Jane and Mike Thank you for your suggestions. Mike – I am very grateful for your amendment. I have put it in as %INDI.BIRT.DATE:YEAR%=TextIf(%INDI.BIRT.DATE:XDATETYPE% = "calculated","(est)","")=TextIf(Exists(%INDI.BIRT.DATE%) or Exists(%INDI.DEAT.DATE%) ,"-","")%INDI.DEAT.DATE:YEAR% But when I use ‘Test’ it tells me I have an error. This error is normally at the start of the second =TextIf but occasionally it finds fault elsewhere as I have tried playing around with spaces. I seem to have the right number of brackets so my error must be more fundamental – I have looked at the references you gave but I still do not know where my error is. Joan