>>OLEpublic classes have no visual interface. In order to provide a visual interface you write an application in any language that can call an automation server (VB,VC++,VFP,Delphi) and put the visual interface there while accessing the automation server to perform certain NONVISUAL tasks like accessing databases, doing calculations, changing system settings, etc.
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>Hi Dore,
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> According to the Microsoft Visual FoxPro 6.0 Programmer's Guide, page 461, "When you create an executable with OLE Public classes, you don't lose any of your normal .exe capabilities. You can still run the executable, provide a user interface, and all the normal functionality you would include in an application."
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> As I read this section, I interpret the phrase "provide a user interface" to mean to provide a visual user interface, i.e., form with a combobox to select items, etc. Is that not what this means?
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> I want a VFP, VB, etc. user to be able to call my executable, make selections in that executable, then pass information calculated in the executable back to the calling program so that the calling program can use the calculated information. My thought was that a visual automation server is what I needed. If you have any suggestions on how to accomplish this, I would appreciate it.
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>Thanks,
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>TFISHER

Terry,
I wasn't as clear as I had intended to be.
Visual programs (.EXEs) that access and utitlize the services of an automation server? This can absolutely be done in VFP and a host of other languages.
Automation servers that (as part of an EXE or DLL) are available to programs that can access them? These can absolutely be created in VFP (and a host of other languages).
VISUAL AUTOMATION SERVERs (your term) do not exist. Any user interface has to be provided by the program that accesses the automation server and can't be built into the automation server itself.
Custom Controls (which do have visual interfaces) can be created in VB, VB5CCE, VC++ and other languages. They don't however have the database manipulation capabilities of VFP.
I hope this helps to answer your question.
-Dore