>>Let's face it. NO system is 100% foolproof. That's why I check for existing values & trap errors.
>
>I thought that VFP already had a SYS function that returned a ten-character unique ID based on the time. From help, SYS(2015):
>
>Returns a unique 10-character procedure name that begins with an underscore followed by a combination of letters and numbers.


The difference is that Tom's function (with my small contribution, of course :)) gives the exact moment when the key was created. That can be necessary some times.

Vlad