This document discusses various ways to generate and parse HTML using Visual FoxPro. It covers built-in features like Save as HTML, the Web Publishing Wizard, and the HTML Report Listener. It also discusses using SQL selects, XML/XSLT, the CursorToHTML class, and string handling functions to programmatically generate HTML. For parsing HTML, it recommends using string extraction functions, IE automation, and examples like ParseDemo.PRG.

1. HTML and Visual FoxPro

2. About Me
 President/Founder F1 Technologies since 1990
 Co-author Visual FoxExpress
 Speaker
 Consultant
 Xbase Developer since dBase III/FoxBase 1987
 Web Developer since 1994

3. Contact Me

4. Agenda
 HTML Features in VFP
 Generating HTML with VFP
 Parsing HTML with VFP

5. HTML Features in VFP
 Save as HTML
 Web Publishing Wizard
 GenHTML
 Foundation Classes
 HTML Report Listener

6. Save as HTML
 What
 Allows forms, menu, reports and tables to be saved
as HTML.
 How
 Open/Create a Form, Menu, Report or Table
 From File Menu Choose Save as HTML
 Why
 Limited use for forms & tables
 Useless for menus.
 Moderately Useful for reports.

7. Using the Web Publishing Wizard
 What
 Generates HTML, Script and more for use in publishing data
 How
 Tools -> Wizards –> Web Publishing
 Why
 Generate HTML to publish on the web or distribute
 Generate Code to use in applications to generate HTML on the
fly.
 Most useful output formats are IE only.

8. GenHTML.PRG
 What
 Default HTML generation program for VFP
 Referenced by _GENHTML
 GENHTML.PRG in VFP HOME() directory.
 Called by all we’ve covered so far
 How
 Do (_GENHTML) WITH …
 Why
 Automate publishing reports/data to HTML

9. HTML Foundation Classes
 What
 HOME() + [FFC_INTERNET.VCX]
 _DBF2HTML
 _FRX2HTML
 _SCX2HTML
 HOW
 FFCSample.PRG, FFCSAMPLE2.PRG & FFCSAMPLE3.PRG
 Why
 Generate an HTML Table, Output an SCX layout to HTML,
Output a report to HTML

10. HTML Report Listener
 Most Useful of Built-In
Features
 See Cathy
Pountney’s Session:
Making the Most
of VFP 9 SP2
Reports

11. HTML Report Listener
 New Advanced Page in Expression Dialog in
SP2
 HTML Related Properties
 HTML.Link
 HTML.Anchor (Name)
 HTML.Alt-Title
 CSSClass.OverrideFRX
 CSSClass.ExtendFRX
 HTML.PrintablePageLink
 Example: FanList2.FRX

12. Generating HTML with VFP
 SQL Select directly to HTML
 XML & XSLT
 CursorToHTML Class
 GenForm Class
 HTML Text Merge

13. SQL Select to HTML
 What
 Use VFP SQL Select to generate HTML
 How
 How
 SQL Select to Text File w/ HTML
 SelectToHTML.PRG
 Why
 Easy
 Performance

14. XML & XSLT
 What
 Uses XML and XSLT (via COM or .NET interop) to convert XML
to HTML
 XSLT = EXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformations
 How
 XSLTExample.prg, XSLTExample2.prg, GenericXSLT.PRG
 Why
 Output data to HTML using XSLT
 Use .NET framework
 Performance

15. CursorToHTML Class
 What
 Class to render HTML from VFP data
 How
 Instantiate, set properties, render
 TestCursorToHTML1 - 6.PRG
 Why
 Fast, Flexible, Easy, All VFP

16. Parsing HTML with VFP
 What
 Read HTML into VFP
 How
 ALINES()
 STREXTRACT()
 IE Automation
 ParseDemo.PRG
 ParseDemo3.PRG
 Why
 Data Mining
 HTML manipulation

17. Conclusion
 VFP has a number of built-in ways to generate
HTML
 Most uses are limited
 It’s easy to roll your own HTML generators
 VFP’s String Handing Capabilities make it easy
to parse HTML
 IE Automation is also an easy way to parse
HTML