>If I do this:
>SELECT MLINE(comment,1) FROM hdefects INTO CURSOR curTemp WHERE .....
>I get the first few characters of the memo line but not the entire line. SET
>MEMOWIDTH doesn't seem to have anything to do with the length of the returned
>line. What am I overlooking? TIA

You're probably overlooking the fact that the first returned line in a SELECT statement determines the field width for the rest of the lines.

Try SELECT PADR(MLINE(comment, 1), SET('MEMOWIDTH')) AS comment...