>What is the advantage to using the cStoneField class? Isn't it just a loader? Or, does it stay in memory?>

For now, it is just a loader and you could simply enter the code yourself that is contained in CStonefield...However, for the sake of encapsulation, reuse and maintenance it's best to place the code for each different 3rd Party Product in its own Component loader class.

If any 3rd Party Product changes (as just happened with StoneField) there's one-stop shopping for all changes. In addition, the CStonefield component class provides software reuse and minimizes maintenance, because if you have three different applications in which you are using Stonefield, without the loader class, there would be three different places you would have to change code. Using the CStonefield loader class, there is only one place.

Regards,