The obvious question here is why would you do such a thing? This is extremely bad design.

Internally VFP can do the conversion easily enough, but externally the COM Variant is fixed when it enters the VFP server and comes out with the same type.

+++ Rick ---

>Is it not possible within a COM server to change the data type of a variable passed by reference?
>For Example,
>

PROCEDURE oComObject.GetSomething
> LPARAMETERS tuVar
>
> tuVar = 9
>
> Return llSuccess
>ENDPROC

>In the calling procedure:
>

lcVar = ''
>oComObject.GetSomething(@lcVar)

>Prior to calling the method, lcVar is an empty string.
>After calling this method, lcVar is STILL of character type, now containg the value '9'. Can you not change the data type of the By Ref. variable?
>
>TIA,
>Jon