How
to Choose a Visual FoxPro Framework
|
|
 |
Visual FoxPro developers are blessed to have a number of
commercial application development frameworks to choose from.
However, the blessing of choice brings with it the confusion of
sorting out the pros and cons of the different frameworks. At first
glance it may appear that the available frameworks are all pretty
much the same, but appearances are deceiving. In fact, the
frameworks differ dramatically in ease of use, stability,
performance, support, documentation, vendor stability, and the tools
and features provided. |
|
|
| If you are looking
for a framework to help you with your Visual FoxPro application
development, you need to compare the frameworks very closely. Here are
some suggested guidelines to follow in making your comparison and in
choosing a framework:
Note:
We realize that this is a "long" page and your time is valuable,
but if you're seriously looking for a VFP framework, this may be the most
valuable page you'll ever read!
|
Important:
This discussion assumes three things:
- You're in the business of creating
computer applications, and time means money to you or to the
organization that employs you.
- You have made the decision to use a
framework. If you have not made the decision to use a framework, see
"Who Should Not Use
ProMatrix".
- You are smart enough or experienced
enough to know that the application wizard and foundation classes that
come with Visual FoxPro won't give you what you need to create easily maintained, professional
applications. (If you think you can base your application development
on the VFP application wizard and the VFP-provided foundation classes,
you need a commercial framework even more than most developers do.)
|
1.
Don't Be Concerned About Price!
Don't be concerned about price? You're probably thinking: "That's easy for you to say!" But the
fact is that any one of the better-known frameworks will pay for itself
almost as soon as you take it out of the box. How much is your time worth?
Unless you're giving your time away, you'll certainly save enough time in
just the first week of use to more than pay for any of the available
frameworks. The fact is that you can't afford not to have a framework if
time means money to you. The available VFP frameworks are tremendous
bargains when compared to the time it would take you to create what even
the simplest of the frameworks provides.
As far as the difference in price among the
available frameworks goes, you generally get what you pay for. While the
available frameworks don't vary all that much in price, they do vary significantly
in what they give you. You will find that a low-priced
framework has a low price for a reason. It may not provide many tools and
features. It may not have been on the market long. As you compare prices, keeping
the following important quotation in mind:
|
|
"The
bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price
is forgotten!" |
| Truer words were never spoken! |
2. Compare Framework Free
Demo Versions
A framework vendor should provide you with a free demo version of its
framework. (If you can't get a demo version to evaluate from a vendor, you
may be wise to drop that framework from consideration.) A free demo will
quickly help you evaluate the quality of a framework. If a vendor's sample
application doesn't have much in it, beware. If a vendor's sample
application continually "bombs", that probably isn't the framework for you. |
2. Compare
Sample Applications
A framework vendor should provide you with a sample of an application
built with its framework. (If you can't get a sample application to
evaluate from a vendor, you may be wise to drop that framework from
consideration.) Sample applications will quickly help you evaluate the
quality of a framework. If a vendor's sample application doesn't have much
in it, beware. If a vendor's sample application continually
"bombs", that probably isn't the framework for you.
How VPM Compares: The
VPM Sample
Application will clearly show you that Visual ProMatrix provides many
more professional tools and features than any other framework. The VPM
Sample Application even includes the features of VPM International to
demonstrate its multilingual capability. Be sure to download and read the
VPM
Sample Application Manual; it guides you through a comprehensive tour
of the VPM Sample Application and demonstrates the quality of VPM
documentation. |
3. How Does
the Framework Enhance Your Productivity and Your Applications?
A framework should provide tools and features that every professional
Visual FoxPro application ought to have. Why should you reinvent the
wheel? A framework should also organize and automate the routine tasks
required to build an application. In our opinion, a framework should
provide the following tools and features as a minimum:
- An Application Builder that
will generate a starter application for you.
- Form and control classes
that help you create sophisticated forms.
- Builders that automate form
creation.
- Toolbars - you'll want a
vendor-provided form toolbar with sophisticated data
manipulation controls.
- An Extended Data Dictionary;
the VFP data dictionary doesn't go nearly far enough.
- Field Picklists
automatically generated from data dictionary table relations.
- A Referential integrity
engine; the VFP referential integrity engine just won't do the
job.
- A Data Validation engine.
- An Error Handler.
|
- Audit trails that record
all data changes; you can't create a professional financial
application without audit trails.
- Security - user access,
menu, field and control level security are mandatory in
professional applications.
- A Report Manager interface.
- A Related Forms engine that
automatically coordinates parent, child, grandchild, etc.
forms..
- A data-driven Messaging
system.
- An Update Builder to help
you package updates for installed applications.
- Primary Key Generator.
- Compound Key support.
- A field and context-sensitive Help
engine.
- Multi-User capability.
|
|
| How
VPM Compares: As you have probably already guessed, VPM
Enterprise is the
only framework that provides all the tools and features listed above. VPM
provides many more tools and features that are nice to have - see "Why
You Should Choose ProMatrix" and "VPM
Tools and Features" to learn more. While VPM
Standard doesn't provide all the tools and features of VPM Enterprise, it
does provide more tools and features than the other VFP frameworks available
to you. |
4. Evaluate
Support.
Look carefully at the support a framework vendor provides. How much free
support do you get when you purchase the framework? Is there a place to
call when you need emergency support. Is there an online conferencing
system that allows you to communicate with the vendor's support staff and
other framework users? If not, how will you get ongoing support? Does the
vendor have a published description of the support plans available when
its free support runs out?
How VPM
Compares: ProMatrix provides free New
User Support and affordable Priority
Support Plans when your free support ends. The
ProMatrix
Newsgroups are the most extensive and active online support vehicle
provided by any framework vendor. Visit the ProMatrix Newsgroups, and you
will find that the ProMatrix user community is the largest and most
supportive by far. |
5. Does the
Vendor Provide Periodic Training?
Does the vendor hold periodic training sessions? The better framework
vendors do. Most framework vendor training sessions operate like
consulting sessions where you can ask questions specific to your
development requirements. If you are considering a framework from a vendor
that provides no opportunity for training, you might want to think twice
about going with that framework. Where would you be if you find out that
you could really use some special training and none is available?
How VPM
Compares: ProMatrix has been holding regular training sessions
(at least four per year) since 1995. Our training sessions are tailored
for beginners, intermediate users and advanced users. In addition to
regular VPM/VFP training, we also host our unique VPM Solutions Workshops,
which are designed to address the specific needs of attendees. |
6. Talk to
Users.
Most framework vendors will provide you with endorsements from satisfied
users. However, there's no substitute for talking directly to a
framework's users. They'll tell you the pros and cons of the different
frameworks. If a vendor has an online conferencing system, you can leave
your questions for users there. If the vendor doesn't have an online
conferencing system, ask the vendor for references from both new and old
users.
How VPM
Compares: You can reach ProMatrix users through the
ProMatrix
Newsgroups. You'll find that many ProMatrix users have tried other
frameworks but have settled on VPM, and they feel strongly about it.
You'll also find that ProMatrix users are real pros. |
7. Examine
the Documentation.
Check out the documentation provided by frameworks you are reviewing. Are
there printed documentation manuals in addition to online help? If not,
why not? A lack of printed manuals seems to us to indicate a certain
degree of "incompleteness" in the vendor's packaging of its
product for sale. If a vendor couldn't find the time to create printed
manuals, what else might they have left out of the framework itself? Are
there samples of documentation available for your review? If so, is the
documentation well organized and thorough?
How VPM
Compares: Did you know that ProMatrix may be the only
framework vendor that provides printed documentation manuals? We make much
of the
VPM
documentation available for download from the ProMatrix Web. Download
it and read it. You will see that it's excellent. Try finding
documentation like ours with any other framework. You won't be able to. If
we have gone to so much trouble to provide excellent documentation, what
does that tell you about the excellence we have put into Visual ProMatrix
itself? |
8. How
Stable Is the Vendor? How Long Has the Vendor's Framework Been on the
Market?
One of the great things about FoxPro is the abundance of third-party
add-on products. These third-party products can enhance your productivity
significantly. However, sometimes abundance brings risk. Some of the
FoxPro framework vendors are relatively young and thinly capitalized
organizations. When you invest in a FoxPro framework, you should expect
support for that framework to be available for many years to come.
Therefore, before you invest in a framework, you should assure yourself
that the developer of the framework is a stable, successful organization
that won't be folding its tent anytime soon.
How VPM
Compares: Visual ProMatrix was the first complete framework
released for Visual FoxPro. ProMatrix is the best selling framework for
Visual FoxPro by a wide margin. The principals of the ProMatrix
Corporation have been successful software vendors for over 15 years. (You
can see the qualifications of the ProMatrix principals for yourself by
selecting the "About Us" link on the ProMatrix Web Home page.) The
success of ProMatrix and the success and experience of the ProMatrix
principals means that your investment in Visual ProMatrix is safe and
secure. |
9. How
Frequently Does the Framework Vendor Release New Products?
Does the framework vendor have a track record of releasing new products on
a timely basis? How long after Microsoft releases a new version of Visual
FoxPro does the vendor release a new framework version? Microsoft has
released four versions of Visual FoxPro over the last eight years. If a framework vendor doesn't
release new versions of its framework soon after Microsoft releases a new
version of Visual FoxPro, you will be stuck with an obsolete framework.
How VPM
Compares: Visual ProMatrix was the first complete framework
released for Visual FoxPro 3.0. We released VPM 5.0 for Visual FoxPro 5.0
four weeks after Microsoft released VFP 5.0. We released VPM 6.0 for
Visual FoxPro 6.0 two weeks after Microsoft released VFP 6.0. We released
versions of our products for Visual FoxPro 7.0 within four weeks after
Microsoft released VFP 7.0. No other
framework vendor comes close to matching the ProMatrix record of keeping
its framework versions current with Visual FoxPro. |
In
Conclusion
We hope our guidelines for comparing frameworks will help you choose the
right framework for you. We are confident that you will choose Visual
ProMatrix.
Whatever framework you choose, we hope you
choose it carefully. We also hope that you now realize that the frameworks
differ dramatically in ease of use, stability, performance, support,
documentation, vendor stability, and the tools and features provided. They
aren't all the same by far. |
| |
