Constants

A constant data type is determined by its syntax. In PV-WAVE there are eight basic data types, each with its own form of constant:

BYTE—8-bit unsigned integers.

INT—16-bit signed integers.

INT32—32-bit signed integers.

LONG—64-bit signed integers on 64-bit platforms; 32-bit signed integers on all other platforms.

FLOAT—32-bit single-precision floating-point.

DOUBLE—64-bit double-precision floating-point.

COMPLEX—Real-imaginary pair using single-precision floating-point.

DCOMPLEX—Real-imaginary pair using double-precision floating-point.

STRING—Zero or more eight-bit characters which are interpreted as text.

Integer Constants

Numeric constants of different types may be represented by a variety of forms. The syntax of integer constants is shown in the following table, where “n” represents one or more digits.

 

Syntax of Integer Constants

Radix

Type

Form

Examples

Decimal

BYTE

nB

12B, 34B

INT

n

12, 425

INT32

nI

12I, 94I

LONG

nL

12L, 94L

Hexadecimal

BYTE

'n'XB

'2E'XB

INT

'n'X

'0F'X

INT32

nI

12I, 94I

LONG

'n'XL

'FF'XL

Octal

BYTE

"nB

"12B

INT

"n

"12

'n'O

'377'O

INT32

nI

12I, 94I

LONG

"nL

"12L

'n'OL

'777777'OL

Values of integer constants can range from 0 to 255 for BYTEs, 0 to ± 32,767 for INTs, 0 to ± 232 for INT32s, and 0 to ± 232 (on 32-bit systems) or 0 to ± 264 (on 64-bit systems) for LONGs. Integers that are initialized with absolute values greater than 32,767 are automatically typed as longword. Any numeric constant may be preceded by a + or a – sign. To ensure cross-platform compatibility, place the + or a – sign outside of the apostrophe.

Floating-point and Double-precision Constants

Floating-point and double-precision constants may be expressed in conventional or scientific notation. Any numeric constant that includes the decimal point is a floating-point or double-precision constant.

The syntax of floating-point and double-precision constants is shown in Syntax of Floating-point and Double-precision Constants . The notation sx represents the sign and magnitude of the exponent, for example:  E-2.

Double-precision constants are entered in the same manner, replacing E with a D. For example, 1.0D0, 1D, 1.D, all represent a double precision one.

 

Syntax of Floating-point and Double-precision Constants

Form

Double Precision

Floating Point

n .

102.D

102.

. n

.102D

.102

n .n

10.2D

10.2

n Xsx

10D5

10E5

n .Xsx

10.D–3

10.E–3

.n Xsx

.1D+12

.1E+12

n .n Xsx

2.3D12

2.3E12

Complex Constants

Complex constants contain a real and an imaginary part, which can be of single or double-precision floating point numbers. The imaginary part may be omitted, in which case it is assumed to be zero.

The form of a complex constant is:

COMPLEX(real_part, imaginary_part)

or:

COMPLEX(real_part)

For example, COMPLEX(1, 2), is a complex constant with a real part of one, and an imaginary part of two. COMPLEX(1)is a complex constant with a real part of one and a zero imaginary component.

The ABS function returns the magnitude of a complex expression. To extract the real part of a complex expression, use the FLOAT function; to extract the imaginary part, use the IMAGINARY function. These functions are explained in the (Undefined variable: pvwave.waveur).

String Constants

A string constant consists of zero or more characters enclosed by apostrophes ( ' ) or quotation marks ( " ). The value of the constant is simply the characters appearing between the leading delimiter ( ' or " ) and the next occurrence of the delimiter.

A double apostrophe ( ' ' ) or double quotation mark ( " " ) is considered to be the null string; a string containing no characters.

An apostrophe or quotation mark may be represented within a string that is delimited by the same character, by two apostrophes, or quotation marks. For example, 'Don''t' produces Don't; or you can write: "Don't" to produce the same result.

Examples of Correct String Constants illustrates valid string constants.

 

Examples of Correct String Constants

String Value

Correct

Hi there

'Hi there'

Hi there

"Hi there"

Null String

''

I’m happy

"I'm happy"

I’m happy

'I''m happy'

counter

'counter'

129

'129'