FoxPro’s p-code stores variable names only in debug builds. In release builds, variables are referenced by stack positions. Decompilers assign placeholder names like lcUnk001, making code hard to read.
Unlike C++ or Delphi (which compile to native machine code), FoxPro compiles to p-code—a low-level, stack-based intermediate language. Each p-code instruction is a single byte (0x01 for EXIT, 0x02 for RETURN, etc.), followed by operands.
ReFox is the industry standard for FoxPro decompilation. It is virtually synonymous with the term "FoxPro decompiler." foxpro decompiler
UnFoxAll was a popular alternative to ReFox. It specialized in recovering source code from Visual FoxPro applications. While less prominent than ReFox, many older developers still keep a copy of this tool for specific decompilation tasks that ReFox struggles with.
You absolutely must read this section. Using a decompiler sits in a legal grey area in many jurisdictions. FoxPro’s p-code stores variable names only in debug builds
To understand decompilation in FoxPro, one must understand how the language compiles.
Unlike languages such as C++, which compile down to assembly/machine code, Visual FoxPro usually compiles into P-Code (Pseudo Code). P-Code is an intermediate step—a set of instructions that the FoxPro runtime engine interprets. Unlike C++ or Delphi (which compile to native
Because FoxPro is an interpreted language at its core, the structure of the code remains largely intact within the compiled file. The metadata describing forms, controls, and object hierarchies is typically stored in tables (which is what SCX and VCX files actually are—specialized DBF tables). This architecture makes FoxPro applications significantly easier to decompile than applications written in C++ or Delphi. The "decompilation" often involves simply reading the internal table structures that are embedded in the EXE or APP file.
