Wayne,

You did hit a nerve. The whole issue of using grids for data entry (or not) is usually guaranteed to start a big discussion. My take is this: the "gurus" in the VFP community who recommend against using the grid for data entry have done VFP a disservice. The grid is very powerful and capable and can be used for data entry quite successfully, but their "stay away" advice makes it appear anemic. So whereas most modern programs let the user do entry in a grid-equivalent control, these "gurus" have made VFP appear incapable of doing that. It's not. It's quite capable of it. I've been doing Fox work since the FoxBASE days and though I skipped VFP 3 for various reasons, when I started doing VFP work in VFP 5 I used grids for data entry from the get-go with no significant problems and have ever since. It's simply more intuitive and easier for the user than popping up a subform constantly. Now, like others, I have to abandon grid data entry when there are too many columns to fit on the form without horizontal scrolling and in those situations I use a small one or two column grid on the form which positions the record pointer in the child table and then have the child table editing done fields on the form. But if the situation allows it (and it does in the great majority of the apps I've built for clients), then all data entry for the child table is done in the grid. The user gets a better view of the data this way. I also don't understand why some people have said they did a lot of work to get the grid to perform correctly. I've actually found that it's not that much code. Perhaps they had some really stringent and detailed behavior they were trying to extract from the grid. Anyway, the answer should be that grids for data entry is very workable. Not to say that it's a no-brainer, but it's not that difficult. Go with what's easy and intuitive for your user: data entry in grids.

Russell Campbell


>I'm going to reply to everyone here (if i'm using reply correctly).
>
>Couple of things are certain.
>
>There sure are a lot of smart and helpful people in the Fox Community. I must have hit a nerve, it's going take a few day's just to absorb it all.
>
>From what I've seen so far, it looks like I can do at least most of what I'd like to do with a grid, it's just going to take some coding (after I know what do code...).
>
>And there may be a place for the "sub form" method, but I'd like to keep whatever I do consistant.
>
>Thanks to everyone,
>Once I get started I'm sure I'll have more questions.