folder level script not recognizing open docs

I am having difficulty with a folder level script. I created a function to count all fields except buttons. In the debugger console it works fine. The problem however is that when I put the function in a folder level script and then call it from a menu item I created it returns a zero because it does not acknowledge my document(s) being opened.
 
I tested this also with app.activeDocs and I get a 0. I added the following to the function at the very beginning:
 
var a = app.activeDocs;
app.alert(a.length);
 
It returns 0 whether I have 1 or 5 files open.
  
I put the script in the app js folder but I also tried it in the user js folder.
 
I have tried "this." as well as "app.doc" syntax - but the bigger problem is that it is not recognizing document(s) being open at all.
 
can you think of any reason why this might be? Like I said it is not the code because it works fine from the debugger the problem is that the application does not recognize a document being open. I have run out of ideas...
 
might there be an issue with the order I put the functions in the file?
The order I use is as follows -
 
1) add menus
2) add individual functions
3) add function to call a group of functions (this is what my menu item enters and then calls the function - none of other functions work for the same reason but I starting with this one).
 
here is the code I am using:
  
function customcount()
{
/*custom function to count all fields except buttons. */
var dct = 0
for (var i = 0; i < this.numFields; i++)
{
 
var fname = this.getNthFieldName(i);
var f = this.getField(fname)
if (f.type !="button" )
{dct = dct++}
}
return (dct);
};