>>The right tool for the right job.
>
>IMO Public exists because it has been there from the beginning and VFP seldom if
>ever eliminates commands, to avoid breaking code. I agree totally with Mike Y. that
>using it today is a really, really bad idea.


FWIW, I disagree. I find the notion that PUBLIC variables "are to be avoided in every case" to be without any merit or foundation. And I would advise anyone that they most assuredly have their proper place in programming.

I have used them since 1987 (back in the days of Multi-user FoxBASE+ 2.1). They function correctly, and when used properly they are no more or less difficult to debug or maintain than any other type of code. In some cases they make the programming task so much easier that their use is not only desirable, but is the obvious solution.

It is often the case today that I find the modern object oriented programming styles to be useful -- yet only up to a point. When pushed out too far into too many classes and levels, it makes debugging, maintenance, and new development practically impossible, and certainly far more difficult than any reasonable use of PUBLIC variables could ever be.

The right tool for the right job. It's up to the well-trained developer to know the difference.