> Hi Ilya
>
> > Another workaround would be saving the references on those instances in some temp cursor, but then again: the scope of the variable form-name is critical. This is where use of PUBLICs is justified.
>
> A better solution may be to have a form manager object which contains references to all forms. No publics required. I tend to think people are just not trying hard enough to avoid PUBLIC vars. :)
>
> Mike Yearwood
> www.foxridgesoftware.com
> President: Toronto Ontario FoxPro User's Group

Good morning, Mr. President! (;>) (Sorry, can't help it...)

I'm afarid I haven't made myself clear enough: the method of storing references is of no concern, but keeping these references 'alive" is. And, if you have to create, in a procedure or a function, multiple instances of the same form, and you have to have those references available for any other proc/func/method/event for the entire form's lifetime... I do not see at the moment how it can be done without making the forms' instances' names PUBLIC.
You can DO FORM "frmData.SCX" NAME frmDat_APPID_DocKey in a FUNCTION or PROCEDURE, but that would be implicit declaration of the memvar frmDat_APPID_DocKey; thus, once you RETURN, frmDat_APPID_DocKey will be discarded. What's the "fate" of your instance of the frmData would be then?
Unless I greatly misunderstand the concept of scope, or lifetime, of a memory variable, once the memvar is gone - so is your form's reference (as may be your form object); and if it was LINKED - the object is gone as well (for sure). Thus, saving the name of an object created in a procedure on runtime in whatever container (table, custom class' object) loses meaning if this name/memvar is not visible enywhere in the program; that latter calls for PUBLIC memvar.

Now, to ease your concerns (:>), this is about all cases where I consider the use of PUBLICs justified: locations/directories (like gcTempDir, gcStartDir, gcDataDir), form objects instantiated on runtime, maybe some common settings (like glAdmin) - and that's it!.

Won't you agree?

Regards,

Ilya