filepro quirk

[Nancy Palmquist]

Fairlight wrote:

> Simon--er, no...it was Jeff Harrison--said:
> 
>>Sure.  In most languages you would need to use a mid
>>or left command or something similar to get the same
>>functionality:
> 
> [snip]
> 
>>Lets see, that's at least 13 characters saved per
>>comparison (not counting the "if, then, endif"  :-)
> 
> 
> Which is fine and well--WHEN you want it to behave that way.  I think
> the point is that there should be a way to do an absolute, unequivocable
> equality test, independant of whatever the language "thinks" you want when
> you currently say 'eq'.
> 
> mark->

I do want to note that there is a difference between the equals and 
equivalent functions.

If you guys remember your algegra, equivalent does not necessarily 
indicate identical.  Since the shortest literal was 2 characters that 
was all filePro could compare.  You did not include any spaces are 
additional characters in your test.  If the two values had been numeric 
in nature it would have done a more normal equality.  If they had been 
dates, it would have compared them on a date basis.

To avoid confusion when I do these comparisons, I have developed the 
following technique.  It might come in handy with literal comparisons:

5{"|"  eq "TX{"|"

Now no matter how many characters are in field 5 by appending the | it 
will test correctly if it has only TX| as a result.

Nancy

-- 
Nancy Palmquist
Virtual Software Systems
PHONE: (412) 835-9417			Web site:  http://www.vss3.com