I needed to learn Visual FoxPro in a hurry.  So I did what I always do when I want to learn to use some kind of software in a hurry.  I turn to the "...For Dummies" books.  In this case, the best I could find was from 1997, when FoxPro was in its 5th edition.  Still, I knew that it would help me get started, even though FoxPro has matured quite a bit since then.  So, I bought Jim Keogh's Visual FoxPro 5 For Dummies and I set out to learn the system.

Like all of the books in the series, this one has a very specific audience in mind.  The book assumes that you know how to work in Windows environment and that you have at least a small understanding of databases.  It also presumes that you know a little bit about programming.  In other words, this book is perfect for someone like me - someone who can program in other languages, who has worked with databases in the past, but who needs to learn the specifics about Visual FoxPro. 

Like all Dummies books, the book is divided into major parts. 

The major parts in this book are:

•·        Databases and Tables
•·        Ways Programmers Manipulate Data
•·        Working With Forms
•·        Reports, Labels, and Graphs
•·        Things That Make a Big Difference
•·        The Part of Tens

Right away, by looking at the part titles, I knew this book would get me started, and that by the end, I would be able to construct a Visual FoxPro database, build a visual form for easy data entry, and create reports and graphs from the data.  What's clearly missing from this book is an in-depth look at the actual programming language; that aspect of the system requires a more advanced book, one that can be read after you understand the basics covered in this book.

You may be wondering what that last part is all about.  This section is in all of the Dummies books - That's the section where they list various "Top 10" lists that you need to know about the subject at hand.  For example: "Ten Things That Sometimes Go Wrong" and "Ten Best Keyboard Shortcuts". 

Like all books in the series, I found this one to be a delight to read.  The books cover material that could be considered "dull" in as enjoyable way as possible.  Cute jokes and pictures are peppered throughout the text.  They use language that is definitely suited for "everybody".  They don't bog down with technical jargon that only programmers could possibly understand. 

And they make great strides to refer to other sections in the book, when helpful to the current topic.  For example, Chapter 17 talks about creating ‘classes' from default controls.  If you were only interested in that one topic, you could certainly skip ahead to that section.  But modifying a ‘class' is accomplished the same way that modifying controls is accomplished, which is covered back in Chapter 11.  So when they talk about modifying the class, they make sure to direct you back to Chapter 11 in case you need to learn how to do that step.  In other words, they don't assume that you've necessarily read the entire book cover-to-cover.  They encourage skipping around, and point you backwards, as necessary to help you out.

Throughout the book, there are cute icons that help identify various types of sections.  There's a picture of a target which represents a helpful tip.  A picture of a finger with string around it is for a reminder.  And the bomb about to explode denotes a warning or a common pitfall.

In my experience, most of the chapters of the book were very useful, straightforward, and easy to understand.  I had no trouble following along with all of the examples so I could "practice" as I went.  The figures throughout the book were accurate, helpful, and easy to read.  This is in direct contrast to a more recent "Dummies" book I read where I found the figures to be too light, and difficult to read. 

On the other hand, there was a section on networking that I felt could have been left out of the book entirely.  After all, networking is an entire other topic, one that deserves its own reference books.  The small amount discussed in this book was not particularly helpful for Visual FoxPro users.  I felt the author could have simply mentioned that FoxPro can be used in a shared environment, and perhaps he could have mentioned the relevant record-locking commands.  Nothing else was really necessary for the intended audience of this book to read.

Instead, I would have preferred a few more details in some of the other sections.  Here's just one such example: in the entire section about creating reports, not once did they mention how to add page numbers to the report.  I've designed a few thousand executive reports in my programming life, and I would never turn in a report without the date, the time, and the page numbers.  Such a basic thing should have been included in any discussion on building reports!  (By digging around, I eventually found two system variables called _pageno and _pagetotal that worked in the report).

Still, as a beginners guide to getting starting with Visual FoxPro, this book is a great start.  Despite being a bit "light" in some areas.  And a bit "heavy" in the mostly useless network area, I still feel it's a great resource.  Obviously, I need to go further in order to become proficient in the actual programming language, but at least now I understand the basics, and can get started!

Windows 7 For Dummies

Recommended: Yes