Strange string stuff -- maybe everything is ending...

Hi gang; I just ran into something I have never had a problem with before. Here's the code: --- start of code $topic = ''; while($row = mysql_fetch_array($result)) // pulling stuff from a database { $topic .= $row['category'] . '~'; // adding a delimiter between categories } $str_length = strlen($topic); if($topic[$str_length-1] == '~') { $topic[$str_length-1] = ''; // remove last ~ delimiter } echo($topic); // this result is used in an AJAX script --- end of code Now, when the result is displayed (i.e., echoed) to Javascript routines running in Safari and FireFox, everything is OK. But when the result is displayed on IE, the "end" of the string causes problems with the exact same javascript routine as used above. Now, I realize that I have altered the string by removing the last character and I have not shortened the string to reflect that, but I never thought it would cause any problems. Would someone please enlighten me as to why this would work in Safari, FireFox, but not in IE? Cheers, tedd PS: Also, please don't beg the answer by saying "It's IE -- what do you expect?" _____________________ tedd@sperling.com http://sperling.com