>I'm about to develop a Point Of Sale module and am wondering:
>1) If VFP supports Touch screens
It depends on the interface for the TouchScreen. I've worked with a couple that used ActiveX controls to interface with the TouchScreen, and they were a piece of cake to work with. Some, however, had only C-style DLLs for their interface which required a callback function in your software; while creating an interface module for thewm isn't tough (you can create an ActiveX control in VB6, or wrapper in C++ or Delphi, that exposes a callback function and then raises an event for VFP to respond to.)
As I understand, there are models, some of which are coverplates that work with existing monitors, that translate touches into mouse movements and clicks, and these would be even easier to use, in that you'd simply drop button controls on the screen and touching the screen is translated into mouse movements and a Click.
I'm not a fan of touchscreens in most environments because (1) they're inaccurate - you need to make controls large, and use large fonts, because the resolution of touches is not terribly precise (big penalty for people with big, pudgy fingers);
(2) They're subject to getting crudded up, requiring frequent cleaning (do not use touch screens if you plan to have children with peanut butter and jam sandwitches about) and replacement; the ones where the touchscreen is integral to the monitor moreso, because if the touchscreen smears and gets dirty, you're in for replaceing both screen and touchscreen overlay.
(3) It's difficult to let the user set his own preferences for Windows behavior; they can't futz with screen resolution, probably can't move forms around easily since screen coordinates are probably absolute rather than relative to the current Window, and can't control behavior like duration of time for a click and double-clicking for the units that interface like a mouse.
>2) Do i need any additional hardware/software to accomplish this.
>
Depends on the unit; in most cases, the device will identify the type of interface used (I've seen ones with USB, serial and PS/2 mouse interfaces); I wouldn't try to buy the monitor alone without the interface software being included, and would insist on seeing the docs before I started even considering the hardware for use. If you aren't comfortable with how to tie the touchscreen to your app, either resign yourself to hiring a consultant who can handle the mechanics of making the input available to VFP, or consider a model that is sold by a vendor who works in a manner you find acceptable. If the client is specifying that you will make it work with this specific hardware, I'd insist on seeing the docs before accepting the assignment, and either again resign yourself to hiring someone to doing the work for you if you aren't comfortable with how it works, or run, do not walk, to the nearest exit - they're putting the cart well before the horse.
>The sort of thing I am thinking of is having multiple option buttons as well as maybe a calculator that can be 'Touched' on the screen (to avoid the need perhaps for a keyboard or Mouse)
Read the rest of my comments; you need this to work independant of the touchscreen hardware, or you're tying yourself very tightly to a specific hardware environment. The issues of the user being able to control his own interface loom very large in the scenario you mention.
You could accomplish the same thing with an auxiliary keyboard or game controller and be less hardware-reliant. YMMV, but it's not too practical from my POV in most environments with a multitude of operators.
