good idea - thanks for that - will do.
k

>Right. And speaking of Help, you find the very latest version at http://vfpx.codeplex.com/wikipage?title=VFP%209%20SP2%20Help%20File&referringTitle=Home. Quite a few errors have been fixed, so it's well worth downloading it.
>
>>Yes I tried both and they both work. I am not familiar with padr and it's missing from my vfp help. is it pad right?
>>Thanks Dragan for your solution.
>>
>>k
>>
>>>You're welcome. However, I suggest that you use the index key that Dragan suggested during my period of brain shortage. It's a little shorter, but should produce the same result.
>>>
>>>>Tore you never cease to amaze me. The logic would not have occurred to me. Works beautifully and sad to admit I have other applications that I can use that in as well. Thanks so much for this.
>>>>k
>>>>
>>>>>

index on left(chrtran(myfield,'/','') + ' ',25)

>>>>>Replace 25 with the actual length of your field.
>>>>>
>>>>>>I have painted myself in a corner with indexing problem.
>>>>>>I index a field called - myfield -- which contains an alphabetized list of names
>>>>>>aname
>>>>>>bname
>>>>>>cname
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Except in some of these entries there is a backslash at the start of the field
>>>>>>/aname
>>>>>>/bname
>>>>>>/cname
>>>>>>
>>>>>>when I index on myfield it groups the backslashes first followed by the unbackslashes
>>>>>>/aname
>>>>>>/bname
>>>>>>/cname
>>>>>>aname
>>>>>>bname
>>>>>>cname
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Is there a way to set up the index so the following progression occurs
>>>>>>/aname
>>>>>>aname
>>>>>>/bname
>>>>>>bname
>>>>>>/cname
>>>>>>cname
>>>>>>
>>>>>>index on substr(myfield,2,12) doesn't do it obviously. I need code set up to skip over a /
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I know some work arounds - like setting up a second field to handle the anomalies.
>>>>>>But would prefer a direct solution with a line of brilliant code. Or is this not possible.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>many tnx
>>>>>>k