It is trivial to create a single form with multiple tabbed pages. (you have to watch the refreshes but that seems to be only gotcha.)

What I cannot find a way is to create a true tabbed application -- each tab having it's own separate private data session.

No trouble to create a bunch of separate forms and formsets, and stack them in a tiered format -- but of course no tabs.

I tried creating private data sessions via code for multiple forms in a formset. You can do it -- but you must release the current private datasession before you can open another -- which means goodbye modelessness (unless I want to program it myself 2.6 style).

Any suggestions? Any of the frameworks people are talking about handle this?

I have one solution, but not one I like. Create a single form or formset using page frames with it's own private read only data set.

When user clicks an edit button, spawn a second form -- and overlay it right over the readonly form - passing it the current record as a parameter. (I'd have to make sure to hide the page in the read only form. I notice that pages inside a page frame do not have a visible property...)