A Visual FoxPro project keeps track of files in the project as well as the dependencies, references, and relationships between them. After you specify files to include in a project, Visual FoxPro ensures that the application project is based on the latest source files. Each file included in the project contains a time and date stamp so you can refresh the project when you make changes to files in the project or when dependencies change. This practice helps ensure that any applications created from a project always use the most recent source files. When Visual FoxPro encounters a program, menu, or form file when creating a project using BUILD PROJECT, it locates the corresponding compiled file and compares the time and date stamp of the two files. If the time and date stamp of the source file is later than that of the compiled file, Visual FoxPro recompiles the source file.

When you use BUILD PROJECT, Visual FoxPro reports unresolved references and other errors, which do not prevent the project from being created. This makes it possible for you to build a project even when all the necessary pieces have not yet been created or are not available. You can correct unresolved references or other errors later by refreshing the project file or by manually modifying the information stored in the project file using MODIFY PROJECT.

You can create the following redistributable application files from projects: application (.app) files, executable (.exe) files, or dynamic-link library (.dll) files. However, before you create redistributable application files, you should test your project. For more information, see How to: Test a Project. For more information on building redistributable application files, see Compiling an Application.

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