>Opened qm_list in the command window (not exclusive). Added the f_udescrip index.

If you added the index, you had the file open exclusive. If you didn't open the file using the EXCLUSIVE keyword in the USE command, then SET EXCLUSIVE was ON in your environment (it is by default). The INDEX ON command will always give you an error if you don't have the table in EXCLUSIVE use.

Someone please tell me if I'm full of it here, becuase if this has changed in 6.0 I need to know it. Is there some form of creating a temporary index, or creating an index on a cursor, which doesn't require exclusive use in 6.0?

>Looked at the properties and f_udescrip was there. Closed qm_list. Opened qm_list. f_udescrip is not in the properties. Tried to "SET ORDER TO f_udescrip". Got a variable not found (also used several variations of the SET ORDER, none worked). Tried to add the f_udescrip index and got the message that it already exists. Now f_udescrip is in the properties list and I can SET ORDER TO.

This part is wierd. Someone help me. Could it be because, by including the OF part of INDEX ON, you created a tag in a non-structural CDX file (i.e. a cdx file which the dbf doesn't contain a link to in it's header.) For normal (non-temporary) indexes on a table, you usually don't include "OF [cdxfile]".

Cheers,