Hi Hank, and all the others above:

What I'm looking for is a framework into which I can plug my existing BLL and leave the "routine stuff", data access, UI, and so forth to the framework. So long as the framework isn't too constrained and the resulting screens are decent appearing and efficient I've achieved most of my goals. Reporting in this old app is not a major feature. For marketing purposes I mainly want the app to look modern, not like a warmed over Windows-95 thingy, which it started out as.. Once I achieve that I'm covered for the next five or six years in which time I will (the market place providing) do a rewrite in something else.

For sure, I need a framework that has decent support and a good community. Otherwise it'll take me two or three times as long to get up to speed, or longer, and that doesn't make good sense.

If I am reading things right it looks like the field to consider is Visual Fox Express, Visual Extend, and ProMatrix.

Thanks everybody for your comments.

Scott


>Hi Scott,
>
>I know of 2 enterprise, LOB apps written in ProMatrix. One has 550+ tables, and works against SQL Server. The other has around 225 tables or so, and works against SQL Server. They are deployed around the world, in Tier 2 and Tier 1 companies. The bulk of the programming was done in each by developers who are primarily domain experts. Good programmers, and great domain experts.
>
>The strength of ProMatrix is the ease with which it can be modified. What made those apps work was extensive modification of the ProMatrix framework, adds and fixes and new tools. While we're using the tools and libraries, we are no longer selling them, nor providing training classes: there's no market.
>
>I wouldn't recommend you use VFP for any conversion at this point though: you will have to learn a whole lot of new things, including the framework you use, and that will be a lot of time to put in for a base product that is now out of normal support, and will be out of extended support in less than 3 years.
>
>The best new product I've seen coming to market is Lianja: you can use your VFP skills, and move your product really into the 21st century. Still to be known (it's at the end of an 18-month beta process now, with V.1 set for a month from now) is the actual pricing: what's on their web site is going the change, but I don't know exactly how. What I've heard is that "developers are going to like it." I hope so, as it really seems to me to be the best of the available worlds. Warning: if you look at it, you will wonder how your app is going to fit into that UI model. Unless you spend a lot of time on a SmartPhone and a Tablet -- in which case you will know.
>
>hth,
>
>Hank
>
>>I'm planning on a "last hurrah" for a 17 year old product that is basically FPW2.6, even though I'm using VFP9. The plan is to make one last major upgrade, bringing the app into the 21st century with a better UI. I've taken a brief look at CodeMine, MereMortals, and ProMatrix. Of the three ProMatrix seems to be the only product with something of a user community, training videos, current updates, and a free version to play around with.
>>
>>I am going to use a framework, that's certain. Another certainity is I need input from others.
>>
>>Thanks.