The GKK Tools that I have written make use of "Child" forms. In the case of the GKK Form Editor -- to make it able to be placed outside of the main VFP screen, it has the ShowWindow=2 (As Top Level). Now the user can place this form anywhere outside of the VFP screen -- even onto a second (or third) monitor. The "As Top Level" form works independent of the main VFP screen.

Now if a "normal" form is to be opened from the GKK Form Editor, it is desired to place it into the GKK Form area (not the VFP screen area). This is accomplished by making it a "child" form of the GKK Form (via setting the ShowWindow=1 In Top Level). Now when the user selects this from GKK form, the child will appear relative to the GKK form and not the VFP screen. If you leave the setting to default (ShowWindow=0 In Screen), then when the user is in GKK form and selects menu command that causes a pop-up form, the focus will leave GKK form and switch to the VFP screen -- which would be rather annoying. For instance, for a Print form, you want this form to appear relative to GKK Form Editor not the VFP screen. This is accomplished by the ShowWindow settings. This also restricts the child form to the area bounded by the parent form; i.e., user cannot move a child form outside of the parent region.

Just because a form called another form does not make the called form its child in the behavior sense. The ShowWindow settings really dictate the child behavior. When the parent form is closed, it should close all the children. This is like MS Word closing any open documents and dialogs that are open when the user decides to close the application.