in trying to define this further, i'm getting the idea that the culprit is in a different script - that this one is calling. or one of a few. it will take some digging. i think the code i submitted above does actually work. i might be back. :) thanks. update: yes, the culprit was a different script. there's a "web" of scripts here, and sometimes there aren't many clues. sorry for false alarm, but i appreciate the answers - i still learned from them.