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From: mrose@stsci.EDU (Mike Rose)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp
Subject: How to format to maximize significant figures
Message-ID: <1404@stsci.edu>
Date: 5 May 90 18:13:32 GMT
Organization: Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore MD
Lines: 22


I'm writing a common lisp routine to print floating point numbers
so that the use of available space is maximized.  The
requirements are: flonums should be printed in fixed-format
floating point in a field w characters wide.  If the fixed-format
representation doesn't fit in w characters, or if exponential
floating-point shows more significant figures in w characters,
then use exponential floating-point.  If the number can't show at
least one significant figure in either-fixed format or
exponential, use fixed format in as wide a field as necessary.
This must be machine-independent.

Does anyone have a good way to do this?  

~G looked like a good possibility, but it leaves space for the
exponent even when one isn't used.  Maybe there's something
really clever I can do with it?

Thanks,

Mike Rose
mrose@stsci.edu