Macro are a good idea, slows the execution of the code. When a macro is encountered, value of the variable is substituted, and the entire line is compiled before it is executed. The Evaluate() function performs faster then Macros, because the expression is the only thing being evaluated at runtime.

SELECT 0
USE BSpotDt

cAlias = "BSpotDt"
dAirDate1 = eval(&cAlias+".AirDate")

? dAirDate1


>I have often heard that macro substition is not a good idea.
>
>Instead of using:
>
><pre>
>SELECT 0
>USE BSpotDt
>
>cAlias = "BSpotDt"
>dAirDate1 = &cAlias..AirDate
>
>? dAirDate1
>

>
>Why not do:
>
>

>
>#DEFINE FLD_AIRDATE BSpotDt.AirDate
>
>SELECT 0
>USE d:\projects\testdata\smts\bspotdt
>
>dAirDate2 = FLD_AIRDATE
>
>? dAirDate2
>

>
>Then the expression is compiled in, versus evaulated at runtime. If/when your structure
>changed, it would be no more work to change it then with the macro version. Maybe even
>less work because there is only one play you really have to change - the .h file.
>
>Any thoughts?