good point, if VFP9 and CAST is not at hand.

But you don't need to join the template table.

You may use the same template trick to define a memo field without CAST:

create cursor curFieldTemplate (mMemo M nocptrans)
append blank

Select sometable.*, curFieldTemplate.mMemo As mNewMemo from sometable;
into cursor curResult Readwrite

not joining curFieldTemplate and not putting it in the FROM-Clause of the select simply reads the active record from curFieldTemplate, like

? curFieldTemplate.mMemo

would do.

Bye, Olaf.