Well, you are correct, except that the collection object is more to access the object later in the app easily and to easily peruse all open connections. The test code I posted was really redundant (in more ways than one *G* ) because I'm more or less testing all of the most likely methods to use. I am going to separate them all and test each method separately next to see which is faster, easier to reference throughout the app, and easier to maintain later for other developers.


>Tracy,
>
>I haven't analyzed the whole code, but it looks like you're trying to combine your original code (ideas) with new way of using collections.
>
>I think that all of this:
>

>IF TYPE('loSqlControl') = "O" .AND. !ISNULL(loSqlControl)
>	STORE TRIM(tblconns.SERVERNAME) TO (lctblconnsConn+'.pcServer')
>	STORE TRIM(tblconns.DATABASE) TO (lctblconnsConn+'.pcdatabase')
>	STORE TRIM(tblconns.USERID) TO (lctblconnsConn+'.pcUser')
>	STORE " " TO (lctblconnsConn+'.pcPassword')             && testing
>	STORE tblconns.engine TO (lctblconnsConn+'.pnEngine')
>	STORE lctblconnsConn TO (lctblconnsConn+'.name')
>	IF !PEMSTATUS(_SCREEN.myConnections,lctblconnsConn,5)	&& Add this conn object to connection
>		_SCREEN.myConnections.ADD(loSqlControl,lckey)
>	ENDIF
>	? [ * Successfully stored values to connection object properties ]
>ELSE
>	? [ ************************************************************* ]
>	? [ Unable to access ] + lctblconnsConn + [ object. ]
>	? [ ************************************************************* ]
>ENDIF
>

>
>is unnecessary. The idea of collection (as I understood it) is to eliminate the need of this code.
>
>>Right now in testing it is working fine. I am duplicating stuff though (just for testing purposes to see which is easier to work with later when verifying connections by using an array or a collection). I can create the object, add the object to the collection, verify the properties of the object, verify the properties of the object via the collection, and see the current connections in an array :
>>
>>

>>CLEAR
>>CLOSE ALL
>>CLEAR ALL
>>
>>*--For testing purposes, remove the collection if it already exists
>>IF PEMSTATUS(_SCREEN,'myConnections',5)
>>	REMOVEPROPERTY(_SCREEN,'myConnections')
>>ENDIF
>>
>>PUBLIC lctblconnsConn
>>lctblconnsConn="Data_Hqq"
>>SET CLASSLIB TO SQLClss ADDITIVE
>>
>>*--Open the table containing the connection information && Left out scan for testing purposes only
>>lcTable = GETFILE('dbf','File Name','Select',1,'Locate the connections configuration table')
>>IF !EMPTY(lcTable)
>>	USE (lcTable) ALIAS tblconns
>>ENDIF
>>IF EMPTY(ALIAS())
>>	RETURN
>>ENDIF
>>SET DELETED ON
>>? [ ============================================================= ]
>>? [ * Table Used for Connection Information: ] + DBF()
>>IF !PEMSTATUS(_SCREEN,'myConnections',5)	&& Collection property to store connections
>>	_SCREEN.ADDPROPERTY('myConnections',NEWOBJECT('Collection'))
>>ENDIF
>>lctblconnsConn = UPPER('' + TRIM(tblconns.product) + "_" + TRIM(tblconns.agency))
>>? [* Working on Connection: ] + lctblconnsConn
>>PUBLIC &lctblconnsConn
>>SET CLASSLIB TO SQLClss ADDITIVE
>>PUBLIC lckey
>>lckey = lctblconnsConn
>>&lctblconnsConn= CREATEOBJECT("SQLCLSS.SQLPROC")     && Create Connection Object
>>loSqlControl = EVALUATE(m.lctblconnsConn)
>>? [ ============================================================= ]
>>? [ * Store values to connection object ]
>>IF TYPE('loSqlControl') = "O" .AND. !ISNULL(loSqlControl)
>>	STORE TRIM(tblconns.SERVERNAME) TO (lctblconnsConn+'.pcServer')
>>	STORE TRIM(tblconns.DATABASE) TO (lctblconnsConn+'.pcdatabase')
>>	STORE TRIM(tblconns.USERID) TO (lctblconnsConn+'.pcUser')
>>	STORE " " TO (lctblconnsConn+'.pcPassword')             && testing
>>	STORE tblconns.engine TO (lctblconnsConn+'.pnEngine')
>>	STORE lctblconnsConn TO (lctblconnsConn+'.name')
>>	IF !PEMSTATUS(_SCREEN.myConnections,lctblconnsConn,5)	&& Add this conn object to connection
>>		_SCREEN.myConnections.ADD(loSqlControl,lckey)
>>	ENDIF
>>	? [ * Successfully stored values to connection object properties ]
>>ELSE
>>	? [ ************************************************************* ]
>>	? [ Unable to access ] + lctblconnsConn + [ object. ]
>>	? [ ************************************************************* ]
>>ENDIF
>>? [ ============================================================= ]
>>? [ * See if connection objects exist in the collection using For Each...]
>>FOR EACH oControl IN _SCREEN.myConnections FOXOBJECT
>>	? oControl.NAME
>>	? oControl.pcServer
>>	? oControl.pcDatabase
>>	? oControl.pcPassword
>>	? oControl.pcUser
>>	? oControl.pnEngine
>>ENDFOR
>>? [*  See if the connection object itself exists and display it's properties]
>>? [ ============================================================= ]
>>IF TYPE('loSqlControl') = "O" .AND. !ISNULL(loSqlControl)
>>	? (lctblconnsConn+'.pcServer')	+ "=" + EVALUATE(lctblconnsConn+'.pcServer')
>>	? (lctblconnsConn+'.pcdatabase')+ "=" +  EVALUATE(lctblconnsConn+'.pcdatabase')
>>	? (lctblconnsConn+'.pcUser') + "=" +  EVALUATE(lctblconnsConn+'.pcUser')
>>	? (lctblconnsConn+'.pcPassword')+ "=" +  EVALUATE(lctblconnsConn+'.pcdatabase')
>>	? (lctblconnsConn+'.pnEngine') + "=" +  ALLTRIM(STR(EVALUATE(lctblconnsConn+'.pnEngine')))
>>	? (lctblconnsConn+'.name') + "=" +  EVALUATE(lctblconnsConn+'.name')
>>ELSE
>>	? [ ************************************************************* ]
>>	? [ * Object does not exist ]
>>	? [ ************************************************************* ]
>>ENDIF
>>
>>? [ ============================================================= ]
>>? [ * Test verifying using different references: ]
>>? _SCREEN.myConnections('DATA_HQQ').NAME      && Returns the correct value
>>? _SCREEN.myConnections(lctblconnsConn).NAME  && Returns the correct value
>>? _SCREEN.myConnections(lckey).NAME           && Returns the correct value
>>?[ * Does the Data_Hqq connection object exist? ]
>>? PEMSTATUS(_SCREEN,'myConnections',5)        && Returns .T. the collection exists
>>? TYPE(lctblconnsConn) ="O" .AND. !ISNULL(lctblconnsConn)  && Returns .T. the actual connection exists
>>? _SCREEN.myConnections.GETKEY(lctblconnsConn) && Returns 1 - the index connection in the collection?
>>? _SCREEN.myConnections.GETKEY(1)  && Returns Data_Hqq
>>? [ ============================================================= ]
>>? [ * Store connection information to an array ]
>>LOCAL llNoaConn
>>llNoaConn = .F.
>>IF !PEMSTATUS(_SCREEN,'aConnections',5)
>>	IF !_SCREEN.ADDPROPERTY('aConnections(1,9)','')
>>		llNoaConn = .T.
>>	ELSE
>>		_SCREEN.aConnections(1,8) = 0		&& Engine
>>		_SCREEN.aConnections(1,9) = 0		&& connection number
>>	ENDIF
>>ELSE
>>	*--Don't allow duplicate connection objects if tblconns.prg is called more than once
>>	IF TYPE('ALEN(_Screen.aConnections,1)') = "N"  && Valid array screen property
>>		*--Release all connection objects
>>		FOR iloop = 1 TO ALEN(_SCREEN.aConnections,1)
>>			IF TYPE('_Screen.aConnections(iloop,1)') <> "U"
>>				RELEASE (_SCREEN.aConnections(iloop,1))
>>			ENDIF
>>		ENDFOR
>>	ENDIF
>>	DIMENSION _SCREEN.aConnections(1,9)
>>	_SCREEN.aConnections = ''			&& Most items are string
>>	_SCREEN.aConnections(1,8) = 0		&& Engine is numeric
>>	_SCREEN.aConnections(1,9) = 0		&& Connection number is numeric
>>ENDIF
>>IF !llNoaConn .AND. PEMSTATUS(_SCREEN,'aConnections',5)
>>	lnConnNbr = 0	&& Fake number for testing only
>>	IF TYPE('_Screen.aConnections(ALEN(_Screen.aConnections,1),1)') = "O"		&& Oops
>>		_SCREEN.aConnections(ALEN(_SCREEN.aConnections,1),1) = ''				&& Reuse this one
>>	ENDIF
>>	IF TYPE('_screen.aConnections(ALEN(_screen.aConnections,1),1)') <> "L" .AND. !EMPTY(_SCREEN.aConnections(ALEN(_SCREEN.aConnections,1),1))
>>		DIMENSION _SCREEN.aConnections(ALEN(_SCREEN.aConnections,1)+1,9)
>>	ENDIF
>>	_SCREEN.aConnections(ALEN(_SCREEN.aConnections,1),1) = lctblconnsConn						&& string
>>	_SCREEN.aConnections(ALEN(_SCREEN.aConnections,1),2) = TRIM(tblconns.PRODUCT)		&& string
>>	_SCREEN.aConnections(ALEN(_SCREEN.aConnections,1),3) = TRIM(tblconns.agency)		&& string  and a new field in tblconns table
>>	_SCREEN.aConnections(ALEN(_SCREEN.aConnections,1),4) = TRIM(tblconns.SERVERNAME)	&& string
>>	_SCREEN.aConnections(ALEN(_SCREEN.aConnections,1),5) = TRIM(tblconns.DATABASE)		&& string
>>	_SCREEN.aConnections(ALEN(_SCREEN.aConnections,1),6) = TRIM(tblconns.USERID)		&& string
>>	_SCREEN.aConnections(ALEN(_SCREEN.aConnections,1),7) = ""	&& string
>>	_SCREEN.aConnections(ALEN(_SCREEN.aConnections,1),8) = tblconns.engine				&& numeric
>>	_SCREEN.aConnections(ALEN(_SCREEN.aConnections,1),9) = lnConnNbr					&& numeric
>>	? [ * Array results ]
>>	FOR iloop = 1 TO ALEN(_Screen.aConnections,1)
>>		FOR iinsideloop = 1 TO ALEN(_Screen.aConnections,2)
>>			? _Screen.aConnections(iloop,iinsideloop)
>>		ENDFOR
>>	ENDFOR
>>ELSE
>>	? [ ************************************************************* ]
>>	? [ * Screen array to store connections doesn't exist ]
>>	? [ ************************************************************* ]
>>ENDIF
>>CLOSE ALL
>>