Modeless forms are common in "event-driven" programs. These programs don't assume that the user will start a task and then complete it before moving to the next task. For example, the user could be entering an invoice when a customer calls with a question about her account. The user could open the customer's record without closing the invoice record. The user could also open multiple customer forms at once. This is handy when trying to merge duplicates as it allows the user to view both records at once and determine which information is correct.

Of course, you can't do this with modal forms.

>You'll have to forgive me if this question seems a little silly but it's about time that I ask. In the programming I've done the only time that I saw a reason for a modeless form was when I wanted to alert the user to something but wanted processing to continue in the background. I could have done this with a wait window but they're so ugly.
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>But other than that, I've never had need of a modeless form. Yet, it's the default. So I'm figuring there must be something I'm missing. Could someone please clue me in on the usefulness of modeless forms? Thanks.