Q130524: BUG: COPY TO ARRAY Behaves Differently from dBASE

Article: Q130524
Product(s): Microsoft FoxPro
Version(s): WINDOWS:3.0,3.0b,5.0,5.0a,6.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kb3rdparty kbvfp300bBUG kbvfp500aBUG kbvfp500bugkbbuglist
Last Modified: 11-FEB-2000

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, versions 3.0, 3.0b, 5.0, 5.0a, 6.0 
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SYMPTOMS
========

Using the command COPY TO ARRAY <array name> FIELDS <field list>
where one of the fields in the field list is a calculated expression generates
one of the following errors:

- Not a character expression.

-or-

- Command contains unrecognized phrase/keyword.

CAUSE
=====

Calculated expressions are not evaluated in the COPY TO ARRAY command.

NOTE: This is a common practice among dBASE programmers and will cause legacy
code to break.

RESOLUTION
==========

To resolve this error message do one of the following:

- Modify the structure of the source table to accommodate result data from
  calculated expressions.

-or-

- Create the array using the SQL syntax. This syntax permits calculated
  expressions to some degree. For example, if you need a four-element array
  that contains data from three specific fields in your table in addition to a
  calculated expression, your code would look like this:

     SELECT product, units, cost, (cost*unit) ;
        FROM products ;
        INTO ARRAY aTemp

  Here product, units, and cost are fields from a table called products and
  (cost*units) is a calculated expression.

-or-

- Create the array with an extra element and STORE the results of the
  calculation in the corresponding array element by using a FOR loop. For
  example, if you need a four-element array with 10 rows and the last element
  in the array should contain the calculated expression, your code would look
  like this:

     DIMENSION aTemp[5,10]
     FOR i = 1 TO 10 STEP 1
        STORE (i + 1) TO aTemp[5,i]
     ENDFOR

  Here (i + 1) is the calculated expression.

STATUS
======

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at
the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new
information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

Additional query words: kbvfp600 kbvfp300 kbvfp500

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Keywords          : kb3rdparty kbvfp300bBUG kbvfp500aBUG kbvfp500bug kbbuglist
Technology        : kbVFPsearch kbAudDeveloper kbVFP300 kbVFP300b kbVFP500 kbVFP600 kbVFP500a
Version           : WINDOWS:3.0,3.0b,5.0,5.0a,6.0
Issue type        : kbbug

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