>>I have some data dictionary software and some query maker software which both produce a list (either printed or online) of available fields for the clients to use. The software reads all my free tables and shows the column names in order. Well, some of the table have 100+ column and the columns are not in alphabetical order by name or even grouped together logically. As we add new column of course they get added to the end. The clients have not complained but I damn sure can not easily find a column when looking for it.
>>
>>Is there some utility that will put columns in sorted order? By the way, when I am browsing a table and I drag and drop a column to a new position, is that permanent for everyone? I do not understand column placement in a table.

>Unless you physically MODIFY STRUCTURE and place the columns in the order you want, you will never have permanent placement of the columns for all users. Unless you are allowing your users to browse the tables, this is not usually necessary. IMHO, what you provide to end users should be through forms controls and reports, not natively browsing raw data tables.
>
>You can also resort to local views to display data to your users. At least with views, you can SELECT the columns in any order you want.
>
>First you say your data dictionary software sorts the columns in order, then you say new columns get added to the end. Does your DD software not get updated and resorted when you add column definitions to it? I am a little confused on this problem.

The DD shows in order added, not sorted order. It is not really a DD. It just prints out a report of the tables and columns with some entered notes. We do not use it other than to print the report to include in the User Manuel.

The system is a very large 2.6 converted project and we bring it up to date when possible, but there are still many BROWSE windows. Also the Query Maker data dictionary allows the client to pick columns from tables for queries. It is the QM data dictionary that I most want to get in alphabetical order. QM provides mover buttons, but it would be a big manual effort for me to get them in alphabetical order via mover buttons within a listbox that only shows about 15 lines at a time.

So when i browse a table from within VFP developer and move the columns, would everyone after me see the columns in the new order? I am confused about this. I always thought that with the application that moving columns would be saved to your resource file. But within the Developer where would it saved this?

Brenda