IDL/IDLDE Quirk?

[Rick Towler <rtowler(at)u.washington.edu>]

I am running IDL 5.3.1 on a Win2k machine and have noticed an annoying 
quirk in IDLDE and am wondering if it is the user or application.

When I compile my program IDLDE sometimes thinks that VARIABLES are
FUNCTIONS.  This never happens the first time I compile a program but
sometime after the first run->break->debug->recompile->rerun cycle. 
This problem isn't limited to variables in the main procedure.

a chunck of example code:

dfiles = DIALOG_PICKFILE(FILTER = '*.dat', $
 TITLE = 'Select drifter .dat files to open.', /MULTIPLE_FILES, $
 /MUST_EXIST, /READ)

IF (dfiles(0) NE '') THEN BEGIN


When I see this problem, IDLDE displays "dfiles" in light blue (as it
displays all functions) after compile and IDL expect's dfiles to be a
function and returns the error on execution:

% Attempt to call undefined procedure/function: 'DFILES'.


This problem isn't limited to this one variable.  It makes this
"mistake" with the same variables over and over and changing their names
doesn't help.

This problem isn't limited to this one project although it doesn't
happen to all my projects. I have one main program that calls a number
of separate procedures and functions contained within my project.  The
only cure is to exit IDL, restart and reload my project which will give
me one or two more compiles then the problem pops up again.

I have to admit that I just moved to IDLDE on windows from a text editor
and CLI on UNIX.  Maybe I am doing something wrong?