>>I am about to embark on a project for a client - creating a CD-ROM product that will use the same VFP database we use to publish a book of financial data for several thousand companies. The basic idea is to create a small VFP app that will allow the user to search the database and view, print, or output as files data about the companies in the book. I do not see this as an extremely complex app, and I am giving thought to exploring some of the VFP query builder products now on the market.
>>
>>I am posting this message to see if anyone on UT has had experience with using VFP as part of CD-ROM-based product.
>>
>>-- I assume that the user would install the search app on his/her hard drive from the CD-ROM. The data tables could remain on the CD. Has anyone ever tried running a VFP app off a CD-ROM?
>>-- Any suggestions on setting up the files on the CD? Is there any reason not to just treat the CD-ROM as normal hard drive directories?
>>-- Any "gotchas" I should be aware of?
>>-- Has anyone had experience - good or bad - with VFP query builders? (The goal here is to allow the user to limit the list of firms based on criteria he/she enters.)
>>
>>Any thoughts, experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
>
>Running from a CD should be no problem. The analogy here is it is a *read-only server drive*. As long as the VFP app is designed to store the data path to a user table (or some other method of easily configuring for the location), the VFP app can use that info to locate and open the DB.
>
>I like Stonefield's query tool. It's reliable and has a nice user interface.

Thanks very much for your suggestions -- I'll check out Stonefield. A good user interface is critical in this type of app.