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Re: what's wrong with this? --- ' vs " problem [message #39300 is a reply to message #39224]

Wed, 05 May 2004 15:44

JD Smith
Messages: 850
Registered: December 1999

Senior Member

On Tue, 04 May 2004 19:49:45 +0200, Norbert Hahn wrote:

> mmiller3@iupui.edu (Michael A. Miller) wrote:
>
>> Ok, this I don"t get. Is it a 'feature' or a "bug"? I vote for
>> bug in how IDL parses octal numbers.
>
> It's a poor feature. A string starting with " followed by a digit
> starts an octal input, not necessarily a number. Thus your input
>
>> IDL> file=" 040301_0932_2004-00005_mouse1_12x10s-4x30s-3x120s-4x300s-pro j.jpg "
>
> make file a variable of type Int and a value of octal 040301, decimal
> 16577.
>
> If you enter file="0403010932 then the variable type is long and the
> value in decimal is 543213431.
>
> The underline character is not a valid octal digit, hence "Syntax error".

I vote for a COMPILE_OPT option turning off this "feature". Whoever
decided to use unpaired string delimeters for octal constants probably
hadn't yet written the interpreter to actually recognize those
constants. A much better syntax, should you have a need for octals,
is:

angstrom=string('305'OB)

which has the advantage that it matches the hexadecimal notation:

angstrom=string('C5'XB)

I guess we should be thankful they didn't offer 'HHH as a hexadecimal
shorthand.

JD

P.S. Use of "NNN octal notation in IDLWAVE tends to wreak havoc with
the fontification.

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[Message index]

		Re: what's wrong with this? --- ' vs " problem By: Norbert Hahn on Tue, 04 May 2004 10:49
		Re: what's wrong with this? --- ' vs " problem By: mmiller3 on Tue, 04 May 2004 07:54
		Re: what's wrong with this? --- ' vs " problem By: David Fanning on Mon, 03 May 2004 15:25
		Re: what's wrong with this? --- ' vs " problem By: JD Smith on Wed, 05 May 2004 15:44

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