re: Overwriting specific lines in text files without rewriting the whole thing.

Since your ISP doesn't have MySQL or similar available for you, you might try writing a small C program that uses open(), lseek(), read(), and write() to do your "in-place" updating, and then call it from your php using exec() or system(). The C program itself would be a small one. If you need to support multiple simultaneous users then you could add "record locking" or "file locking" so the processes don't interfere with each other. open file find record get lock read record change record write record release lock <-- optional since close() does it for you close file Bill --- Bill Rausch, Software Development, Unix, Mac, Windows Numerical Applications, Inc. 509-943-0861 bill@numerical.com