Denys writes:
...
> I originally said:
> > 4- Numeric and alphabetic lists are immune to additions or movement of
> fields within a dataset.
>
> Stan replied:
> >Number 4 (expressed by many people in the last day, although in
> different words) is technically correct, but may be functionally wrong.
>
> Then he explained:
> >When you add a field to a dataset, the enumerated list and subsequent
> >uses of the "*" list are "safe" only in that they won't cause buffer
> >overruns like a "@" list might.   ... thus the "technically correct".
>
> I cannot image how a buffer overrun could be generated if you use a numeric
> of alphabetic lists.  Actually, I can think of two ways:  If the DB guy

Ok...contradicted yourself in two lines :)

> But then in the latter case, the
> program should terminate during this construction because DBINFO does not
> find the item.

Thank you.  My point exactly.  As I learned from Steve Cooper in 1978,
before I even started using MPE!, an application should *ALWAYS* check
that the database looks the way it expects it to look.

BTW, that's not merely "because DBINFO does not find the item"...it's
also true if the item type or size changed.

SS