Programming for Shared Access

If you create an application that will run on several machines in a network environment or if several instances of a form will access the same data, then you must program for shared access. Shared access means providing efficient ways of using and sharing data among users, as well as restricting access when necessary.

Microsoft Visual FoxPro provides support for shared or exclusive access to data, locking options, data sessions, record and table buffering, and transactions. Although these features are useful particularly in shared environments, you can use them in single-user environments too.

In This Section

• Controlling Access to Data
  Discusses effective data management in a shared environment, and how you must choose how to access the data and when and where to limit that access.

• Updating Data
  Explains how to update data using buffers, transactions, or views.

• Managing Conflicts When Updating Data
  Discusses how you can anticipate and manage the inevitable conflicts that result from data update operations.

• How to: Detect Updating Conflicts
  Describes how you can detect changes in fields during data update operations.

• Optimizing Applications in Multiuser Environments
  Discusses how to improve performance when writing applications for multiuser environments.

Related Sections

• Optimizing Visual FoxPro in a Multiuser Environment
  Describes how to improve performance when running Visual FoxPro in a multiuser environment.

• Web Services and Components
  Describes how to extend a basic Visual FoxPro application so it can work for multiple users, access and distribute Web services, use Microsoft ActiveX controls and automation-enabled applications, and add international capabilities.

• Sharing Information and Adding OLE
  Discusses using ActiveX controls and object linking and embedding in your application to link to data and use the strengths of other applications.

• Working with Data
  Provides information to help you create effective applications by analyzing data requirements and designing your application components to meet those needs.