Generally, the approach to learning IDL starts with IDL's "Getting Started with IDL" manual, which can be read in sequence in IDL's Online Help. If you select 'Help -> Contents...' on the IDLDE, then click on the 'Contents' tab page, then navigate to 'User's Guides -> Getting Started with IDL', you will be at the perfect starting place for learning IDL from scratch. Just follow the arrow links at the upper right corner of each Help page. ITT Visual Information Solutions' website also has two free comprehensive downloadable tutorials, one for general IDL and one concentrating strictly on the user-friendly GUI-based iTools interface. These are at URL's: http://www.ittvis.com/tut...s/IDL_quickstart.asp and http://www.ittvis.com/idl/itools_tutorials.asp Finally, the manual used in our training department's 'Introduction to IDL' course is available for a small fee (see http://www.ittvis.com/training/books.asp), and can be used without an instructor present. You may find other books./manuals on that web page that interest you as well. James Jones