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*** With the release of Frameworks 16, these instructions have been depreciated.  ***

There are three primary methods for launching application forms from the MDI Frame: the hierarchical menu, the button toolbar, and the launch bar. The following exercises will guide you through adding a (theoretical) new form to the MDI Frame so that it can be launched from all three of these techniques. This article may seem long at first, but most of it is filled with screenshots and reference material. After going through this once, you will find it relatively easy to do it again for your next form.

Creating a New MDI Child

The form designing article provides tips on creating new application forms (usually in the form of MDI Children). If you have not prepared a new form yet then take a few minutes to start one. It does not have to be complete, just enough to launch for testing purposes. For demonstration purposes we have created a test application, MOVIES, and an MDI Child form, DBW_MOVIES, that we will use in this article. Our data comes courtesy of IMDb. Here is what our sample form looks like:

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The first two methods for launching an application form involve modifications to FRW_MAIN. As explained in the form designing article, this will first require that FRW_MAIN be copied into the local application. The easiest way to do this is to open the inherited FRW_MAIN with the Form Designer, make a minor change, and then perform a "Save As" request.

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