>>>abcdefg [01] = is what i need
>>>as opposed to submitted data which reads # abcdefg [1]
>>
>>Well, in that case you could just brute-force it in 10 lines of code, no RegEx needed, maintainable in pure VFP:
>>

>>cFile = strtran(cFile,"[0]","[00]") && if you need to handle [0]
>>cFile = strtran(cFile,"[1]","[01]")
>>cFile = strtran(cFile,"[2]","[02]")
>>cFile = strtran(cFile,"[3]","[03]")
>>cFile = strtran(cFile,"[4]","[04]")
>>cFile = strtran(cFile,"[5]","[05]")
>>cFile = strtran(cFile,"[6]","[06]")
>>cFile = strtran(cFile,"[7]","[07]")
>>cFile = strtran(cFile,"[8]","[08]")
>>cFile = strtran(cFile,"[9]","[09]")
>>
>>* or, if you wanted to do it in "one line of code", you could nest the above calls < eg >
>>

>>Some people might pooh-pooh brute-force solutions, but they have their place.
>
>You didn't write a loop? Tsk, tsk...

Nah, I just did what any half-decent optimizing compiler would do, which would be to unroll the loop.