You can make changes to the Visual FoxPro configuration that exist for the current session only (temporary), or specify them as the default settings for the next time you start Visual FoxPro (permanent). If the settings are temporary, they are stored in memory and are discarded when you quit Visual FoxPro.

If you make permanent settings, they are stored in the Microsoft Windows registry or Visual FoxPro resource file. The Windows registry is a database that stores configuration information about the operating system, all Windows applications, OLE, and optional components such as ODBC. For example, the registry is where Windows stores the associations between file name extensions and applications so that when you click a file name, Windows can launch or activate the appropriate application.

For an example of how to change the registry, you can examine Registry.prg in the \Samples\Classes directory, which contains numerous methods based on Windows API calls and makes it possible for you to manipulate the Windows registry.

Similarly, Visual FoxPro stores its application-specific configuration information in the registry. When you start Visual FoxPro, the program reads the configuration information in the registry and sets the configuration according to those settings. After reading the registry, Visual FoxPro also checks for a configuration file, which is a text file in which you can store configuration settings to override the defaults stored in the registry. After Visual FoxPro has started, you can make additional configuration settings using the Options Dialog Box or SET commands. For more information, see How to: View and Change Environment Settings.

Note:

The run-time version of Visual FoxPro does not read the Windows registry when starting up, as registry settings are designed primarily to configure the development environment. If you intend to distribute your Visual FoxPro applications using a run-time library, you can establish configuration settings in two ways: with a configuration file, or with a program that manipulates the Windows registry on the user's computer.

Visual FoxPro also maintains a resource file, Foxuser.dbf, that stores information about the current state of the program when you quit. For example, the resource file contains information about the location and size of the Command window, current keyboard macros, the toolbars that are displayed, and so on. The Foxuser.dbf file is an ordinary Visual FoxPro table, which you can read and change as required by your application.

Tip:
If the data in the Foxuser.dbf file becomes corrupted or invalid, it can cause Visual FoxPro to behave in an erratic manner. If you do not manually store anything in the table, for example keyboard macros, deleting the table might help.