Subject Re: Control passing back and fro in a form sub routine From Mervyn Bick <invalid@invalid.invalid> Date Wed, 26 Jul 2023 11:19:31 +0200 Newsgroups dbase.getting-started On 2023/07/26 07:33, Akshat Kapoor wrote: > Passing control to square.prg is no issue. Passing value back to form is > also not an issue. But passing value back to the form in between is an > issue. > > You can say > Form.text1.text = square(X) > The value returned by square.prg will be displayed. I am posting code > BUT it may cause complications due to use of Public variables. > >      Public mform >      mform = form > What happens to form after the end of the form is untested. It will be > released from memory or not I cannot say. The use of Public variables, and user-defined properties of the _app object which are their counterpart in OOP, has it's place but one should really only use them as a last resort when there is no other way. Back in the early days of dBASE provision was made for functions and procedures.  Functions returned a value.  Procedures didn't return a value but the code could assign values to various variables.  Over the years the distinction has become blurred and functions now serve both purposes. In days gone by, when I was learning to program, the buzz word was "Structured" programming.  In effect, don't use dBASE procedures and functions should only have one entry point and one exit point.  I must admit though that there are occasions where I stray from the narrow path as a matter of expediency. Mervyn.