>Though I really want the compile to pick out those errors, it sometimes is a PITA.
>Have you tried to write some office automation in .NET without knowing which office version the end user is using ??

Walter,

there is something that I would like to add to this :
I would catagorize habbits like changing variable types througout code and using macro execution (&) under 'bad design'. Of course there are always exceptions and maybe the office automation is one of them and in that case they are in the caterogy ('glad I have them'). Unfortunatly their usage is too often in the first ...