Intrigued with Project Manager's potential, Michael asked:

>I'm giving Project Manager a try out, previously my entire 5000+ line
>program was in one file, bookmarks and the function list make that
>possible for me.
>
>I've read the help file and was wondering how people work in project manager.
>
>At work several of our projects have every routine in separate file,
>and they build object libraries from those and link each program
>together from the libraries.  I find the libraries a pain in the
>neck, but I was wondering about putting every one of my FB3 routines
>in a separate file and controlling them inside the Project Manager.
>One advantage of such an approach is that it is easier to do version
>control on the individual routines (especially using FlashBack).
>Does anyone do FB3 this way?
>
>--
>Michael Kluskens <mkluskens@...>

Michael,

The Project Manager is probably one of the nicest features of FB^3. 
Unfortunately it gets shortchanged here on the list because there is 
no way to duplicate its utility. Files posted here are, by nature of 
the news group, always in one document, so we never see the Project 
Manager in action.

That's a terrible shame.

The Project Manager builds a folder in which the project files-- 
including resources-- can be kept. In coding larger projects, I 
usually use one file for each function, although on occasion I may 
group several related functions-- such as list box controls, or 
calendar functions, etc.-- into one file.

The great thing about the Project Manager is the ease with which you 
can add or delete a function: It's simply a matter of dragging a new 
function to the proper location in the window, or dragging it out of 
the window to the trash. If you want to change globals, they are a 
mouse click away without having to leave the function you are 
currently working with. The Project Manager also allows you to 
selectively debug individual include files.

Often on the list, when a complete and long file is posted, it can be 
especially intimidating. But by breaking down the file into 
individual function Includes, you would be amazed at how your 
understanding of a program can increase. Rather than looking at one 
huge file, you can take time to examine each isolated function.

Project Manager also makes reuse of common code very easy. Perhaps 
you already have a basic shell written to include common menu, 
dialog, event, mouse, functions. As separate files, these can easily 
be dropped into Project Manager for rapid development.

In your case, I would recommend using Project Manager to create a new 
project foldeer. Then invest about 20 minutes to break your 5000+line 
program into individual functions, copying and pasting each function 
to its own file in the folder. When the copying is complete, drag 
each function in proper order to the project manager window and run 
it. Then, to examine an individual function, it's simply a matter of 
clicking on its icon. And unlike your current 5000-line file, you can 
have many functions open at once.

I just wish there was a way we could interact with Project Manager 
here on the list.

We would all be better programmers for it.

Ken