[VFP] Numeric data types in the VFP dialect

[cpyrgas]

VFP allows those data types for the AS clause in LOCAL declarations (even if only used by intellisense and ignored at runtime) that are currently not allowed in X#:

LOCAL n AS Integer
LOCAL n AS Numeric
LOCAL n AS Number

It also allows "Double", "Float" and "Currency", but those we do support, albeit strongly typing the local.

"Integer" (for intellisense) refers to "our" INT (32 bits in VFP), while "Numeric" and "Number" are synonyms and both refer to any numeric type (int, float, currency).

In order to allow existing VFP code to compile, we need to add support for the 3 keywords above. Maybe we can map "Integer" to INT, but I think "Numeric" and "Number" need to become synonyms for USUAL. A small possible complexity is that System.Number is a (INTERNAL) system type defined in mscorlib.

[RobertvanderHulst]

Chris,
I think we can solve this in the preprocessor with

#translate AS INTEGER => AS  INT
#translate AS <num: NUMERIC, NUMBER> => AS  USUAL

This also allows abbreviations like AS INTE and AS NUMER and AS NUMB
I see that the UDC tester does not show enough whitespace, but this works
We (You?) can add that rule to the FoxPro header file FoxProCmd.xh
And to use System.Number they have to use the fully qualified name. But what does that type do?

[cpyrgas]

It's just an internal helper class, but the compiler picks it because of the implicit System using and complains that the type is internal so cannot be used. But that won't be a problem anymore with the UDCs you suggested, will do that. But let's leave it for after the X# release, not risk having any more late moment problems.