Pulling TEXT datatype into a VB5 app

I'm pulling data out of FoxPro 2.6 tables and putting it into an Informix database on OLWS 7.23, and am running into a problem. The FoxPro program uses "memo" fields to store notes, which are important to the users. Some of these notes are pretty large, possibly 3k or more, so a 255 character field will not be enough. I decided to use the TEXT field on Informix to give me a large area to store notes and not be worried about running out of room. Unfortunately, I can't get the notes back *out* of the Informix database. When I first converted the data, I couldn't shoot it directly from FoxPro into Informix, because I kept getting a null error from FoxPro. I had to temporarily store it in a string variable, then put it into Informix, like this: Dim rstQuery as recordset ' data coming from foxpro Dim rstInformixTable as rdoResultset ' target on Informix database Dim tmpString as string set rstQuery = dbsFoxPro.OpenRecordset("vndmast", dbOpenDynaset) SQL = "SELECT * FROM splrmast" set rstInformixTable = conInformix.OpenResultset(SQL, rdOpenKeyset, rdConcurRowVer) ... ' code to loop through rstQuery and add record to rstInformixTable tmpString = rstQuery!notes rstInformixTable!notes = tmpString ... ' other code This is the only way it would work. Now that I have all the data in an Informix db, I query a supplier id and try to get the notes back out, and I get an invalid use of null error, even after testing it for null. Here's an example: SQL = "SELECT * FROM splrmast WHERE splr_id = '00694' set rstQuery = conSMS.OpenResultset(SQL, rdOpenKeyset) ' blah blah blah if not isnull(rstQuery!notes) then tmpString = rstQuery!notes else tmpString = "" end if When there is something in the field "notes", I get an "invalid use of null" error when I try to assign it to tmpstring. Note this is *after* the isnull test is successful! I need to be able to read the notes and put them into a text box on a form. Does anyone have any ideas? Phillip Koebbe Eagle-Picher Technologies, LLC.