Yep, I just concatenate the characters to make the 64, or 128, bit map. OTOH, I use SUBSTR() to break it apart so I can use the ASC() function on each character.
I have to laugh. For almost 30 years I've never had to fiddle with bits. Now a message format comes along that must have been someone's moment of glory and I'm fiddling with bits. Oh well.
Scott Ramey
BDS Software