Bob,
I thought I'd posted a reply to this one last week but just found it in my
unsent box. It might throw some light....

At 01:08 AM 30/05/2003 +0000, you wrote:

>I have a form containing 3 TIB_CtrlGrids.
>
>Each Grid has its DataSource property set to a different datasource,
>and contains various IBO edit, date, memo, and comboboxes.
>
>If I attempt to open this form first (design mode, not runtime) after
>opening the project I will receive the following error:
>
>error creating form: cannot focus a disabled or invisible window

The cause of this error may be an embedded control whose Visible property
has not been reset to true. The quickest way to find it is to open the DFM
file as text and examine each of the embedded controls within its parent
control. In fact, you may find more than one such control; and you might
also find that something else is amiss with its embedding, such as its
creation order being out of sequence.

>The only way I can open the form with these property settings is to
>make sure I open another form (containing IBO components) prior to
>opening the troublesome form.

This gives rise to the suspicion of some misplaced parenting of some
control...did you perhaps copy-and-paste some controls from one form to
another and perhaps overlooked a parent setting, or the Visible property?

>As I permanent fix I have discovered that I can only have at most 2
>TIB_CtrlGrids with the DataSource property set. As long as I leave
>the DataSource property on 1 of the TIB_CtrlGrids (any one of the
>three, it doesn't seem to matter) empty then the form will always
>open even if I open it first (before another IBO-bearing form).

Again, it looks like a parenting/creation order issue...

>So my questions are:
>
>1. Can anyone provide any insight into this problem?

Well, only that I have been where you are, if it is of any comfort. I've
learnt to take great care with the parenting and creation order issues when
dealing with embedded controls (being an avid copy/paster myself!!).

>2. As far as I can tell, setting the DataSource on the TIB_CtrlGrid
>is more of a convenience in that it prevents you from having to set
>the DataSource individually on each of the widgets placed in the
>control. There seems to be little other benefit to setting the
>DataSource on the TIB_CtrlGrid itself. Is this correct?

I hadn't thought about it from that angle and haven't tried it without
setting the parent datasource property. I can't remember having more than
two control grids on a single form, either, though. Without setting up a
sample (which I have no time for right now) I can't say whether you have
stumbled upon a "rule" of some sort. But the control grid is intrinsically
a fairly dumb container, so it would not surprise me if it turned out to be
the case that the Datasource properties of the individual embedded controls
would overrule.

cheers,
Helen