>>This is so hard to explain so that all will understand it, but here goes:
>>
>>I have taken over maintenance and enhancements of a new project. The system is a pile of you know what. It is horrible. The previous developer used thousands of PUBLIC Variables, even and especially for his ID's. Money has already been invested into this project yet it is barely working. The previous developer is previous and gone for obvious reasons.

Cecil.
It may sound hard, knowing you have already spent days on this project. Please consider to start from the scratch.
Best is to get 2 pc's one with the old, rubbish application running next to your new application.
You can look and see how things are supposed to work from the users point of view and construct yourselve an application, without publics a.s.o.
It is a matter of timeinvestment which will return on the long run.
Just how we reconstructed in the past those Fox-Dos applications into VFP.
Rgds,
Koen