query/View Designer has the most changes. For the first time, it's reliable enough to handle almost any query you can throw at it. Best of all, it now features two-way editing, so you can directly change the code it generates.

There are a number of usability changes to the Form Designer and Class Designer, including a new View Parent Code button. The Report Designer also has some changes, including a new _PAGETOTAL variable that makes the "Page x of y" formulation a breeze.

Supporting future development
If all these changes and the dozens I haven't mentioned aren't enough to get you to upgrade, consider the future of Visual FoxPro. You need to make it clear you're still enthusiastic about this product, and want Microsoft to continue to enrich it. You can do that by purchasing VFP 8.

Another way you can support the VFP team is by sharing your successes with the world. Microsoft has a template for writing case studies at http://www.gotdotnet.com/team/vfp. The best will be posted at Microsoft.com.

I'm more excited about Visual FoxPro 8 than any new version since the transition to object-orientation in VFP 3. This version is solid and offers an exciting mix of new functionality and tools that let you create better applications more easily. If you've worked with the public beta, you know what's in store for you; if you haven't, I think you'll be pleased.

Microsoft says that 80 percent of the changes in Visual FoxPro 8 came from community requests. You asked for it, you got it, now support it.