What's new in the Visual FoxPro Community

West Wind Technologies has released version 5.41 of its Web Development framework for Visual FoxPro. Web Connecton makes it easy to build Web and distributed applications with Visual FoxPro using pure Visual FoxPro code within the Visual FoxPro environment for all coding and debugging and optionally using Visual Studio for rich HTML design and markup using the new Web Control Framework. This update is primarily a maintenance release that fixes a few minor and one critical problem related to Cookie management. It is recommened that if you're using Version 5.x that you update to this latest version. In addition there are a handful improvements in the Web Control framework that enhance operation in source control environments as well as a few small core framework changes. As always registered users of V5 can get a free update or you can download the free shareware version to get started.

Oak Leaf Enterprises is extending the early-bird special for our latest .NET for VFP Developers ON-LINE Training Class, January 13-15, 2009, 11am-4pm Eastern. This live, online training class has been completely updated to include information on the new .NET 3.5 and Service Pack 1 technologies such as the Microsoft Entity Framework, Silverlight 2.0, Windows Presentation Foundation, Windows Workflow, and Windows Communication Foundation. We are now using GoToMeeting's Voice-Over-IP technology so there is no longer a long-distance phone call charge when attending the class! It is taught by Kevin McNeish, author of the book .NET for Visual FoxPro Developers, a Microsoft .NET MVP, and an internationally popular INETA speaker. This class has helped many VFP developers climb the .NET learning curve and gain confidence in building well-designed Windows and Web applications in .NET. The class is just $499 with our early bird special which is good through January 9, 2009. The entire class is recorded using Camtasia for your later review! Just go to our home page (http://www.oakleafsd.com) and click on the Training link.

A few days ago we discovered a fairly serious problem in West Wind Web Connection's permanent cookie and Session handling code due to a now expired, hardcoded Cookie expiration date. Although this problem had been partially addressed in recent versions through an updated wwPageResponse class, existing customers of older versions are bound to see their applications failing with Session and permanent cookies not 'sticking'. We've posted a blog entry that describes the problem and the easy fix. If you are running Web Connection, regardless of version you'll want to check this out as well as your applications to make sure your apps are working properly.

The December 18, 2008 maintenance release of VMP has been posted to the VMP web site. This release contains one (minor) bug fix reported by a VMP developer since the last maintenance release.

Oak Leaf Enterprises announces our latest .NET for VFP Developers ON-LINE Training Class, January 13-15, 2009, 11am-4pm Eastern. This live, online training class has been completely updated to include information on the new .NET 3.5 and Service Pack 1 technologies such as the Microsoft Entity Framework, Silverlight 2.0, Windows Presentation Foundation, Windows Workflow, and Windows Communication Foundation. We are now using GoToMeeting's Voice-Over-IP technology so there is no longer a long-distance phone call charge when attending the class! It is taught by Kevin McNeish, author of the book .NET for Visual FoxPro Developers, a Microsoft .NET MVP, and an internationally popular INETA speaker. This class has helped many VFP developers climb the .NET learning curve and gain confidence in building well-designed Windows and Web applications in .NET. The class is just $499 with our early bird special which is good through January 31, 2008. The entire class is recorded using Camtasia for your later review! Just go to our home page (http://www.oakleafsd.com) and click on the Training link.

The next meeting of the Philadelphia VFP User Group will be next Tuesday, December 9 at 7:00 PM. This month, we'll begin an exploration of VFPX. Bob Pierce and Tamar Granor will show some of the VFPX projects, including the Property and Method dialog replacements, FoxCharts, GDIPlusX, and the Outlook Bar control. VFPX is an Visual FoxPro community open source project dedicated to enhancing and extending Visual FoxPro. It includes developer tools, enhanced controls, the Sedna components, the various Xbase tools that come with VFP, and more. The items to be shown at this meeting range across the spectrum of VFPX projects. They include some items you can use immediately and others to keep in mind for the right project.

December 9th will be our last and best meeting of 2008, a night of short presentations from our members and an evening of Christmas cheer. Mike, Steve, Randy, Tom, and Bill have volunteered to show -- an approach used for sending program and data updates to desktop users and getting around problems with Vista permissions. -- a Mind Mapping tool used to track and display unsystematic data. -- Analyst.app, the VFPX Source Code Analyzer as reviewed at SouthWest Fox. -- interesting takes on Docu-Wiki. -- a few grid enhancement libraries, and if time allows, interesting uses for the web browser control on a VFP form. Times are tough. All the more reason to support, attend, and build your organization. The insights, connections, and inspiration we get from the group give us a needed competitive edge. Date: December 9th, Time: 5:30pm Place: Monadnock Building, 53 W Jackson Blvd. Suite 826. Chicago Loop.

Has a VFP guy do realize that you also need to know more about .NET and SQL Server? DevTeach believe that all developers need the right tool to be productive. This is what we will give you, free software, when you register to DevTeach or SQLTeach. Yes that right! We're pleased to announce that we're giving over a 1000$ of software when you register to DevTeach. You will find in your conference bag a version of Visual Studio 2008 Professional, ExpressionTM Web 2 and the Tech-Ed Conference DVD Set. Is this a good deal or what? DevTeach and SQLTeach are really the training you can't get any other way.