you are all right. protection in this case isn't so much for the code itself (indeed many samples of the code are modified from that found here / google etc etc), but it is more an attempt to protect the idea of how to reach an end. At the end of the day, if someone wants at the code, they will get at it whether it is encrypted etc or not... if it is worth the effort. You can "copyright" code to a point / code is intellectual property the moment it exists with your name to it, but ideas cannot be protected... and "method" doesn't usually apply to programming - but it is this that sets one VBA project apart from another with similar code snippets. A project that produces results that are not achievable by any other means at the current time is worth protecting - until alternatives are developed... for once it would be nice if the "little guy" could keep some control.
i really appreciate all of your comments & time. Many many thanks.