>Forgive this really dumb question ... but

Very good question, actually. My orginal message could have been clearer.

>how does the above coding change allow one to access web data instead of local data.
>Ultimately you open the customer table with the command
>USE HOME(2) + 'Tastrade\Data\Customer.dbf'
>isnt that local?

I think you pretty much nailed it below.

>could you clarify what
>"Session OLEPUBLIC" means... ?
>are building a .dll that sits on a machine at the different IP address and then 'SERVES' the data via XML ?

Yes, thats exactly what I'm doing. The class is compiled as a COM object, and with VFP7, I can expose that COM object as a Web Service. So it would (in English) work like this:

1. Your client app has a URL to a Web Service.

2. Your client app can create an object based on the information store in that URL (this is called the Web Service Descrption Language, or WSDL)

3. When your cleint app calls methods of the object it created based on the WSDL, messages are sent using HTTP to the Web Server.

4. When the Web server gets the message, it knows to call and run your VFP function ON THE WEB SERVER, this is possible because your VFP function is exposed as a COM object.

5. Once the function is done, it returns a value back to the web server, which is ultimatley passed back down to your client app.

6. Your client app can use the result of the function call, that ran on another computer, just like it opened up the data lcoally.

This may sound liek alot of work, but really, every single step is automatically done for you in VFP7 thanks to the SOAP Tool kit.

Does that cliarfy?

>If indeed accessing web data between two machines is this simple... I'm buying VFP 7 tomorrow.

Go for it :-)