m.lcAliasname = padr("testalias",260,"X")
select * from test.dbf into cursor (m.lcAliasname)
*!* creates cursor with aliasname truncated to 254 characters)
?len(m.lcAliasname) && returns 260
?len(alias()) && returns 254

m.lcAliasname = padr("testalias",261,"X")
select * from test.dbf into cursor (m.lcAliasname)
*!* generates error Invalid path or filename
?len(m.lcAliasname) && returns 261

>>I don't know where it is documented but from trials in VFP 6 SP5 indicate that you can use a aliasname up to 260 characters but truncates it to a maximum of 254 characters. So I would say that the maximum is 254 characters. Using aliasname longer than 260 characters in length, generates an error Invalid path or filename. Very strange.
>
>should be it for:
>
>Maximum length of a string literal: 255
>??
>
>Franco