>>Hi everyone,
>>We are at first time considering using the 3rd party framework to develop application to link with SBT Pro 5.0 accounting system. SBT was developed by VFP 5.0.
>>Among those frameworks out there, can you give us ideas of which one is a good choice, and what not to choose for what reasons.
>>These frameworks are
>>1. F1 tech's FoxExpress
>>2. Primatrix
>>3. Maxframe
>>4. The Mere Mortals
>>Thanks a lot!
>
>I looked at several frameworks before choosing ProMatrix.
>I don't have really anyhting bad to say about the other frameworks you listed, I just like ProMatrix the best.
>The learning curve on it was very small, I went through their tutorial and created an application in very little time.
>As with all frameworks it does not do some of the things that I want, but it is very easy to extend.
>Here are some of the features that I like:
>Data Dictionary
> Referential Integrity
> This works pretty cool, you define the interigty between tables.
> You list the fields for a grid that gets displayed user enters an illegal
> value.
> You can also link to a form so they can ADD/EDIT on the fly.
> To use this Integrity on a form you just drop the control on the form.
>Form Classes
> These allow you to easily make one-to-many, single record (preferences),
> related pages (many tables with related information on different pages),
> Very easy to to build and place grids on forms.
> You can build a list for each form, this allows the user to bring up a
> searchable grid for the selected table.
>Overall it has been a good product for me...
>The support is through a news group and some good fellow developers.
>I think the first 90 days you get free support via the internet, then you have to pay.

One thing you have to keep in mind when choosing a third-party framework, is the fact that in order to sell to a wide variety of VFP programmers, they need to solve virtually every problem that could arise in VFP.

That's why the BEST framework you could use is the one you write yourself. No-one else has a better idea about the specific requirements for you system than you, so you know what you'll need and what you won't.

Now granted, to do it right, you'll need an an extensive analysis and design phase. All that will take time, but it's always better to this in the beginning than later, and you're program will be better for it.