>>>I need to be able to open dBase files for shared read/write access but the files have non-standard file extensions. Renaming the files is not an option. The ODBC driver assumes a DBF extension on the tables so building a remote view with the view editor won't work because the files don't show up in the pick list.
>>>
>>>Any suggestions ?
>>
>>

>>cMyStrangeFile = 'MyTable.XXX'
>>USE (cMyStrangeFile) SHARED
>>

>>
>>
>>You can also construct the view programmatically; the View Designer is pretty limited.
>
>Hi Ed,
>
>Your idea was my first try but here's the problem. FoxPro recognizes that there's an index file associated with the table and assumes a CDX file. But it can't find one so it displays a dialog to that effect. If I Cancel, the USE is cancelled. If I proceed anyway, FoxPro disassociates the table from the dBase index file which causes the application that actually created the table to bomb.
>
>I need my App and the other vendor's App to be able to run uninterrupted by the other.

You could probably create an ODBC DSN programmatically, and then build your remote view programmaticaly, and avoid the limitations of the View Designer that way. Tge only othr alternatives I can think of would be fairly messy; using another automation tool to pull the data to/from VFP springs to mind, but that's just another layer of complication and lack of performance. Without ODBC or ADO, you're going to run into problems with simultaneous file access in any case; VFP and dBASE use different approaches to lock management and buffering.