SET DEVELOPMENT Command

Causes Visual FoxPro to compare the creation date and time of a program with those of its compiled object file when the program is run.

SET DEVELOPMENT ON | OFF

Parameters

  • ON
    (Default) Specifies that Visual FoxPro recompile the source program before it executes if it is more current than its compiled object program. This option ensures that the most current version of a program is executed.
  • OFF
    Specifies that Visual FoxPro not compare the source and compiled versions of the program. If SET DEVELOPMENT is set to OFF, you might not always be executing the most current version of a program.

Remarks

SET DEVELOPMENT needs to be set to ON when programs are modified outside of Visual FoxPro. Using an external editor — for example, a terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) editor — may require you to issue CLEAR PROGRAM before you execute the modified program. For more information, see CLEAR PROGRAM. Use SET DEVELOPMENT OFF for optimum performance.

When SET DEVELOPMENT is set to ON, program execution can be canceled during a READ. The Cancel command on the Program menu is available when SET DEVELOPMENT is ON and a READ is active. Choosing Cancel during the READ cancels program execution. If SET DEVELOPMENT is set to OFF, the Cancel command on the Program menu is unavailable during a READ.

SET DEVELOPMENT also determines whether the Trace window is opened when an error occurs within a Form that is running. If SET DEVELOPMENT is ON, the Trace window is opened with the program line that caused the error selected. If SET DEVELOPMENT is OFF, the Trace window is not opened when an error occurs in a Form.

See Also

COMPILE | MODIFY COMMAND | MODIFY FILE