Carlos Yohn - AGP

[Carlos2024Agp]

Hi everyone,

My name is Carlos Yohn and i'm the owner os a really small company which has being developing VFP applications since DOS times.
Now, I'm looking for a new language to test, evaluate learning time for new projects and, in the future, moving the old ones.

I new about X# a few days ago and came to have my first contact. I'm absolutely lost. What should we read, test... for getting in touch with X#? What does foxpro flavour exactly means?, how to work with visual objects like forms, reports, etc.?

Any suggestion will be welcomed.

Thanks in advance.
Regards

[wriedmann]

Hi Carlos,
I can fully understand that you are lost....
First: X# was started as migration tool for Visual Objects, and support for VFP (and other XBase languages) were added later.
Second: contrarily to VFP, X# is a compiler and not an interpreter, and is using the .NET runtime.
Third: in the X# IDE (both VS and XIDE) there are some samples to try out.
Forth: there is a X# Academy on Youtube, and there are some sessions specially for VFP users.

For seeing some syntax samples and concepts you could give a look to the https://docs.xsharp.it website.
I suspect you are using Visual Studio?

Wolfgang

[Carlos2024Agp]

Hi, Wolfgang

Many thanks for answering.
For sure I'll take a look into Youtube academy and web sites.
We are not using Visual Studio; just Visual Foxpro Advanced 32 & 64 bits.
We've also tested Windev but i hate it: seems to be selling clothes and just for men, if you look at their advertisements.

So do you advise to install full IDE in addition to other learning ways?

Regards,

[wriedmann]

Hi Carlos,
to work with X# you need some sort of IDE.
X# supports both Visual Studio and XIDE (developed by one of the team members, Chris Pyrgas).
It is just a question of preferences, but in our small company (3 people that are working regularly with X# other than with Visual Objects) we have decided for XIDE.
We feel that XIDE makes it easier to work with source code, and gives us more working space, other than being much faster to start up and edit.
Wolfgang

[xinjie]

Hi Carlos,

Checking https://github.com/X-Sharp/xsharp-notebooks out should get you into X# faster if you're coming from VFP. My guess is that you should have more experience with .NET than I do. Of course, I recommend the VS IDE.

[Fabrice]

Hi Carlos, (and Xinje)

As Xinje told you there might be an alternative before jumping into the big X# pool

Xinje has already given you the link : Be aware that we currently didn't make an announcement because this is still a work-in-progress, but... It is fully working.
If you have any trouble with it, please send me a message.

I hope to have an announcement soon after the release of the next release of X# (that is currently in Beta)

Regards,
Fab

[Carlos2024Agp]

Thanks everyone.

For sure I'll take a look very carefully every link and options you all gave me.
Just 'philosophical' questions: What exactly X# is?

Is a new programming language?
One you build a project, compilation is in .NET?
So, we will have access to every advantage of .NET?
What a dialect is? A set of fox-similar-way commands and statements that later will be translated for compiling?
...

But, if you think i'll learn these questions after studying your links ignore them.
Thanks a lot.
Regards

[Fabrice]

Carlos,

Just 'philosophical' questions: What exactly X# is?

X# project is a compiler and a set of libraries and tools.

Is a new programming language?

Yes ... and No !
X# support dialects :
The base-one is called X# Core : It is a C# cousin in terms of functionnality, but with a kind-of Visual Objects Syntax (LOCAL, IF/ENDIF, FOR/NEXT, ...)
But, when you changed the settings, the compiler can recognize others dialects like VPF, xBase++, ... For eg, with VFP you can use a variable even if you don't type it or declare it : With the VFP settings, the compiler will recognize that VFP construction and add some internal "decoration" to support it.
So yes X# Core is new, but with X# dialects we are supporting "old" xBase languages

One you build a project, compilation is in .NET?
So, we will have access to every advantage of .NET?

Yes and Yes !!!

What a dialect is? A set of fox-similar-way commands and statements that later will be translated for compiling?

Yes, you can say it that way.
We have a set of Library/Tools to support VFP : a VFP Runtime for some specific VFP Functions, Classes... a VO Runtime for some specific Visual Objects Functions, Classes, ...
And with the right compiler setting, the compiler will recognize some specific dialect constructions.

HTH,
Fab

[Carlos2024Agp]

Really fine your explanations, Fabrice. Many thanks.
And that sounds so good...

Now what i need is to study, begin to make test projects and a huge community of users for helping.
Regards.

[xinjie]

Carlos,

Well, maybe at first you'll be overwhelmed by the various concepts of X#. But, take it from me, you'll find it very ‘simple’ again.

You can think of it as VFP running on the DotNET platform. Although, its compatibility with VFP is not perfect.I'm sure it will be done to perfection.