Samples & Learning Path

FiveWin ships with over 1,000 sample programs organized in the samples/ directory. This guide maps them into a structured learning path so you can progress from your first "Hello World" to advanced AI-powered applications.

Learning Path Overview

The diagram below shows the recommended progression. Start with the tutorials in start/, branch out through intermediate topics that interest you, then tackle the advanced folders when you are comfortable with the fundamentals.

Green = Beginner   Blue = Intermediate   Red = Advanced

First Steps: Your First 5 Samples

If you are completely new to FiveWin, work through these five samples in order. Each one builds on what you learned in the previous one:

After these five, continue with tutor06.prg (databases), tutor07.prg (advanced dialogs), and tutor08.prg (putting it all together).

How to Build Samples

The samples/ directory contains several build scripts. The recommended approach for new projects:

cd c:\fwteam\samples

REM Build a sample with Borland C++ (32-bit, most common):
buildh.bat start\tutor01

REM Build with MSVC 64-bit:
buildh64.bat start\tutor01

REM The universal build script (auto-detects compiler):
build_new.bat start\tutor01

Each build script compiles the .prg file with Harbour, then compiles and links the resulting C code with the chosen compiler. See the Build System page for full details.

Beginner: start/ (8 samples)

The tutorial series walks you through every fundamental FiveWin concept, one file at a time. Each .prg file is short (under 50 lines) and heavily commented.

Intermediate Samples

database/ (19 samples)

Database operations including DBF browse, indexed searching, SQL queries via ADO/ODBC, and TXBrowse grid integration. Start with the basic DBF examples before moving to SQL.

data/ (16 samples)

The TDatabase and TDataRow classes provide a higher-level abstraction over raw DBF operations. Data binding, calculated fields, and record navigation.

menus/ (14 samples)

All menu types: pull-down menus, popup/context menus, ribbon bars, system tray menus. Covers dynamic menu creation, bitmap menus, and owner-draw menus.

report/ (41 samples)

Printing and report generation with TPrinter and TReport. Includes PDF export, multi-column layouts, barcodes, charts in reports, and print preview.

graphics/ (28 samples)

GDI+ drawing, chart creation, bitmap manipulation, image loading/saving, alpha blending, and gradient fills. Demonstrates the Graphics, Pen, Brush, and GDIBmp classes.

mail/ (5 samples)

Email sending via SMTP, receiving via POP3, and Outlook integration through OLE automation.

ole/ (8 samples)

OLE Automation examples for Microsoft Word, Excel, and other COM applications. Create documents, fill spreadsheets, and control Office applications programmatically.

trees/ (5 samples)

TTreeView control examples: building tree structures, drag-and-drop between trees, XML-based tree loading, and custom node rendering.

comm/ (10 samples)

Serial port communications, modem control, barcode scanner integration, and hardware device communication.

unicode/ (2 samples)

Unicode string handling, multi-script text display, and UTF-8/UTF-16 conversion. Use FW_SetUnicode( .T. ) to enable Unicode mode globally.

Advanced Samples

ai/ (47 samples)

The newest and most exciting area of FiveWin. Integrations with multiple AI providers and even a pure-Harbour neural network implementation.

web/ (39 samples)

WebView2 browser embedding, HTTP server creation, WebSocket connections, REST API clients, and JavaScript-to-Harbour interop.

DesktopWeb/ (1 sample)

One PRG for desktop and web with a single HTML/CSS/JS UI. An embedded multi-thread HTTP server (port 8080) serves login + clinic dashboard; TWebView2 navigates to the same URL as any browser.

system/ (41 samples)

System-level programming: Windows registry, system services, DLL calls, process management, clipboard operations, environment variables, and more.

• xbrwin7c.prg — radio-style SetCheck() column: bLClicked reads oBrw:BookMark after the row change (26.08). Build: build_new.bat xbrwin7c hb32. See What's New 26.08.

FiveUI/ (17 samples)

The FiveWin Visual Forms Designer. Design dialogs visually and generate .prg source code automatically. See also the visual/ directory at the project root for the full Visual IDE.

misc/ (467 samples)

The largest collection, covering virtually every FiveWin feature. When you need to see how a specific class or function works, search here first. Notable sub-topics:

• calexmaria.prg — TCalex appointment calendar with MySQL/MariaDB CRUD, drag-and-drop move between days, RC dialog editing (new in 26.05)
• dshow.prg — webcam live preview + snapshot via Media Foundation with a TWebCam-style class (TMfWebCam): Connect/Disconnect, Clipboard, Save (BMP/JPG with quality), Source (brightness, zoom, pan, tilt, focus...), Format (camera resolutions), GetStatus, Resize. Self-contained C in the PRG (includes hbapiitm.h for correct 64-bit Harbour item APIs); build build_new.bat dshow hb64, hm64, xb32 or xhbc
• Drag and drop, clipboard, system tray
• Splitter bars, docking panels
• Image viewers, video playback
• Cryptography, hashing, encoding
• File operations, ZIP/GZIP compression
• Custom control painting, owner-draw

test/ (317 samples)

The FiveWin test suite and additional examples. Many of these are regression tests that also serve as documentation for edge cases and specific feature behaviors.

• testchmhlp.prg (+ popups.txt) — CHM F1 help: numeric control id = popup, character topic = full viewer, empty control id bubbles to dialog nHelpId (after 26.07 fix)
• vmenu_test.prg — TVMenu + TVItem with 32x32 icons (TC5ImgList). Builds on FWH64: build_new.bat vmenu_test hb64. See What's New 26.08.
• testblur.prg — box-blur on an image (slider 0–100) via FWH library Blur() (ribbon.c). Loads BMP/JPG/PNG via FW_ReadImage; use DEFINE DIALOG … PIXEL TRUEPIXEL so the horizontal slider stays visible. Build: build_new.bat testblur hb32. See What's New 26.08.

test/fwunit/ — automated regression suite

samples/test/fwunit/ is a self-contained unit-test harness for the FWH library (142 assertions). It covers Unicode, CP1252 strings, codepage translation, formatting, system metrics, PalBmp resources, WinAPI message posting, and UI controls. Results are written to fwunit_results.log via LogFile().

Build and run:

cd samples\test\fwunit
run_all.bat

Or build only the suite: C:\fwteam\samples\build_new.bat run_fwunit hm32 then run_fwunit.exe. Run a single instance at a time.

bigexe/ (16 samples)

Complete, larger application examples that combine multiple FiveWin features into real-world programs. Study these to understand how to structure a full FWH application with menus, toolbars, multiple dialogs, database access, and reporting.

Complete Sample Directory

Tips for Learning from Samples

• Read the source code. Every .prg file is plain text. Open it in any editor. The code is the documentation.
• Modify and experiment. Change a color, add a button, swap a database. Rebuild and see what happens. FiveWin compiles fast.
• Use MsgInfo() for debugging. Insert MsgInfo( cVariable ) anywhere to inspect values at runtime. It is the FiveWin developer's best friend.
• Search misc/ when stuck. With 467 samples, there is almost certainly an example of whatever you need. Use your editor's "search in files" feature.
• Look at the .ch include files. Commands like DEFINE WINDOW are translated by the preprocessor. Check FiveWin.ch to see what they expand to.
• Cross-reference with docs. When a sample uses a class like TXBrowse, open the TXBrowse documentation alongside the code.
• Join the community. The FiveTech forums are active and welcoming. Post questions with your sample code.

Anatomy of a FiveWin Sample

Every sample follows the same basic structure:

#include "FiveWin.ch"     // Required: loads all FWH commands

function Main()           // Entry point

   local oWnd             // Declare local variables

   DEFINE WINDOW oWnd ... // Create UI objects using commands
   ACTIVATE WINDOW oWnd   // Start the event loop

return nil

The #include "FiveWin.ch" line is essential — it loads the preprocessor commands that translate high-level syntax like DEFINE WINDOW into class method calls.

Next Steps

• Build System — Set up your compiler and build your first sample
• TDialog — Master dialog-based interfaces (used in most samples)
• TXBrowse — The most powerful grid control (used in database samples)
• More Classes — Additional classes with examples