Thanks everyone for the various work arounds. So far nobody has any advice as to whether I can somehow access what looks like an internal object that puts that little prog bar up when VFP is doing single-command things like copying or reindexing while executing a MODI STRU. In fact people are telling me "you can't put up a prog bar during atomic processes like this", but yet VFP ITSELF DOES IT. Just as it can keep track of how many records it's reindexed, packed, copied, etc. -- obviously it can, because it puts up the numbers in the status bar.

Here is my workaround, I created and carefully sized a little popup form which is basically just a blank form with white backcolor, and increased the font size for the form to 20. Then when I instantiate it, I SET STATUS ON. I then issue: @ 0,1 SAY ''. which positions the pointer where I want it inside the box. Now when I kick off a reindex, pack, copy, etc., the old DOS textual status information pops up in the box and I can take advantage of Fox's auto update of those numbers, in a size and location where they will be noticed, and the changing numbers will illustrate that the process is still active.

It works great but it ain't a prog bar so I'm still hoping to find the hooks into the internal VFP prog bar object or internal variable that holds VFP's own status bar "messages".