In DE6 setting a field as virtual would also set it as 'Prevent Entry' as this was typically used for dynamic derivations.

In DE8.5 setting a field as virtual allows it to be set to allow entry or prevent entry.

Is this a new feature?

"New" I guess is maybe not the word as DE8 is not exactly new anymore but it is intended behavior yes and not a bug.

Just because a field is virtual doesn't mean it can't be used as an input field or you shouldn't be able to copy from it. 

Stagnant thinking was very long the only thinking in DataEase and by easing up and not taking things so literally things flow much better.

For a long time people here believed DQL was "Report" i.e. something you printed out, while in reality it has very little to do with reporting and everything to do about processing hence ExecDQL which is headless DQL. 

While you run ExecDQL you don't have a data-entry form (which in a way you never should have had) but simply either transfer arguments via the 4 fixed ones in the function or via SetVar()/GetVar() or pick them out from the document with GetValue() and Set them directly back in the Document with SetValue().

I once had a discussion with our previous head of development about the limitations on Memo. That we couldn't use Memo outside of 128 characters in processing and that we couldn't manipulate or populate a Memo programatically.

The response was - Its called MEMO for a reason. Its for memo's i.e. things typed by the user. I thought he was joking but he was dead serious. It kind of explainde a lot. After that we did the Memo class of manipulation functions and in DE9 we have completely removed any limitations in string handling (which he also said was impossible to change) so all string functions now handle and return up to 4gb rather than the paltry 255 (rather 253 to be safe) in all versions from 1.0 to 8.5.

We will keep removing this unnatural boundaries and limitations as we move forward.

in 9.5 we are going to remove Data-Entry forms and simply just use the form you fire the DQL from as data-entry form directly for instance. How it should always have been to be honest.