SPRINTF

Syntax

FUNCTION SPRINTF ("C format string", ParamArray ...) AS STRING

built-in FUNCTION that calls the existing SPRINTF routine in the firmware for versions 8.11 or later (version 7.51 or later on ARM7 parts)

Description

SPRINTF is a way to format strings. It can be as simple a short string or quite complex specifying field sizes and pad characters for a number. This routine is written in C and is part of the firmware. As of 8.11 firmware BASIC programs can access this powerful C subroutine. But the BASIC compiler just passes the parameters to the C and does NO type checking or even counts of parameters.


Rather than duplicate the documentation of SPRINTF, there is a great deal of information for printf in documentation for C such as

C reference for printf

SPRINTF in the firmware supports c (BYTE), s (STRING), d (decimal INTEGER, x or X for (hex INTEGER), e, E, f, g, or G (for SINGLE).

The G format differs a little from the G format of C. It copies 0.0 or the range 0.1000000 through 9999999. and outside that it uses D.DDDDDDE+DD and the negative values as well.

Pad characters of 0 or space can be added to fill out LENGTH or WIDTH and PRECISION.  PRECISION is limited to 0 to 8 characters.

Special characters can be added using %c and filling that value with something like 13 for carriage return, 9 for TAB or 7 to wring the BELL

Example

\

DIM str(100) AS
STRING

i = 1234

DIM x AS
SINGLE
x
= 12.34

str
= SPRINTF("%c%c a string a single %1.5f an integer %d a hex number %x and a
carriage return %c",13,13,x,i,i,13)

PRINT
str

will print --

a
string a single 12.34000 an integer 1234 a hex number 4D2 and a carriage
return

Differences from other BASICs

\

• similar to String.Format in Visual BASIC
• no equivalent in PBASIC

See also

\

• PRINTF