A handy article to read on a system for utilising dates in an all-numeric fashion can be found on: http://www.tlcdelivers.com/tlc/crs/arch0854.htm Incorporating this system with any other labels for files, i.e. Census, Births, Deaths, Marriages, Deeds etc., will make sorting so much simpler (for your computer!). Try it, and you will see how all dates come out in strict chronological order. Lance in Australia