and this is exactly why i am doing this little experiment. i wanted to know everything there was to know about a list box and how/why to populate it. i am writing a program that uses listbox in a very limited way and i thought the other day that i wanted to learn more about why it does what it does and what other things i can use a listbox for. anyway, this happens a lot with me and probably too with most other programmers. i get an itch to know the in's and out's of a control or a function or an aspect of programming and i go for it. if i stumble along the way i usually come to this board. i have bever found such a wonderful resource of people willing to help out and teach others. it's simply fantastic. this has been like a gold mine to me ever since i found it. so with all that said, thanks to everyone who has ever helped me and the plenty others who have posted on this board. i hope you all realize what an asset you are to the programming community.