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From: CJS@psuvm.psu.edu
Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx
Subject: Re: Dollarizing
Message-ID: <91120.082553CJS@psuvm.psu.edu>
Date: 30 Apr 91 12:25:53 GMT
References: <lordbah.4810@amusing.UUCP>
Organization: Penn State University
Lines: 32

Too bad ARexx doesn't have a FORMAT function.  I would have thought it
was in all implementations.

However, to simplify your "dollarize" routine:

   dollarize: procedure

      arg l '.' r .               /* left of decimal; right of decimal */

   return l'.'left(r, 2, '0')


To add rounding, perhaps this will do:

   dollarize: procedure
      arg l '.' r .               /* left of decimal; right of decimal */

      parse var r r +2 next +1 .

      if next <> '' then          /* more than 2 places? */
         if next > 4 then do      /* should we round up? */
            r = r + 1
            if r = 100 then do    /* did it overflow? */
               l = l + 1
               r = 0
            end
         end

   return l'.'left(r, 2, '0')

That rounding method is not quite perfect, and doesn't do negative
values correctly, but it is simple.