How to print a general field by using Word and Visual FoxPro 9.0 or earlier versions

MORE INFORMATION

Using a memo field would be one way to store the data and have it print correctly in the Report Designer. The problem with this method is that any formatting such as underlining, bolding, or different font sizes of the text is not allowed in a memo field. A word processor is needed to format data in this way and storing it into a general field is the only way to keep the formatting of the data intact. Instead of using the Report Designer to print the general field, sending it to a word processor like Word for Windows will allow all of the data in a general field to be printed correctly.

Below are two examples of code that use OLE Automation to call Word and then use WordBasic or Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) commands to pass the data to Word. The first example works only with Word 6.0, Word 95, or Office Word 2003 with any version of Visual FoxPro. The second example works only with Word 97 and Visual FoxPro versions 5.0 with Service Pack 2 and 6.0. If the error "OLE error code 0x80020005: Type Mismatch." occurs, then look at the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: If using the example that works with Word 6.0 or Word 95 and the following error occurs, then the data in the general field of the table was inserted with Word 97: Change to the second example using Visual FoxPro 5.0 SP 2 and Word 97 to pass the data to Word.

To use the code as is, you need to create a table with field names like those below:

   Field Name      Type                    Width
   ----------      ---------               -----
   FIRST           Character                15
   LAST            Character                15
   ADDRESS         Character                25
   CITY            Character                15
   STATE           Character                 2
   ZIPCODE         Character                 5
   GEN             General                   4
				

After building the table and adding some data to each character field, make sure that each general field has been populated by double-clicking on the general field to open it and selecting the EDIT - INSERT OBJECT menu options. With the "Create New" button selected, select "Microsoft Word Document" in the "Object Type" list box and type some data into Word. Close Word to save the data into the general field.

The following code works with Visual FoxPro 3.x, 5.x, 6.0, 7.0 , 8.0, and 9.0 when using Word 6.0, Word 95, or Office Word 2003. Place the following code into a program (.prg) file and run it.

   ************* Beginning of code. ****************

   PUBLIC oWord
    oWord = CREATEOBJECT("Word.Basic")
    WITH oWord
       .AppShow        && Makes Word Visible
       .FileNewDefault && Opens up blank Word document

       * The following Insert commands place the FoxPro fields into
       * the Word document. You can change these commands to place
       * any text in the document.
       * Ensure that the table is already open. If only a portion
       * of records are to be printed, change the EOF() to a certain
       * number so that all of the records do not get processed.
       * Example: DO WHILE RECNO() < 10

       GO TOP

       DO WHILE NOT EOF()
          .Insert("Record: "+ALLTRIM(STR(RECNO())))
            && The above line shows the record number.
          .InsertPara
          .InsertPara
          .Insert(ALLTRIM(first)+" "+last)   && Field in the table.
          .InsertPara
          .Insert(address)
          .InsertPara
          .Insert(ALLTRIM(city)+", "+state+"  "+zipcode)
          .InsertPara
          .InsertPara
          .Insert("Contents of the General Field:")
          .InsertPara
          .InsertPara
           KEYBOARD "{ctrl+c} {ctrl+w}" && Copies and closes the general
                                        && field to the clipboard.
           MODIFY GENERAL gen           && This has to be after the
                                        && KEYBOARD command.
          .EditPaste
          .WordLeft(1,1)
          .EditObject("0")
          .EditSelectAll
          .Editcopy
          .FileClose
          .EditClear
          .EditPaste
          .InsertPara
          .InsertPara
          .InsertPara
           SKIP                     && Move the record pointer to
                                    && the next record.
       ENDDO
       .FileSaveAs("c:\mydoc.doc")  && Saves the Word document as
                                    && Mydoc.doc.
       .FilePrint
       .AppClose
    ENDWITH
   

**************** End of code. ****************
				

If you are using Word 97, Visual FoxPro 5.0 Service Pack 2 and Visual FoxPro 6.0 are the only versions that run this code correctly. Place the following code into a program (.prg) file and run it.

   **************** Beginning of code. **********
   PUBLIC oWord
   oWord = CREATEOBJECT("Word.Application")
   WITH oWord
      .visible=.t.       && Makes Word Visible
    .documents.add     && Opens up blank Word document

      * The following Insert commands place the FoxPro fields into
      * the Word document. You can change these commands to place
      * any text in the document.
      * Ensure that the table is already open. If only a portion
      * of records are to be printed, change the EOF() to a certain
      * number so that all of the records do not get processed.
      * Example: DO WHILE RECNO() < 10
      GO TOP
      DO WHILE NOT EOF()

         .Selection.TypeText("Record: "+ALLTRIM(STR(RECNO())))
           && The above line shows the record number.
         .Selection.TypeParagraph
         .Selection.TypeParagraph
         .Selection.TypeText(ALLTRIM(first)+" "+last)&& Field in the table.
         .Selection.TypeParagraph
         .Selection.TypeText(address)
         .Selection.TypeParagraph
         .Selection.TypeText(ALLTRIM(city)+", "+state+"  "+zipcode)
         .Selection.TypeParagraph
         .Selection.TypeParagraph
         .Selection.TypeText("Contents of the General Field:")
         .Selection.TypeParagraph
         .Selection.TypeParagraph
          KEYBOARD "{ctrl+c} {ctrl+w}" && Copies and closes the general
                                       && field to the clipboard.
         MODIFY GENERAL gen           && This has to be after the
                                       && KEYBOARD command.
         .Selection.Paste
         .Selection.MoveLeft
         x = .ActiveDocument.Shapes.Count
         .ActiveDocument.Shapes(x).OLEFormat.Edit
         .Selection.Wholestory
         .Selection.Copy
         .ActiveDocument.Close
         .Selection.Delete
         .Selection.EndKey(6)
         .Selection.Paste
         .Selection.TypeParagraph
         .Selection.TypeParagraph
         .Selection.TypeParagraph
          SKIP                     && Move the record pointer to
      ENDDO
         .ActiveDocument.SaveAs("Mydoc.doc")  && Saves the Word document as
                                              && Mydoc.doc.
         .Application.PrintOut
   ENDWITH

         .Quit

**************** End of code ****************