amykhar - for the 1st of the 2 things u needed help with above. it probably work just to check if the first char is NOT a letter, then to go one and check if it is NOT a letter and NOT a number, so then its a special char. hope that is helpfull.
Donate to UBBDev today to help aid in Operational, Server and Script Maintenance, and Development costs.
Please also see our parent organization VNC Web Services if you're in the need of a new UBB.threads Install or Upgrade, Site/Server Migrations, or Security and Coding Services.