ok, Firstly, DBlank & John W - thanks for those answers...
the data type of the field on the report is already set to date.
Dblank, from your suggestions, this...
i) {salesorders.sdate}={?Report From} - returned error "This field name is not known"
ii) {salesorders.sdate}=cdate({?Report From}) - returned error "A Number, Currency, boolean or string is expected here
iii) {salesorders.sdate}=date(2010,1,1) - Hey This Worked ... mmmmm!!!
[ I can also get it to work on > 2010,1,1 etc..]
iv) {salesorders.sdate} in Cdate({?Report From}) to Cdate({?Report End}) - this threw up the same error as in ii)
so we are definately getting somewhere, but I am not sure where we are getting .....
any more suggestions.... PLEASE !!!
{salesorders.sdate} in date({?From}) to date({?To})