Hi Peter ---

>your last suggestion ( customised controls ) is exactly what I want to do, as all my forms will use these base controls/classes, I just need some help as to where to put the code, initially I put it in the Init of each class but as the Forms' mode property is set/reset by a parameter passed to the form, this was no good as the controls are instantiated before the forms inits' fired
>I'm sure the old days were easier!?


Haha...the old days were harder. At least now you have a somewhat consistant OOP paradigm...I remember going nuts trying to debug someone's 2.6 code where the guy was storing procs in snippets, menu code, PRGs, et al...anyway on to the business at hand:

Try putting the enabled/disable check in the Refresh() event of each control...let each control check and modify it's own state (this is known as encapusulating behaviour). In the Form's Init, you can do a THISFORM.Refresh() to make sure they start out the way you want them. Your code in the Refresh of each control can be:

*** Control.Refresh() method
THIS.Enabled=IIF(THISFORM.Mode="VIEW",.T.,.F.)

That's all there is to it!