@%="+F8.6"

I have a BASIC program which used to compile when it had statements like @%=&1020608

Recently, I discoved @%=“+F8.6” and changed all of the many different instances to the string format, which all worked perectly under interpretation and were/are much easier to understand when reading the code.

But, now it won’t compile (an obvious Type Mismatch).

What is the recommended way to solve this dilema?

Note that ABC supports a version of BASIC as it was in the RISC OS 3.10 days. LOCAL quirks aside, it is woefully out of date compared to the BASIC interpreter itself.

I think I would describe this as a fudge rather than a quirk. I now know that despite the apparant attempt to assign a string to an integer variable, the end result is that @% finishes up with an integer value; as shown by.

 >@%="+F8.6"
 >PRINT ~@%
  1020608

It looks like I am going to have to edit it all back to how it was with RISC OS 3.10 2.0

Maybe, I should create some new constants

 >F8pt6=&1020608
 >@%=+F8pt6
 >PRINT ~@%
  1020608

How about
Eval
SYS 45,hex$ TO ,,int%

I would have thought the EVAL was the problem here – it isn’t compilable, and Bryan’s original format is probably dealt with as an EVAL to be able to set an integer variable from a string.

The ‘SYS Eval’ version doesn’t do everything -but can be very handy with the ABC compiler.

I now know that despite the apparant attempt to assign a string to an integer variable, the end result is that @% finishes up with an integer value; as shown by.

Yes, this is a special case in BASIC.

It has been described here as a ‘quirk’ or a ‘special case’. My prefered option is still ‘fudge’.

I will be changing the code to use the canstants decribed above

What is the recommended way to solve this dilema?

Do not bother with ABC, perhaps. ;-)

My prefered option is still ‘fudge’.

Yes it is. The string form was introduced as ANSI printf comparable. It is really simple to make @$ a synonym for @% to make it “look right”, but however it is done it is stored as an integer.