>Try oxcel.visible=.t.

That WORKS! That would even take care of the need to check whether the application is already loaded before launching it. If someone clicks on the launcher button again, I just issue "oxcel.visible=.t." again.

Now, once Excel is activated as an object, do you know how to command it, as an object, to open a file? I've seen the DDE functions in a great routine in the Oct93 issue of FoxPro Advisor. But, it would be great if the Excel object could just go ahead and open a file.

Thanks a lot!

Michael Reynolds