Env: Delphi 2007

<Justification>I tend to use complex records quite frequently as they offer almost all of the advantages of classes but with much simpler handling.</Justification>

Anyhoo, one particularly complex record I have just implemented is trashing memory (later leading to an "Invalid Pointer Operation" error).

This is an example of the memory trashing code:

sSignature := gProfiles.Profile[_stPrimary].Signature.Formatted(True);

On the second time i call it i get "Invalid Pointer Operation"

It works OK if i call it like this:

  AProfile    := gProfiles.Profile[_stPrimary];
  ASignature  := AProfile.Signature;
  sSignature  := ASignature.Formatted(True);

Background Code:

  gProfiles: TProfiles;

  TProfiles = Record
  private
    FPrimaryProfileID: Integer;
    FCachedProfile: TProfile;
    ...
  public
    < much code removed >

    property Profile[ProfileType: TProfileType]: TProfile Read GetProfile;
  end;


  function TProfiles.GetProfile(ProfileType: TProfileType): TProfile;
  begin        
    case ProfileType of
      _stPrimary        : Result := ProfileByID(FPrimaryProfileID);
      ...
    end;
  end;

  function TProfiles.ProfileByID(iID: Integer): TProfile;
  begin
    <snip>
    if LoadProfileOfID(iID, FCachedProfile)  then
    begin
      Result := FCachedProfile;
    end
    else
    ...
  end;


  TProfile = Record
  private     
    ...
  public
    ...
    Signature: TSignature;
    ...
  end;


  TSignature = Record
  private               
  public
    PlainTextFormat : string;
    HTMLFormat      : string;

    // The text to insert into a message when using this profile
    function Formatted(bHTML: boolean): string;
  end;

  function TSignature.Formatted(bHTML: boolean): string;
  begin
    if bHTML then
      result := HTMLFormat
    else
      result := PlainTextFormat;
    < SNIP MUCH CODE >
  end;

OK, so I have a record within a record within a record, which is approaching Inception level confusion and I'm the first to admit is not really a good model. Clearly i am going to have to restructure it. What I would like from you gurus is a better understanding of why it is trashing the memory (something to do with the string object that is created then freed...) so that i can avoid making these kinds of errors in future.

Thanks