>I'm overlooking something simple.
>
>I have a form which includes buttons to execute some medium length (2O TO 20 SECONDS processes.)
>
>I don't want to use :
>WAIT "PLEASE WAIT ..." WINDOW NOWAIT
>because it sometimes disappears before the process ends. So I tried using the define window/show window command.
>
>My processes (which include extensive references to _SCREEN.ACTIVEFORM immediately blow up -- because as soon as I do a "show window" the window I've defined becomes the active form. If I re-activate the form the window is hidden behind it. No doubt due to sheer stupidity, I cannot figure out how to display a window/form other than the current form while leaving the current form as the active one referenced by _SCREEN.ACTIVEFORM or THISFORM.
>
>If I have to I can programmatically create and destroy a label or an edit box -- but before I turn to this, there has got to be a way to do this with temporary windows. I mean people use temporary windows for progress thermometers all the time ...
>
>Thanks in advance for helping me overcome what has got to be some sort of mental block...

What you may want to do is have you process reference the window it needs to with a more concrete reference. This way, you don't have to worry if it is the active screen, and your progress/wait window can be the active form through the entier process.

There are a couple of ways to do this, but not knowing where you code is, if you call it from your form pass a reference to the form to this process. The process can then use that reference rather than ActiveScreen. Like...

MYProcess( thisform )

Or, you could put the process in your form class. Then of course you can refer to thisform. when needed.

BOb