John,

>sorry to belabour this, one last question:

No problem!

>If I create 2 VFP projects- for example, a breast screening project and a vascular surgery component- and they both have forms using controls in the same controls.vcx, can I create 2 VSS projects with controls.vcx in both of them?

Yes. Here would be an example file hierarchy...

C:\
--->VFP
------>LIBS
---------->controls.vcx
------>BREAST SCREENING
---------->bscreen.pjx
------>VASC SURG
---------->vsurg.pjx

In VSS the project list would look like:
/$
--->VFP
------>LIBS
---------->controls.vcx
------>BREAST SCREENING
---------->bscreen.pjx
------>VASC SURG
---------->vsurg.pjx

The working directory for /$/VFP would be set to C:\VFP, and everything else would match from there on down... It is a good idea to use sub-directories for the VFP work, since if you start everything at the top level and then decide there are common files that need to be above that, you are out of places to move up. It is very much like trying to develop a well-normalized database or object model...you almost have to think of everything from the start or else run into some pain later on...

CONTROLS.VCX only exists once (both on disk and in VSS), but each project can point to it by going "up-and-over-and-down" into the LIBS folder. If someone working on the breast screening app checks out CONTROLS.VCX, a bloke in the vascular surgery app will see a little graphic of a person beside that file in the VFP project manager because the file is checked out.

>If the answer is "yes" and it seems you are saying it is, then option 3) is the one, I'll set the chaps onto it.

I think it is worth looking into...there are quirks to get used to, and projects can get heavily intertwined, but with proper organization it can work OK (and that is what modular coding is all about, so they tell me... *smile*)

Keep any VSS questions coming!

JoeK