It means you are using a variable incorrectly. For example, when you make a variable, say X, it can be a number, but not a text string. If you try to do X="TEST", you get this error. If you want to make a variable hold a string, you need to put a "$" at the end of the variable name, like this : X$=TEST . You also might be putting text as an argument in a command, like SPSET 3,"WA" would...