Hi Steven.

>I am trying to use the txtName control in a grid to enter/display a person's name in a field.
>
>When formatting the grid, I inserted the txtName control and removed the Text control. So the grid hierarchy is grid->column->header->txtName. When I display the grid, only the lastname field shows up (that's the control source which is a valid name field in the CM registry). When I click on the field, the full name displays. The column Sparse property is ".f." (eventhough trying both .t. and .f. both gave the same results.

I got a similar problem with txtDate.
You should set Sparse to .T.
Also try setting the Column.Bound to .F., then set a different control source for the column. The column controlsource is displayed when the cell does not have focus. The txtName control only displays when it has focus.
Use an expression in the Column.ControlSource to display the name when the cell has no focus.

Best.