>I'm using VFP5.0a (build 415). I've got a view-based form that creates a parameter object using SCATTER...NAME and passes it to another (modal) form (which uses a private datasession).
>
>On returning from the modal form, I'd ideally like to issue GATHER...NAME to update the view form's fields with updated values from the parameter object. However, if I try, I get the above error.
>

How many fields and tables are involved? Updating a view from a GATHER NAME actually creates a SQL Update, and you may be hitting your head against the wall there.

To verify that this is in fact the problem, you could try creating a temporary cursor that matched the view on a field for field basis; if you can GATHER NAME into that, but not into your view, that's what's happening. As far as a workaround, you could try spinning through the list of fields one by one in a FOR loop and doing REPLACEs; something like:

SELECT MyComplexView
FOR i = 1 TO FCOUNT()
   REPLACE (FIELD(i)) WITH EVAL('oMyScatterObject.' + FIELD(i))
ENDFOR

>If I try to REPLACE just a few view fields from the parameter object, it works. If I try a REPLACE of all, or slightly more than half, same error.
>
>When the modal form is closed, the .Activate of the view form is eventually called, which refreshes the view form. The error handler is reporting the problem in a piece of code that works perfectly in every other circumstance and which contains no SELECT - SQL statements even approaching the limit.
>
>The view-based form is fairly complex. Has VFP been known to throw bad/misleading error messages when the going gets tough?
>
>Any help or wild-assed guesses greatly appreciated.