DETAILS If you have a variable and blank is not a valid value or missing value then VARPUT and VALIDATE on that variable with a value "" will generally return 3 (undefined [would be] stored). The exception is with CAT VARS and DATES where VALIDATE returns 2 (but VARPUT correctly returns 3). VALIDATE should return 3 as well. In PQLForms if you leave a cat var or date blank then you get an error message and it won't let you leave the field until you put a valid value in (not even to go to the drop down list to see what is valid). EXAMPLE PROGRAM program STRING*3 TESTCAT DATE TESTDATE ("DDMMYYYY") CAT VARS TESTCAT ("ONE","TWO") SET TESTCAT("ONE") TESTDATE("15012008") write "VALIDATE CATVAR = " [validate(-1,"TESTCAT","")] write "VARPUT CATVAR = " [varput("TESTCAT","")] write "CATVAR = " TESTCAT " (MISNUM " [misnum(TESTCAT)] ")" / write "VALIDATE DATEVAR = " [validate(-1,"TESTDATE","")] write "VARPUT DATEVAR = " [varput("TESTDATE","")] write "DATEVAR = " TESTDATE " (MISNUM " [misnum(TESTDATE)] ")" / end program VALIDATE CATVAR = 2 VARPUT CATVAR = 3 CATVAR = * (MISNUM 0 ) VALIDATE DATEVAR = 2 VARPUT DATEVAR = 3 DATEVAR = ******** (MISNUM 0 ) WORKAROUND define BLANK as a missing value.