Hello all..

We are converting a very big application to Fox 7. (yeahhhh!)
In our current version (Fox 5) we use a 3rd party package called CommTools to communicate with serial devices. We also have another 3rd party package to communicate with a specific hardware device....

It's a FOOTPEDAL... just a switch... our shop floor operators click the footpedal and it signals our software to hit the F12 key and it runs whatever function is defined to F12.

Not only are we switching our software to Fox 7, we are also switching our
OS environment from win95/98 to Windows2000. So our existing CommTools and other 3rd party package for running the footpedal no longer work.

I have to decide if I should get the newest version of CommTools, and the newest version of whatever software operates the footpedal... and fix the existing code...

OR utilize any new or existing FoxPro 7 functionality that may be better to control/read from Serial devices....

What do most of you out there do? 3rd party software? Other?

Lets say that I focus just on the footpedal for now... I was considering using drivers from zealsoftstudio.com which enables Win32 applications real-time direct access to PC I/O ports without using the Windows Drivers Development Kit(DDK). I don't know if this is an advantage or not.. or if it will make my life easier..

Would it be just as simple to write a timer in Fox7 that keeps an eye on the footpedal for when it is activated... without using 3rd party products? If any of you have code that does something like this, be sure to let me know! ;)

Well I am just getting my feet wet in this stuff, so any help would be appreciated.

THANKS
The JP man