Xref: utzoo comp.os.vms:13951 comp.lang.pascal:1775
Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!unmvax!pprg.unm.edu!hc!lll-winken!uunet!munnari!uniwa!vax7!csjr
From: csjr@admdev.cut.oz (Steve Rollinson)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms,comp.lang.pascal
Subject: Re:Re:Re: VAX Pascal writeln on real numbers
Message-ID: <71@admdev.cut.oz>
Date: 1 May 89 04:14:14 GMT
References: <2744@cps3xx.UUCP> <6953@bsu-cs.bsu.edu> <6963@bsu-cs.bsu.edu>
Organization: Curtin University of Technology
Lines: 55

In article <6963@bsu-cs.bsu.edu>, neubauer@bsu-cs.bsu.edu (Paul Neubauer) writes:

...................................etc...................

> Sorry, that is not what is going on here.  The following short program shows
> that it always counts 0 as positive and always expands the field width to
> include everything to the left of the .:
> 
> PROGRAM Signs (output);
> 
> BEGIN
> writeln(-0.000001:6:4);
> writeln(-0.000001:7:4);
> writeln(-1.000001:6:4);
> writeln(-1.000001:7:4);
> END. {program Signs}
> 
> The output from this program is:
> 
> 0.0000
>  0.0000
> -1.0000
> -1.0000
> 
...............................etc...........................
If you want your numbers to line up, you should use the
same field widths throughout....

 BEGIN
  writeln(-0.000001:7:4);
  writeln(-0.000001:7:4);
  writeln(-1.000001:7:4);
  writeln(-1.000001:7:4);
 END. {program Signs}

I seem to recall that the decimal point counts as a character
position in the integer part of the format, therefore -0.000001:6:4
would completely fill the field "0.0000"
                                 123456

and -000001:7:4 would be represented by " 0.0000"
                                         1234567

... as essentially real numbers are displayed right justified. I believe
that when the number "displayed" is <0 the output still allows the "-"
to be displayed, thus allowing 1 more character in the output format.

(Feel free to flame me if I'm wrong)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  _     __                          |  _ _  | Steven Rollinson
 ( `   /  )      / /                |  @ @  | Curtin University of Technology
  \   /--<  _   / / . __ _  _   __  |    >  | Computing Centre
 \_) /   |/(_)_/_/_<_/ /_\/(_)_/ /_ |   ~   | Western Australia
                                    |       | PSI%AUSTPAC.0505294523000::CSJR
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------