HOWTO: Use Config.fpw Files with OLE Automation Servers

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Visual FoxPro exposes FoxPro as an OLE server. The Application object provides the top level of the hierarchy. For example, in an OLE client application, you can run the following command to create an OLE object:

   CREATEOBJECT("VisualFoxPro.Application")
					

If you are referencing the VisualFoxPro.Application object, the normal configuration file conventions are adopted since an instance of Vfp.exe is launched (assuming you use CreateObject() and not GetObject()). This means it references the Config.fpw file in the default directory, or you can add to a registry key the -C startup switch that specifies the path to the Config.fpw file. The registry key to modify follows:

   HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{GUID}\LocalServer32
				

The GUID is different for every install of Visual FoxPro. The value of this key for Visual FoxPro 5.0 is:

   C:\VFP5\VFP.EXE /automation -CC:\CONFIG.FPW
				

For Visual FoxPro 6.0, the value of this key is:

   C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\Vfp98\vfp6.exe /automation -
   CC:\CONFIG.FPW
				

When you create your own custom OLE Automation servers, the OLE classes you create are delivered in either a .dll or an .exe file. Before you build the .exe or .dll, add the Config.fpw file into the project and make sure it is marked as included. At run time, the Config.fpw that resides inside of the .exe or .dll file is used.

To specify a different Config.fpw file once an OLE Automation Server is distributed, you can use the same procedure as above and modify the registry key for the OLE server.

NOTE: If you have included the Config.fpw file in the project, the -C switch is ignored.