From: modridirkac@email.si   
      
   > I understand the idea of the INI files - but always prefer to use tables   
   > for lists if possible...   
   Hmmm, first programer, that started this application some 15 years ago,   
   did it with INI files, and since then we got used to it. Can change reports   
   and   
   program behavior on site, with notepad, or even over phone.   
      
   > You have about 500 customers (I wish!) but how do you handle the   
   > multiplicity of customers and reports and libraries?   
   Special customer reports are all stored in a folder with customers name,   
   there   
   is usually also a redame file, but in most cases those are just reports with   
   some logo graphic on it.   
   > Why not just add a method to a report library (I have 3, for about 250   
   > reports, some of which are really just slight rehashes of some basic   
   > report - same data, different layout)?   
   Because that would be changin my standard application code.   
   And if I change any of standard objects, I have to distribute this to   
   all my customers. So I prefer just creating/editing a library in customers   
   folder   
   and in this lib I call my standard methods, then maybe do something with   
   answer   
   and finally call customers report.   
      
   > I found using the long form was a pain, in that if you change the   
   > parameters for a method, you have to chase down all the objects that use   
   > the method. Have you found some problem with the short form?   
   1. You must have all lsl files when you compile an object with short uses   
   statment.   
   On my developement setup, I have ALL objects in ?dl files. And if I have to   
   make changes to any of them, I get ?sl version from our "archive" drive.   
   So at the end I know exactly which objects I have changed.   
   2. so when I change parameters of method I am forced to   
   hunt down all objects that use this method. But usually I do not have to do   
   this,   
   because I do not change methods that are used by other objects, I usually   
   change   
   just methods that are used inside a form/library.   
   But when I do change some widely used method (add some funcitonality) I   
   create   
   new method with new name and new parameters and change old method so   
   it calls new method and adds new parameters with blank value.   
      
   So if the method is like:   
   method CutToSize(s string, len smallint) string   
     if s.size() > len then return(s.SubStr(1,len)) else return(s) endIf   
   endMethod   
      
   and I want to add aligning to right then I would create new method   
   method CutToSizeAndAllign(s string, len smallint, right true) string   
     if s.size() > len then s = s.SubStr(1,len) endIf   
     if right then s=fill(" ",len-s.size())+s   
     endIf   
     return(s)   
   endMethod   
      
   and change old method to call new method but still keep its original   
   behaviour:   
   method CutToSize(s string, len smallint) string   
     return(CutToSizeAndAllign(s,len,false))   
   endMethod   
      
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