Setup Wizard

Last Updated OnDecember 29, 2018

As a developer, you can use the Setup Wizard as a quick and easy first step in creating a new Report Set. The wizard makes it easy to import your files and fields. If you are using a VFP Database and you have defined persistent relationships the wizard will also import your Relationships.

Foxfire! Setup Wizard

Note: Remember that this is a good way to get started with a new data source, but it will not give you access to all of the options available in setting up Report Sets. We recommend that you start here, and then use the Report Set Editor as needed to fine tune your Report Set.

You can close the Setup Wizard at any step. The steps you have completed will be saved. You can then modify your settings using the Report Set Editor.

This is the first step in the Setup Wizard process. The name you assign here will be the name of your new Report Set. Your choice of VFP tables or ODBC Data Source will affect how the rest of the wizard functions.

Foxfire! Setup Wizard

Name for your application: Specifies name of the Report Set you are creating.

Abbreviation for your application: A 4 character abbreviation for this Report Set. You may enter this, or use the abbreviation Foxfire! creates.

Advanced: Click on the Advanced button to access the Foxfire! file paths screen. That screen will allow you to set the locations for various tables and table names used by Foxfire!

Make this Foxfire!’s startup application: Check this box to make this Report Set the default each time you start Foxfire!

Select Data Source

VFP Tables: You are using FoxPro tables for your data source. These can be free tables or tables contained in a VFP DBC or tables defined in a DBCX table.
ODBC Data Source: You are using an ODBC data source such as Access, SQL Server, Oracle, Sybase, or SQL Anywhere.

Foxfire! 8+ Developer Help

Foxfire! file paths

Purpose: Override the default File Paths and Data Dictionary file names for this Report Set.

How This Affects The Reporting Experience: Foxfire! stores files in several different folders. This screen allows you to override the default locations of these files. Foxfire! stores Data Dictionary information in several System Files. This screen also allows you to override the names of the System Files.

Foxfire! Setup Wizard

Foxfire! File Paths – Foxfire! will set the default locations for your Report Layouts, Output from Requests and Data Dictionary. You may override these locations on this screen.

Data dictionary file names – Foxfire! uses 4 files for it’s data dictionary. The file names are created using the 4 character prefix specified in the Application Name and Data Type screen followed by a 4 character file name. This combination creates a unique file name for the data dictionary for the Report Set you are building. You may override these names if you wish.

Foxfire! 8+ Developer Help

Select Tables

Purpose: Specify which tables from your application you want to include in your Foxfire! Report Set. If there are tables in your application that will never provide data fields for reporting, filtering or sorting, you can exclude them from Foxfire!.

How This Affects The Reporting Experience: The tables you select here will be added to your Foxfire! Report Set. All of the fields in each selected table will automatically be added as Data Items. If you are using a VFP DBC with relationships defined, the Relationships will be added to your Foxfire! Data Dictionary.

Foxfire! Setup Wizard

Note: This screen will only be displayed if you selected VFP Tables on the Application Name and Data Type screen. If you specified that you are using an ODBC Data Source, you will see the Remote Data Source Information screen instead of this screen.

Select

DBF Dir: Specifies that your data source is DBF free tables. Specify the directory where the tables can be found.
VFP DBC: Specifies that your data source is a VFP DBC (Database Container). Specify the location and name of the DBC file.
DBCX: Specifies that your data source is defined in a DBCX table. Specify the location and name of the DBCX file.

Unloaded File List/Loaded File List: The available files will be listed. You may Double click to move a single file between the unloaded and loaded lists or you may click on the file to highlight it then click on the Load button. Unloaded files are lifted in the left pane, loaded files are listed in the right pane.

Load: Click to load the currently highlighted file in the unloaded list.
Load All: Click to load all files.
Unload: Click to unload the currently highlighted file in the loaded list.

Remote Data Source

Foxfire! 8+ Developer Help

Remote Data Source Information

Purpose: Specify the parameters needed for connecting to an ODBC (non-FoxPro) data source.

How This Affects The Reporting Experience: By providing for ODBC data sources, Foxfire! greatly expands your data source options. As long as your data source has an ODBC data driver available, you can unlock that data and make it available to your Foxfire! reporting environment.

Foxfire! Setup Wizard

Connection Type: Specifies when your data source will be opened. This allows you to control when Foxfire! will establish the connection to your data source.

Only when processing Requests
Whenever Foxfire! is open
As required, leave open
Externally Controlled

Data Source: Specifies the type of data you are working with. The drop down list will contain an entry for every ODBC driver Foxfire! finds on your system.

Use ID and Password: Specifies whether or not you want to store a User ID and Password. If you store the User ID and Password, Foxfire! will use it in logging in to your data source. Otherwise, the user will have to enter the User ID and Password each time the data source is opened (if login is required by the data source).

User ID: Specifies the User ID for the data source being described.

Password: Specifies the Password for the data source being described.

Use Connection String: Specifies whether you need Foxfire! to store the Connection String for your data source. The Connection String provides the link between Foxfire! and your data source. If Foxfire! is going to manage opening the data source, click this checkbox and enter the connection string in the box below. If the connection to your data string is not being managed by Foxfire! you can leave this un-checked.

(Connection String): Specifies the connection string Foxfire! will use to open your data source. Leave empty if Foxfire! is not opening the data source.

Display SQL Warnings to users: Specifies whether you want Foxfire! to display SQL warning messages to end users.

Connection Timeout: Specifies the length of time (in seconds) Foxfire! will wait for a successful connection.

Query Timeout: Specifies the length of time (in seconds) Foxfire! will wait for a response to a Query.

Idle Timeout: Specifies the length of inactive time (in seconds) Foxfire! will wait before severing a connection.

Packet Size: Specifies the packet size for data retrieval from the data source.

Connect: Connect to the Remote Data Source.

Build String: Build the Connection String for the Remote Data Source.

Foxfire! 8+ Developer Help

Set Relationships

Purpose: Specify relationships between the tables for the data source you are setting up.

How This Affects The Reporting Experience: In a relational database environment related Data Items will be spread across multiple physical tables. By defining the Relationships between tables here you eliminate the need for the person designing reports to understand these Relationships. The designer simply selects fields. Foxfire! knows how to connect the tables to retrieve the requested Data Items.

Foxfire! Setup Wizard

Setup relations using the Foxfire! Relationship Finder: Invokes the Relationship Finder screen to help you define relationships between tables.

Parent Table: Specifies the name of the Parent table. This is the table on the one side of the one-to-many relationship.

Expr: Specifies the expression (normally a single field name) in the parent table that will provide the link to the child table.

Child Table: Specifies the name of the Child table. This is the table on the many side of the one-to-many relationship.

Expr: Specifies the expression (normally a single field name) in the child table that will provide the link to the parent table.

Add: Add a new relationship.

Reverse: Reverse the relative positions of the parent and child tables. The parent becomes the child and the child becomes the parent.

Delete: Delete the highlighted relationship.

Relations: Displays the relationships that have been defined.

Notes:

If you are using a VFP Database Container with persistent relationship defined, those relationships will automatically be created and will show up on this screen.
If you modify persistent relationships here, they will only affect your Foxfire! environment, they will not affect your actual VFP database.
You may also create and modify relationships using the Relationship Editor.

Finish
In addition to completing the Setup Wizard process, this screen allows you to do two things:

Make this Report Set the default Report Set when you start Foxfire! and
Start the Foxfire! Relationship Finder if you have not already set up your relationships on the Set Relationships screen.

Foxfire! Setup Wizard

Make this report set the default: Set this Report Set as the default Report Set that will be active when Foxfire! is started.

Data Files Loaded Verify: Displays a count of the number of tables loaded. Click on Verify to see a list of the tables and fields that have been loaded.

Relationships Created Verify: Displays a count of the number of relationships that have been created. Click on verify to see a list of the relationships have been created.

Start the Foxfire! Relationship Finder: Start the Relationship Finder to set up relationships if you have not already done so.

Note: If you find any errors or missing fields or relationships after running the Setup Wizard, you should use the Data Item Editor to fix data problems and the Relationship Editor to fix Relationship problems.

Setup Wizard

See also