>>>>Then why all the PEMSTATUS and VARTYPE stuff if TYPE is all you need?
>>>
>>>PEMSTATUS() also lets you check whether a method exists before you call it. I use it a lot in framework code.
>>>
>>>As for VARTYPE(), we have it because we asked for it. Using TYPE() correctly is tricky--do you need quotes or not? VARTYPE() is easier and faster, though it's meant only for cases when you already know the thing exists. I use it on parameters a lot.
>>>
>>>Tamar
>>
>>This is from the help:
>>

>>VARTYPE( ) is similar to the TYPE( ) function, but VARTYPE( ) is faster and does not require quotation marks ("") 
>>to enclose the specified expression.
>>

>> They make it sound like they are interchangeable, but according to some posts here there seems to be problems in using VARTYPE in certain situations.
>
>VARTYPE() is born with many bugs,
>some are fixed, others are not fixed.
>
>But TYPE is not the universal answer:
>

>CLEAR
>
>ON ERROR ?? "ERROR: "+MESSAGE()
>test()
>DIMENSION something[3]
>something = 'blabla'
>
>? "--------- AFTER ------"
>
>test()
>
>
>PROCEDURE something
>	RETURN DATE()
>ENDPROC
>
>
>PROCEDURE test
>
>? TYPE("something()")	&& TYPE return "U" for every bad syntax
>? TYPE("1+''")			&& TYPE return "U" for every bad syntax
>? TYPE("something(2)")  && TYPE don't call UDF
>? VARTYPE(something(2)) && VARTYPE call array or UDF
>? VARTYPE(something())  && VARTYPE call UDF but an array exists the fire a error !
>ENDPROC
>

So, is there a way to have a few lines of code that could cascade conditionally and determine of a variable or an object exists reliably? That's really what I'm after. Just include the name of the var or obj and have it tell me?