>I have a local date variable that I want to check for spaces (user didn't enter a value for the variable) . When I put in the command
> if thisform.msdt = ctod(' / / ')
>I get an error message: operator/operand type mismatch. Why?

Three tips:

1. Wouldn´t it be THISFORM.MSDT.VALUE?
2. Did you initialize it to a date?
3. It´s easier to compare against {//}.

HTH!