Special Terms for Configuration Files

The following table lists special terms you can use in configuration files.

Note   You can also use the SET commands, system variables, and the _STARTUP setting in configuration files. For more information, see Creating a Configuration File under Configuring Visual FoxPro.

Special terms available in configuration files

Term Description
ALLOWEXTERNAL ON | OFF
Specifies whether settings from an external configuration file as specified by the -C command-line switch (or located in path) are read in after those from an internal one. The ALLOWEXTERNAL term is ignored unless it is bound inside of an application.

Default is ALLOWEXTERNAL = OFF

BITMAP ON | OFF
Specifies whether Visual FoxPro first writes screen or form updates to an off-screen bitmap, and then performs a bit block transfer (bitblt) to the screen. BITMAP = OFF can improve performance when application are accessed using Windows Terminal Server clients.

Default is BITMAP = ON

CODEPAGE
Specifies a number that identifies the character set used for files. Setting CODEPAGE to AUTO selects the current operating system code page. A list of possible values can be found in Code Pages Supported by Visual FoxPro.

CODEPAGE = nValue | AUTO

COMMAND
Specifies a Visual FoxPro command to execute when Visual FoxPro is started. The syntax to use is the following, where cVisualFoxProCommand is the command to execute:

COMMAND = cVisualFoxProCommand

EDITWORK path
Specifies where the text editor should place its work files. Because work files can become large, specify a location with plenty of free space. Default is the startup directory.
ENGINEBEHAVIOR
Enables SQL data engine compatibility with Visual FoxPro 7.0 or Visual FoxPro 8.0. For more information, see SET ENGINEBEHAVIOR Command.

ENGINEBEHAVIOR 70 | 80

INDEX extension
Specifies the extension for Visual FoxPro index files. Default is .idx.
LABEL extension
Specifies the extension for Visual FoxPro label definition files. Default is .lbx.
MVCOUNT
Sets the maximum number of variables that Visual FoxPro can maintain. This value can range from 128 to 65,000. The default is 16,384.
OUTSHOW
Disables the ability to hide all windows in front of the current output by pressing SHIFT+CTRL+ALT. Default is ON.

OUTSHOW = ON | OFF

PROGWORK path
Specifies where Visual FoxPro keeps the program cache file. For faster performance, especially in a multiuser environment, specify a fast disk (such as a local disk or RAM disk, if available). Allow at least 256K for the cache (however, the file can grow larger). Default is the startup directory.
REPORT extension
Specifies the extension for Visual FoxPro report definition files. Default is .frx.
RESOURCE path[\file]
Specifies the location of the FoxUser resource file. The file argument is optional; if not included, Visual FoxPro looks for the FoxUser.dbf file. If the specified file does not exist, it is created. Default is the startup directory (path) and FoxUser.dbf (file).
SCREEN
Specifies whether the main Visual FoxPro window appears when opening Visual FoxPro. The default for SCREEN is set to ON. Setting SCREEN to OFF is useful when an application consists of one or more top-level forms that are displayed in the Windows desktop, making the main Visual FoxPro window not required. For further information on top-level forms, see Defining Form Behavior.

SCREEN = ON | OFF

SORTWORK path
Specifies where commands such as SORT and INDEX should place work files. Because work files can become up to twice as large as the tables being sorted, specify a location with plenty of free space. For faster performance, especially in a multiuser environment, specify a fast disk (such as a local disk). Default is the startup directory.
TEDIT [/N] editor
Specifies the name of the text editor used when you edit program files with MODIFY COMMAND or MODIFY FILE. Include the optional clause /N with TEDIT to specify a Windows text editor (for example, Microsoft Word for Windows). Default is the Visual FoxPro editor.
TITLE title
Specifies the title that appears in the caption bar of the main Visual FoxPro window. Default is "Microsoft Visual FoxPro."
TMPFILES drive:
Specifies where temporary EDITWORK, SORTWORK, and PROGWORK work files are stored if they have not been specified with any of the other options. Because work files can become very large, specify a location with plenty of free space. For faster performance, especially in a multiuser environment, specify a fast disk (such as a local disk). Default is the startup directory.

For more details about optimizing performance, see Optimizing Applications.

See Also

Creating a Configuration File | Configuring Visual FoxPro | SET Command | Using SET Commands | Specifying the Configuration File to Use | Using a Configuration File