Memo fields are variable length fields. Further, there is not necessarily a memo field for every record. This is the reason it is implemented this way. If the length of the memo field changes, and VFP attempted to keep the memo in the same position in the file, the entire file (after that point) would have to be rewritten to the disk.

There are more complex ways this could have been handled, to prevent this problem, but that is another story...

>Hi Renoir
>
>I dont know why either but its a simple test. Create a file with a memo field. Add a record and enter something into the memo field. Close the file. Open the FPT file in, for example, Notepad. You will see your memo field contents. Now back in VFP open the file and replace the memo field with some new data. Close the file and again inspect the FPT file in Notepad. There is the new data *and* the original text too!
>
>Jos