I'm not sure I understand your reference to rules. They're really quite simple. They contain sync elements which encapsulate a transaction composed of one or more before and after elements.

If there isn't a before element, we know this is an insert operation, so we could construct the appropriate dynamic SQL statement. If there was a before element, we would know it's an update operation and, again, we could construct the appropriate dynamic SQL statement. If there was an before but no after element, we would know it's a delete and could construct the statement accordingly.

Keep in mind that XML UpdateGrams can be used as a message that your application can use to behave appropriately. The next issue of CoDe magazine will have an article in it on XML UpdateGrams.

HTH

>Thanks Travis,
>
>I thought that might be the method to be used.
>
>So the options seem to be:
>
>1) write one oneself to operate on VFP tables;
>
>2) make a wish for such in VFP8 (Toledo).
>
>I guess I'll have to go the #2 route since I have no knowledge of the "rules" surrounding an XMLUpdateGram.
>
>Cheers
>
>
>>Jim,
>>
>>To my knowledge, XML UpdateGrams can only be used with SQL Server 2000. However, the statement that they could be useful in distributed applications does hold true and I'll attempt to shed a little light on that for you.
>>
>>XML Updategrams, are XML documents containing all the necessary information to insert, update, or delete records from a table. Since you have all that information contained in one document, you could write a server to receive these documents, and perform the appropriate operations on the data regardless of what database you're actually using. You can think of it as a mechanism to provide you with the information necessary to construct a dynamic SQL statement that could then be executed against the back-end.
>>
>>>I've been reading up on the subject - Help and "What's New in Visual FoxPro 7.0" only - and it appears that there is no way to use a XMLUpdateGram to update a VFP table.
>>>
>>>The Hentzenwerkes book mentions only SQL Server 2000 but there is a bit under "Using updategrams in distributed applications" (pp 236-237) that suggests that they have utility "even if you're not using SQL Server 2000. . .".
>>>
>>>The VFP7 Help is mute on the subject.
>>>
>>>Does anyone know if these are applicable to VFP tables and if so, the approach to be taken to accomplish it?
>>>
>>>Thanks
>>>Jim Nelso