Hi,
>>
I've seen, in some cases, the object being there but actually null - for instance, when the grid class was defined with .columncount=9, and then I set it to 3. In the debugger you still see column4...column9, but they're null.

Could be this is one of such things, when an object member can't be properly removed under certain circumstances. My guess is that it matters whether it existed when the parent's .init() completed. I know I don't see it if I've removed it on time.
>>

Sorry, do you mean the problem seems to occur when changes are made to the grid *before* or *after* it's .Init? FWIW, I tried removing the text object at every Init (before it's own, in the column's, in the grid and in the form's) without problems. Also changed the columncount at each stage without getting .NULL. :-(

Couple of oddities with this in the .Text1.Init() tho:

WITH THISFORM
  .oT1 = .GRID.column1.text1
  .GRID.column1.REMOVEOBJECT('text1')  && oT1 = .NULL. Text1 not removed
   * RETURN .F.		&& Leaves form in limbo
ENDWITH