I have been involved recently with a lot of behaviour driven design with Javascript. It has made me realize that there is definitely a gap that is begging to be filled. In my opinion Foxpro/DBase is a database DSL and should stay with its strengths. So what I would like, would be to forget about the user interface, HTML/Javascript handles that and not just client-side web interfaces (check out Cordova, Node & node-webkit). JS handles events and asynchronous programming much better that does the Fox. But what it doesn't handle well is business rules. Because of the callbacks it gets messy and draws attention away from the task of implementing business logic.
Currently I am interfacing Node to Fox through sockets and COM and it works well. But what I would love to see is Foxpro in the Node environment. So what I would like to see would be a translator that could take Foxpro code and implement it in JS through an ORM like Bookshelf.js. A while ago I started on a basic translator under .Net through the Gold parser but dropped it when I started working with Node.js and realized that it was a superior environment. Without going into all the gory details of the process, I believe it is possible to do if you have access to a database dictionary at the time of translating and running the resulting JS. The indexes etc can be translated into queries by referring to the dictionary. There are a few database design issues that need to be resolved (such as record timestamps and a central locking table). Then again I might be oversimplifying it. As a couple of examples of translating to JS, there is a popular language called CoffeeScript that translates to JS and is built using the open source Jison compiler. The all powerful Antlr4 compiler also has a JS target, so there are ample open source compilers to choose from. MS has made a strict typed JS translator called Typescript (so they can sell more tools). The nice thing though about TypeScript is that it uses traditional OO, and its strict typing defaults to duck typing when a type hasn't been specified. Sorry for the brain dump, well.... you did ask:) On Tue, May 20, 2014 at 8:50 PM, Man-wai Chang <chan...@gmail.com> wrote: > On 19 May 2014 22:16, Dave Crozier <da...@flexipol.co.uk> wrote: > > On the basis that VFP will never be updated now or taken over into the > "open source" world - whatever M$ say and promise... > > > > What is it that you would like added into VFP that would make it once > again into a market leading product? > > > > Just my 2 cents worth: > > > > 1. Simple integration into SQL and the ability to say just change a > driver that would instantly use SQL tables as opposed to VFP ones. > > > > 2. Real time debugger with the ability to change code on the fly without > re-running the program > > > > 3. Multithreading > > > > 4. Inbuilt list processing > > > > 5. Free Text indexing aka PHDbase but built in ... This would be covered > of course if (1) above were to be implimented. > > > > 6. A cloud class built in to manipulate cloud data > > > > There, that's a start > > > > Dave > > > > PS - it's not very busy here at the moment... hence the diversion! > > [excessive quoting removed by server] _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: ProFox@leafe.com Subscription Maintenance: http://mail.leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://mail.leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech Searchable Archive: http://leafe.com/archives/search/profox This message: http://leafe.com/archives/byMID/profox/cakt3opc8dt+enzp8ee8o39udjaqa+p-avbvwtk_t66rbn_-...@mail.gmail.com ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.
