>>use olastcontrol as an object reference to a control. olastcontrol is a custom property of the form set to .NULL. in the pem. i reset to .NULL. upon the forms logical initialization. after a control gets focus olastcontrol = this. at several place in my code i need to know if olastcontrol has a valid object reference. tried type("olastcontrol"), but after olastcontrol has an object reference and is reset to .NULL., it is still an object. tried olastcontrol = .NULL. but it doesnot like that (blows by the code), when it is = .NULL. but an object.
>>
>>how can i identify when olastcontrol contains a valid (not .NULL.) object reference?
>>
>>by the way. what is .NULL. could find no reference to it.
>>
>>thanks - brenda

>IF TYPE("Thisform.oLastcontol")="O" AND NOT >ISNULL(Thisform.oLastcontrol)
...
>ENDIF

just what i needed. thanks

brenda