*   dBase Dialect
  *   Procedural Language Components
  *   Object-Oriented Programming
  *   Database Container Elements for Business Integrity Rules
  *   Extensibility and Reuseability unknown anywhere else
  *   Performance second to none...

Couple all these qualities with other Microsoft and third party component compatibilities such as ActiveX, XML/Web Services and interfaces that make "Visual Foxpro" the leading developer's work environment!

    DPRB learned "Foxpro for Windows" by using "Foxexpress," the Cross-Platform release for both DOS and the Visual predecessor Windows platform version.

    F1 Technologies introduction to its product-line of "Visual Foxexpress" remains a leader in both development tool add-ons designed around the "Object-Oriented Programming" developer environment (OOPs) and how I preferred to utilize its predecessor release as a prototyping tool for my customers to literally "see" the proposed design in a full-blown, workable demonstration of DPRB solutions!

    In 1993, Microsoft announces two new versions of its Foxpro-line of developer tools in a 2.6 release of the two primary platforms:   DOS and Windows.   The ability to integrate what was referred to as cross-platform applications was a big plus as over half the computing world was still using DOS-based computer systems.

    Foxpro appeal to me is it is a dBase dialect or programming language is COBOL-oriented, the defacto dp standard of professional computer programmers, Common Business Oriented Language (COBOL.)

    Not only reuseability of a decade-plus skill set in COBOL, but provided what is referred to as "extensibility," the ability to write my own functions, internal and transparent to the development language as "user-defined functions."   User - being developer.

"Microsoft showcases Visual Foxpro 7.0 at the latest Developer's Conference in San Diego, California in September, 2001!"

All the major feature areas of Visual Foxpro have been improved upon.   The latest area of business solutions is the Internet and communication via the Internet both with electronic mail (email) and web-based application systems that allow an organization to utilize "web services" (WS) and go beyond HTML with XML!

    Marketing-types want to gain or promote a product by saying:   "It is not your father's Foxpro..."

    Quite the contrary and I beg to differ - it is your father's Foxpro, mine, and much, much more!   It is component.   It is ready to meet any challenge, any problem solution thrown it.   And, therefore, a developer versed in the earlier DOS/Windows-based versions of the source code will be able to readily migrate the source code of those solutions to Visual Foxpro and take advantage of enhancments we only dreamed of five years ago!

DPRB Browza™ Library

    *   Taking advantage of Visual Foxpro properties (PEMs)

    *   Incorporating DPRB extensibility

    *   Providing my customers with the Ultimate User-Interface!


    As a professional programmer with three decades of development experience and two decades as an independent consultant, DPRB has evolved and designed a primary user-interface (UI) that meets the primary needs of my clients' ability to "communicate" with their data in their business solutions!   The Browza™, a spin-off of an old term "..to browse a file or spread-sheet."

    The Browza™ was rooted in the DOS World of Computer Programming and in 1993 evolved to an extensibility level of component library procedures that allowed DPRB to integrate in a Point-of-Sale System for a major bicycle manufacture.

    Data Dictionary-based systems followed and "compact index tags" for finding records and other related data-driven constructs were incorporated so that today the user-interface (UI) hasn't changed much for the client and all made seamless and transparent to the user of the application.

    In the early days of PC computing, you were required to enter a code or some other ambiguous form of keyed field entry to even "open" a file!   A lot has changed...

    DPRB felt that you shouldn't have to know much more about a file content then the designated name of the file, ie, "customers, orders, inventory," in order to "open" the file...   Therefore, all application menus have a link to the major supported files that is one click away!

Examine, please - the menu bar of one of my oldest clients' Order Entry & Sales Reporting System -    

Intuitive Operation, ie, "one click away..."

    Click on "Customer," "Products," or "Invoicing" and you will see the Browza™...

    Now, that - in itself - is not any major accomplishment

    Coupled with the control buttons, with active hot keys based upon the old DOS keyboard, and you have a dynamic file interface!

    Coupled with intuitive operation and button naming convention, eg, "Closed, New (Record,) Update (Changes,) Remove (Delete,) Find (a record,) View (Flat-Record View, see below,) Top (..to "jump" to the top of the file, in order,) and Sheet (a print-out of the hi-lighted record in the Browza™" and now, "JKEY Me!"   - says it all!

    Not quite ... hold on, please ...   there is more.

    A pop-up list which identified the "views" or order in which the file records may be seen (in.)   And, we didn't stop there - ascending/descending order views.

    Many of you, of course, grew up with software that did not provide you with both options, ie, browse-type view of the records of your master files and/or a so-called flat-view -- that, by the way, are both navigate'able.   Yes - you can skip thru the records of your file one at a time in a flat view format, click on links illustrations below, or a full page of records at a time that may be easily viewed and scanned and is a treasure for customer service based applications!

    You may be asking yourself "Where, in the world, did DPRB come up with this (obvious) extension of utility?"   The answer is simple.   DPRB was hired by American Honda Motor Company, U.S.A. in 1985 to produce a Tech Support System for the Motorcycle Division, a dealer-oriented, customer service/support application.

    Assigned to the Office Automation Group, and the only professional computer programmer on staff, I was augmented by software-solution providers "pushing" Symphony, a Lotus spread-sheet product, down the throats of Honda administrators and users.

    The users liked the user-interface.   You could see your file records in a row and when designed well, key pieces of information taken from the file were listed in the first (visible) columns.   I had to ommit, it was hard to over-come objections from end-users of computer systems with a database-oriented application solution because it seemed everything was in "flat-view" format, one record (viewed) at a time mode...

    But, that wasn't all that bothered end-users - there was the "getting in" to the file records that was rediculous.   You had to know something about the data, eg, cost center, ID, name of a customer record, sometimes even worse -- a long, assigned customer no. to locate the customer!!!

    While the spread-sheet based solution, you just had to remember the name you gave the document, like a word processing application, in order to "pull it up."

    As a consultant to Honda, and the past ten years as a vendor to Honda, DPRB was fortunate enough to provide direct database application support to Honda, on-site, for some 7 years from 1985 thru the beginning of 1992, and ironically, leaving my on-site post the same month Microsoft acquired the rights to Foxpro, Version 1.0.

    Programming skills are very important and a formal education in the sciences related to programming logic and design, coupled with a business degree in real-world application requirements.   But, those years of being directly involved in the day-to-day routine of Honda end-users was a real experience in the what I term the "human factor."   Factoring in object-oriented programming and component design is fine, but delivering what the client needed is far more important, in my humble opinion/estimation.

DPRB Browza™ Library

    Foxpro-based environment is the key to DPRB success today!

    *   Intuitive (User) Operation

    *   Augmented "surface" interfaces to -

    *   View Records Content -   Customer   Product   Job Order   Judge Ruling

    *   Find Other Records on File -   Job Order   Auto Inventory   Real Estate   More...

    *   ' Y 32-Bit Conversion Project Illustrations -   Customer   Product   Invoice   Ruling

    *   w/32-Bit Visual Foxpro Browza™ - "JKEY Me!"

    JKEY has been around a very long time, but no longer ships with the 32-Bit version of Visual Foxpro.   It is an add-on that few end users appreciate as much as a software engineer!   With JKEY, the Browza™ interface is enhanced to a new level of capabilities.   Notice, to the right, the Browza™ controls and the associated view order pop-up control.   Invoicing look-up by 'Y Code is illustrated here, Code 5002.

    Now, keep in mind, that this new feature works in conjunction with the current setting of the "view order" pop-up.   You change the view order, and you can literally "jump" through the records, eg, Shipment month,   Order month,   or Invoice No.   - to mention only three (3) of several view order options!   Compare this one with competitive products!

    *   'Y JKEY Me! -   City,   'Y Name,   State,   Zip Code,   or how about - 'Y Code,   Telephone No.,   geez - even Street Address!

    *   JKEY Me! for Product Catalog - now, if you can not find a product in your order entry catalog, you better hope you have over 50,000 products and can't type!!!   Because your excuses are "slim'n none." - Description,   Product Code,   or Vendor/Supplier; two sequences - Vendor/Supplier plus Product Code!

    *   JKEY Me! - Judge Rulings   Case No.   Parties   Calendar   Dept   Points'n Authority

    *   JKEY Me! completes the "Filter Criteria" search capability ...

    *   Print-out/get results!!!     Prompt   And, now - Preview Option!

    Limitations of having to print everything was originally implemented with word processing and spread-sheet applications.   It is now an integral part of Foxpro-based application systems as well, a previewer functionality.

    Let me recap things, so far - you are given your business solution requirements in a capsul that crunches your numbers, processes your data, prints your reports and everything else in between that you so desired to be automated plus the Browza™ !

    There are many more features associated with DPRB software development projects that I would be remiss not to bring to a prospective clients attention -

    Utilizing Data Dictionary infrastructure, the Ad Hoc Reporter™, External Report Forms Control UI and Browza™ for Forms Maintenance.   These elements make it easy to produce reports for any (filter) criteria you so desire from the same files that a primary Browza™ is designed for.   And, that is only the beginning - external report formats/layouts that you can integrate in your applications seamlessly and transparently without reengineering the software executable module.   External means just that - outside the module, but is "recognized" by the software by adding a report form via the Browza™ for Forms Maintenance UI and become "visible" to the Ad Hoc Reporter™ UI via the External Report Forms Control UI !

What is that?!   You mean, I can modify the design of my reports now?!

A:Yes!   Repeat - Yes!

Intrigued?   Want to learn more about designing your own reports?!
Click here   Note - illustrations are in 16-Bit motif.

Here are some new 32-bit motif illustrations!

Judge's Rulings - The Clerk-Wiz@rd™

Modify Report   Changes...   "Font me"   32-Bit Previewer
    Visual Foxpro has added two significant "control objects" to the "arsenal of tools" available to the Foxpro Developer:   Tab Window Design and more efficient browser object referred to as a "grid."   To illustrate the integration of these two new control objects in DPRB work, please click on the following UI designed to evaluate ten years of sales data along with the current year!   It was originally designed comparing 2-years only and with the introduction of multiple years to the range of a decade, required a completely new design using Tab sub-paging; coupled with the integration of four grid control objects.   Click here.     Unit Sales Grid/Tab     Market Share Grid/Tab     "Taking screen real estate to the limit!"   Model Filter List     Mouse double-click a specific model for selection, in red, illustrates grid functionality integrated in Visual Foxpro control objects.   Show me everything on this model!     And, how about Order of View Options?     Covered!   Coupled with the user demand for full functionality, covered - is it any surprise that the solution could not be properly addressed without using the development environment of Visual Foxpro?!   A:No...     Good News:you can benefit too!     Bad News:when???
 
   
"Taking it to the limit!"

    Now, that you have had an opportunity to see the evolution of the DPRB Browza™, designed with a proprietary library of functions, let me introduce you to the completely upgraded 32-bit Visual Foxpro release/version utilizing visual objects, properties, forms and grids.

    Click here - to learn more.

    All conversions; migrations will be compiled with the latest version of Visual Foxpro using 32-bit Dynamic Load Libraries (DLLs) whether you choose the non-grid motif or the more advanced grid-motif.

    New project work, of course, will utilize only Visual Foxpro.

    Learn more about making reports for Foxpro tables...

    I'm sure I have gotten a lot of you interested and hopefully motivated to either email me (here) or simply pick up your phone and dial (702) 326-6753 and please - leave me a message if I am not in.   I am a very small consultancy organization, ie, small-time operator. You'll be happy you did.   Thank you for your attention and review of my services and offerings.   I look forward to developing a business solution for your organization!

   

Establishing DPRB in 1981, I take great pride with having such long-term clients as the Y.M.C.A. of Metro Los Angeles where all the coffee bugs, posters and children skill packs come out of using my Order Entry application used since 1981 and currently based in Foxpro for Windows in 1998 for a national network of over 2,000 Y's !   dBase II to Foxpro ...



Writing over 3 dozen large solutions for all divisions of
American Honda Motor Co., U.S.A. in Torrance, California
since 1985 has been another source of inspiration and
professional development.

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Wizard-based line of software products for organization web sites
on the Internet was DPRB next, logical step ...

    The document chart to the left, represents static web site pages.   Static - being fixed/published.

    Static is still best; complete with high performance, loading time and publishing content capabilities.   XML and other noted web service functionality is fine, but no match for the defacto standard of HTML.

    Think of the chart to the left as a hierarchy where the top page documents represent a Table of Contents followed by the individual listings for new or used car inventory by model, type or make; real estate listings by zip code, price or several logical shopping methods and you will understand why it is key to have such pages static/published - not generated on-the-fly, ie, "bottle-neck" of Internet transmission (bandwidth) issue.

    The "spinsters" or marketing execs producing nothing, but hype would have you believe that XML-performance or web services is such that transmission bandwith issue is not an issue.   This is certainly not the case.   Bandwidth, as we know it today and for the foreseeable future is being heavily taxed.   Computer hackers that are creating viruses that clog the Internet super-highway transmission lines with thousands of bogus transmission traffic illustrates this.

    The end of the Year 2000 was full of many spinster promises and investors finally caught up with the reality of the new media of communication and resolution to practicle uses of the Web, as we know it.   The (literal) collapse of the Internet industry, I believe, is good for the industry.   Clients and investors alike will not be persuaded by such claims of methodology very easily and focus on one of the major reasons for the Internet overall success - information access and distribution unknown to mankind.

    DPRB has brought down its entire web site to take away a lot of the humor-based approach utilized before and gearing up for the Year 2002 as a target for our new Visual Foxpro line of tools for industries such as Auto Dealers, Real Estate Agents, Chamber of Commerce Execs and just about any organiztion wanting the capability of publishing (static) pages on their own web site.   That's right - their own web site.   DPRB has been one of the very few, very rare promoters of this technique.   Ironically, considered "progressive thinking" today, but it should have become very obvious to all management personnel utilizing the basic or traditional methods of distribution of company catalogs, listings and other important elements of customer service.

    Online order processing applications will survive, but will take a "back seat" to information-based (web) sites for business entities, in my humble opinion.

    When can Data Processing Rare Birds get you started?!

    Email DPRB today!

    Or, better yet - pick up that old fashion phone now and dial   (702) 326-6753

    Serving Orange & L.A. Counties since 1981 !

    And, the world since 1994 !!!

    Frank "dFox" Picchione, Owner/Operator of DPRB

p.s.   Off-the-Shelf versions of DPRB line of publishing wizards is still available, but will not be promoted quite the same way as an emphasis on retro-fitting and providing custom releases of these tools designing to your publishing needs more exactly!

* Auto Inventory   * Real Estate Listings   * Organization Publications

..founder of such trademark expressions as the Mini-Homep@ge™

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Foxpro logos and other Foxpro-related trademarks are the respective property
of their own corporations such as Microsoft, F1 Technology and Micromega.
These organizations have no affiliation with DPRB.
Thank you.