VarChar or Memo in query parameters

[Myles]

I am using Office developer XP (2002) with all service
packs applied under windows xp pro.

I wish to pass a string of more than 255 characters to a
query to insert into a table.

If I set up the parameter in the query builder and
select "memo" as the data type the SQL reads:

PARAMETERS lngTeamID Long, intCurrentPeriod Short,
strDidactic Text;
INSERT INTO tblDidacticNote ( TeamID, Period,
DidacticText )
SELECT [lngTeamID] AS Expr1, [intCurrentPeriod] AS Expr2,
[strDidactic] AS Expr3;

If I change data type in SQL view from "Text"
to "Varchar" the parser allows it but the string is still
truncated to 255 characters and when I close and re-open
the query in SQL view the SQL has been altered to:

PARAMETERS lngTeamID Long, intCurrentPeriod Short,
strDidactic Text(255);
INSERT INTO tblDidacticNote ( TeamID, Period,
DidacticText )
SELECT [lngTeamID] AS Expr1, [intCurrentPeriod] AS Expr2,
[strDidactic] AS Expr3;

Is this something we have to live with, or is it
something I'm doing wrong, or is there a patch?