muahahahahahahhaaaa!! WHOS DA MAN!?!?!?!? ME!!!!

it didnt work for all eternity. but i added the code:

=(LEN(EVALUATE(THIS.ControlSource))+1)*8+3

in the width of the class that defined the textbox. then it still didnt work until i created a Database and inserted the DBF that i had for that form into it and then the data environment would see the data and its all great now. :-)