Calling a Form as If It Were a Function to Return a Value

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The following instructions demonstrate how to call a form as if it were a function.

1. Create a new form, and save it as MYFORM.SCX.
2. Create a text box on the form.
3. Double-click the text box to bring up the methods. Select VALID from the Procedure list, and type in the following code:

      STORE This.Value TO uRetValue
      ThisForm.Release     && release the form
   							

4. Close the TEXT1.Valid dialog.
5. Click in the form outside of the text box to deactivate the text box. Click the right mouse button, and choose properties.
6. Select the ALL tab. Scroll down in the list to the property WINDOW TYPE.
7. Change the Window type to 1-Modal, and close the properties dialog. Then save and close the form.
8. Create and save a program file called MYTEST.PRG that contains the following code:

      *begin program
      LPARAMETERS tcfilename   && t-PARAMETER c-char
      LOCAL ofrmMyForm         && o-object (instance)
      *create an instance of the form
      ofrmMyForm=CREATEOBJECT("frmMyForm", tcfilename)
      RETURN ofrmMyForm.SHOW()
   
      DEFINE CLASS frmMyForm AS CUSTOM
           * create property to hold the filename
           cfilename=""
           FUNCTION INIT(tcfilename)
                THIS.cfilename=tcfilename
                RETURN .T.
           ENDFUNC
           FUNCTION SHOW
                PRIVATE uRetValue     && u-unknown type
                STORE .T. TO uRetValue
                * call the form
                DO FORM (THIS.cfilename)
                RETURN uRetValue
           ENDFUNC
      ENDDEFINE
      *end program
   							

9. In the Command window, issue this command:

      ? MYTEST("MYFORM.SCX")
   							

The program creates an instance of the class, which in turn runs the form. When the form is displayed, enter some data, and press ENTER. The form will close, and program execution, which has paused at this point because the WindowType property was set to Modal, will continue with the statement RETURN uRetValue.

As the program terminates, ofrmMyForm will fall out of scope, and what was typed will show up in the active window.

This is just an example of calling a function that displays a form. With simple modification, the procedure described here could be used for password entry, prompting for a search string, or various other uses.