When we run into issues like this with the ever changing m$ garbage we =

try to use open office. We find that it will do the conversion in most =

cases.=20

----- Original Message -----=20

From: Jack Skelley=20

To: profox@leafe.com=20

Sent: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 8:47 AM

Subject: RE: When will I learn?

Kenneth:

I have been burned with a similar stuff so you are not alone and I feel =

your pain.

I did an automation to Word 2000 out of our scouting system written VFP =

6. Works great in Word 2000. Does not work well with Word 2007 on the =

new boxes and I simply don't have the time or energy to fix it to make =

it look 'perfect'. It is a report that takes the FRX and makes is a DOC =

file.

We have a M$ fellow that is a member of a cigar group I belong to and I =

bend his ear very hard every chance I get. I think he doesn't like to =

see me on most days...

Similar issues with the CDO email constructs with the latest rollups to =

Exchange 2007. The 2007 part of any M$ app will cause us Fox folks to =

lose more pounds of hair that we all can not afford to lose (at least on =

my part - no pun intended!).

Regards,

Jack Skelley

________________________________________

From: profoxtech-bounces@leafe.com [profoxtech-bounces@leafe.com] On =

Behalf Of Kenneth Kixmoeller =

[ken.kixmoeller@information-architecture.com]

Sent: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 11:29 AM

To: profoxtech@leafe.com

Subject: When will I learn?

<< Warning! Warning!! Microsoft rant ahead! >>

<< All who rail about M$ bashing delete this message NOW! >>

<< You have been warned. >>

It happened again.

Last year, I got a nice little data conversion project which fits one

of my other specialties: publishing with InDesign. So I thunk: what

the heck, just a bunch of text manipulation, why not use the Fox? I

can knock this out fast, Fox will do it well, the client is married

to M$, so no cross-platform issues, etc.

So I do it. Had a bit of problem with the XML, none of the native

tools seemed to like the files, and hand-parsing it would blow the

budget out of the water. No schema available. So I thought: their Web

firm is pure M$ tools, so I wonder if I can expedite the conversion

with a little two-step?

I open the XML in Excel, and it converts absolutely flawlessly. Cool.

Quick little automation script, save the converted data as a DBF, and

on with the conversion to InDesign....

Worked great. Fast. My InDesign skills saved the client *lots* of

design time. Client was pleased. All was right with the world.

Fast forward one year -- this is an annual process. (Hear the ominous

music?) The client runs my conversion utility. "It's broken." %^%*

She reports a really weird-sounding error, so I ask her to send me a

screen shot of it. She does so in a Word document, and I see the DOCX

extension. I get this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Yes,

they had been persuaded to "upgrade" to Orifice 2007.

Fast forward: Excel 2007 no longer will create a DBF.

Now I know I can save it as a CSV and append it into existing

structures. Or maybe I can do something better with the XML bypassing

the automation. Whatever. I can still make it work. But the point is

that M$ changed the rules again. Makes me look like an idiot, and

will cost my client unnecessary $$.

Ken

[excessive quoting removed by server]