LOL. I misread. If he is only talking about 1000b > a > 0b, then I agree with you. Start with a large 1000b buffer. If you run out of room, double the size and try again. When done, return a new allocated buffer of the final size (not a required step if memory isn't an issue). Tim Smith I'm going to patent thought. I have yet to see any prior art.

I'm not going to use MFC, nor any database as I need my program to work on a 486 dx2. Also the purpose of the list is to display multisorted information on a grid. Thx anyway! :D keep talking ppl plz!

First of all thx for your reply and thx to the other 2 guys replies. All of you helped a lot. New questions have arised due to replies: #1: My knowledge of technical differences between 16-32-64 bits is little or none...but I'm definitely gonna need more than 640K lol. There's gotta be a way to bypass the 640K limit! I thought mallocating on C and "New-ing" on Pascal allowed use of extended memory... Well, if it just can't be done, I can work it out by not exceeding the limit while I use the 486...resigning compatibility with it, it's ok, it wasn't that big deal...nor was Linux compatibility. It seems I'm gonna need a 32-bit compiler (though I don't really know much what it means), perhaps this is what "BBC32" meaning was (32 bit). What compiler should I use given the new circumstances? Will it still run on the 486? #2: The graphic issue seems problematic, seems I'll have to make a first version working on the 486 and then the release one. So, given the first one is ok, what would be the better choice for graphic mode compatibility between W98-Me-NT-2000-XP? I should add that there's no way Ima use MFC nor DirectX. Thx in advance!! Mariano Lopez-Gappa