>Does anybody know a workaround for the VAL() function to create an index based on the value of a string field that can have numbers and alpha text in it? If you print the val('123A453') you get the value of 123.00 as it stops at the alpha text portion. This is what I want, the value of the beginning number portion of the field. However, when you issue INDEX ON VAL(fldname) TO indexname you get an error message that data was lost and it does not create the index.
>
>Thanks.
>Colombo.

If it is always at the same spot in the data... why not
VAL(SUBSTR('123A453',1,3))
Otherwise, it would make sense to create a field to use as a sort field and place the data you want in it from that original field.

Wayne