Hi Terry,
>I agree. I just wasn't sure what the originator was trying to acheive.

Just try to put "&&" in front of the uncertain "*" and it should be clear <g>.

I have had to straighten out some programs really run into ground by idiotic maintainance -
and some were not great from the start. But the first rule for me is: current code is always right.
It is the code running at the customers, it made it through testing and if it is not in synch with
doc or spec I will make a note of it and ask for which is correct.

As in your case the SQL would fail if the "*" were meant as a comment make it as readable to YOU as possible.
If you are working alone on a clunker, as first action flag the version you take over on your Source Ccontrol version,
beautify to your needs and flag again as your first version (if not working with source control consider using your laptop
or make loud noises). Change things looking ambiguos to YOUR eyes to a form easyly grokable to you everytime you encounter them.

I have often used the analogy of setting the steering wheel and drivers chair into the position fitting for the current driver as an example why I need half a day as a setup for taking over large projects. If the car really is a clunker, there is need for even further inspection (brake and traffic lights for instance) before trying to cross the continent...

As this is a fringe case not helped by syntax coloring, change away.

regards

thomas