Database development and training for Birmingham and the midlands
Specialists in Microsoft Access and Visual Foxpro database training and development
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March 2015
I have now retired and am taking on no new work. I'd like to thank all our customers over the past 20 years. It really has been a most enjoyable time.
FoxPro files
Microsoft Access and SQL Server both keep everything in a single, large file. FoxPro has always spread data and programs across a number of individual files which may or may not be in the same directory.
Broadly speaking, FoxPro files fall into three categories:
- Plain text in ASCII files
- Data in dBase format dbf files
- Binary data in various FoxPro formats
Text files
| Extension | Contents |
| .bak | Backup of a program file. Also used for the backup of a dbf file. |
| .err | Project build errors. |
| .mpr | Generated menu program. |
| .prg | Program code. |
| .qpr | Generated SQL query. |
| .spr | Generated screen program (Fox 2.6 and earlier). |
| .txt | Text. |
dbf files
FoxPro has built on the dbf format introduced in dBaseII.
| Extension | Contents |
| .bak | Backup of a .dbf file. Also used as the backup of a text file or program. |
| .dbf | Data for fixed-length fields. |
| .cdx | Compound index. |
| .fpt | Data for memo fields, images and objects. |
| .tbk | Backup of memo fields. |
Note that the .bak and .tbk files are only created as backups when you change the structure of a table. They don't act as day-to-day backup of data.
Every table will have a dbf file. If it has a cdx or fpt or both then those two or three files must reside in the same directory and you must copy them as a set. Flags in the dbf indicate whether a cdx or fpt should be present and you won't be able to use the dbf if these files are missing.
FoxPro also uses the dbf format to hold design information in the following files. Each set of three extensions correspond to the .dbf, .cdx, and .fpt files above.
| Extensions | Contents |
| .dbc, .dcx, .dct | Database container. |
| .frx, .frt | Report data and memo (no index). |
| .lbx, .lbt | Label data and memo (no index). |
| .mnx, .mnt | Menu data and memo (no index). |
| .pjx, .pjt | Project data and memo (no index). |
| .scx, .sct | Form (or screen) data and memo (no index). |
| .vcx, .vct | Class library data and memo (no index). |
Binary data
| Extension | Contents |
| .fxp | Compiled program. |
| .mpx | Compiled menu program. |
| .spx | Compiled screen program (Fox 2.6 and earlier). |
More detail
FoxPro Help has full details of these files and their structure. Type "help file structures" into the Command Window.
