>It may be that the way COM objects are displayed in the Debugger is "by design", but I think it's also arguable that there are bugs here, and I question the validity of some of your statements. First of all, please note the VFP 7 Help file excerpt that I began with:
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>[the Locals Window of the VFP Debugger] makes it possible for you to display all the variables, arrays, objects, and object members that are visible in a given program, procedure, or method.
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>If there is some major exception to this statement for the case of COM objects, I think you are obliged at least to correct the documentation. Now, I'm not proposing that you simply add such wording, only pointing out that the discrepancy qualifies this behavior as a bug.
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You see it as a bug in the debugger, I'm sure they'll see it as a bug in the documentation. ;-)

>Speaking of other COM debuggers, it is my understanding that VB6 has no such restrictions on its ability to display and navigate COM objects, so I don't see how your assertion can be correct about the impossibility of providing a comparable level of COM support in VFP. As you noted, Intellisense and the Object Browser are

I don't think he said it was impossible, just that they didn't want to do it because of (lots of) possible side effects.

>There is no doubt that VFP's support for ActiveX and OLE Automation is a major strength of the product, and recent enhancements incorporated into VFP 7.0 were a significant and welcome addition to VFP's arsenal. As people become increasingly aware of the importance of COM integration, I think you will hear from more and more who find themselves befuddled by the weaknesses of the VFP Debugger. Among those who have already delved into this area, I'm sure you would find very strong support for the fixes I'm requesting. For those who have not yet gotten into COM, you would be doing them and Microsoft a very great service by fixing these problems before they become a source of further confusion and irritation.
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Well, I looked into it, but it's (the debugger not displaying all properties) not a big deal for me. In fact, it would probably bother me more if the debugger caused all sorts of weird (ie. hard to trace) bugs because of it's interaction with a COM object. I really use the Object Browser a lot more for any of my poking around vs. the debugger.

I'm glad Ken took the time to talk to Calvin about it (and post a follow up). Interesting stuff...