>I'm having trouble understanding a paragraph in the Help for SCATTER, under the "Remarks" section. It states:
>---------- start excerpt -------------
>If properties corresponding to field names do not exist for the object, SCATTER...NAME ADDITIVE automatically creates them. However, SCATTER might not create all the necessary properties because some might be marked as Hidden or Protected. If Visual FoxPro cannot create or set a property, it generates an error. For example, you can have a field name that matches a native Visual FoxPro object property name as long as the field and property data types are the same. However, Visual FoxPro generates an error if the field name matches a method, event, or object name.
>----------- end excerpt --------------
>I have bolded the words that I find confusing - I have no idea why hidden or protected has anything to do with SCATTER...NAME. What am I missing??

You're right, hidden or protected properties have nothing to do with SCATTER...NAME but help referes to SCATTER...NAME ADDITIVE not SCATTER...NAME. The difference is that SCATTER...NAME ADDITIVE can use existing object which may have hidden or protected properties.

>Immediately below is the statement:
>---------- start excerpt -------------
>You can avoid problems by using an object created by SCATTER...NAME and not one derived from a Visual FoxPro class. Unlike when SCATTER is used with only NAME, Visual FoxPro does not overwrite the existing object to create a new object.
>----------- end excerpt --------------
>Again, I have no concept of what the bolded words are telling me.

Help again refers to SCATTER...NAME ADDITIVE and suggests that you use object based on Empty class which can be created by SCATTER...NAME or CREATEOBJECT("Empty")

>
>Immediately below is the statement:
>---------- start excerpt -------------
>SCATTER...NAME ADDITIVE does not generate an error when a read-only property cannot be set for a field in the table. However, the value of the property remains unchanged.
>----------- end excerpt --------------
>Again, I'm missing some connection between (read-only) properties and (table) fields.

Again, SCATTER...NAME ADDITIVE can work with existing object which may have read-only property.

>
>Can someone please clarify this stuff? THANKS