JBASE BASIC Programmers Reference Guide J BASE

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jBASE BASIC
Programmers Reference Guide
Functions and Statements

© 2006, 2016 Zumasys, Inc.

Contents
Documentation Conventions.................................................................................................................. 1
Organization of this manual ............................................................................................................... 3
jBASE BASIC Language Overview ...................................................................................................... 3
Features of jBASE BASIC .................................................................................................................. 4
Benefits of using jBASE BASIC ........................................................................................................... 4
jBASE BASIC Environment.................................................................................................................. 5
jBASE BASIC Programming ................................................................................................................ 5
jBASE BASIC Comparisons ............................................................................................................... 7
With BASIC........................................................................................................................................... 7
With 'C' .................................................................................................................................................. 7
File and Directory Organization ............................................................................................................ 7
@............................................................................................................................................................ 9
@ (SCREENCODE) ............................................................................................................................ 10
@APPLICATION.ID .......................................................................................................................... 12
@CALLSTACK .................................................................................................................................. 12
@CODEPAGE .................................................................................................................................... 12
@DATA............................................................................................................................................... 12
@DATE ............................................................................................................................................... 12
@DAY ................................................................................................................................................. 12
@EOF .................................................................................................................................................. 12
@FILENAME ..................................................................................................................................... 12
@FOOTER.BREAK ............................................................................................................................ 12
@HEADER.BREAK ........................................................................................................................... 12
@LEVEL ............................................................................................................................................. 12
@LOCALE .......................................................................................................................................... 12
@LPTRHIGH ...................................................................................................................................... 12
@MONTH ........................................................................................................................................... 12
@PARASENTENCE........................................................................................................................... 12
@PATH ............................................................................................................................................... 12
@PID ................................................................................................................................................... 12
@RECORD ......................................................................................................................................... 12
@SELECTED ...................................................................................................................................... 13
@TERMTYPE..................................................................................................................................... 13

iv

@TIME ................................................................................................................................................ 13
@TIMEZONE ..................................................................................................................................... 13
@TTY .................................................................................................................................................. 13
@UID .................................................................................................................................................. 13
@USER.ROOT.................................................................................................................................... 13
@USERSTATS ................................................................................................................................... 17
ABORT ................................................................................................................................................ 23
ABS ..................................................................................................................................................... 24
ABSS ................................................................................................................................................... 25
ADDS .................................................................................................................................................. 26
ALPHA ................................................................................................................................................ 27
ANDS .................................................................................................................................................. 28
ASCII ................................................................................................................................................... 29
ASSIGNED.......................................................................................................................................... 30
BITAND .............................................................................................................................................. 31
BITCHANGE ...................................................................................................................................... 32
BITCHECK ......................................................................................................................................... 33
BITLOAD ............................................................................................................................................ 34
BITNOT............................................................................................................................................... 35
BITOR ................................................................................................................................................. 36
BITRESET........................................................................................................................................... 37
BITSET ................................................................................................................................................ 38
BITTEST ............................................................................................................................................. 39
BITXOR .............................................................................................................................................. 40
BREAK ................................................................................................................................................ 41
BYTELEN ........................................................................................................................................... 42
CALL ................................................................................................................................................... 43
CALLC ................................................................................................................................................ 44
CALLdotNET ...................................................................................................................................... 46
CALLJ ................................................................................................................................................. 50
CALLONEXIT .................................................................................................................................... 60
CASE ................................................................................................................................................... 61
CATALOG Command ......................................................................................................................... 62
CATS ................................................................................................................................................... 64
CHAIN................................................................................................................................................. 65
CHANGE............................................................................................................................................. 66
CHANGETIMESTAMP ...................................................................................................................... 67
CHAR .................................................................................................................................................. 68

v

CHARS ................................................................................................................................................ 68
CHDIR ................................................................................................................................................. 70
CHECKSUM ....................................................................................................................................... 71
CLEAR ................................................................................................................................................ 72
CLEARCOMMON .............................................................................................................................. 73
CLEARDATA ..................................................................................................................................... 74
CLEARFILE ........................................................................................................................................ 75
CLEARINPUT .................................................................................................................................... 76
CLEARSELECT.................................................................................................................................. 77
CLOSE................................................................................................................................................. 78
CLOSESEQ ......................................................................................................................................... 79
COL1 and COL2.................................................................................................................................. 80
COLLECTDATA ................................................................................................................................ 81
COMMON ........................................................................................................................................... 82
COMPARE .......................................................................................................................................... 83
CONTINUE ......................................................................................................................................... 84
CONVERT .......................................................................................................................................... 85
CONVERT (STATEMENT) ............................................................................................................... 86
COS ..................................................................................................................................................... 87
COUNT................................................................................................................................................ 88
COUNTS ............................................................................................................................................. 89
CREATE .............................................................................................................................................. 90
CRT ..................................................................................................................................................... 91
DATA .................................................................................................................................................. 92
DATE................................................................................................................................................... 93
DCOUNT............................................................................................................................................. 94
DEBUG................................................................................................................................................ 95
DECATALOG and DELETE-CATALOG Commands ....................................................................... 96
DECRYPT ........................................................................................................................................... 97
DEFC ................................................................................................................................................... 99
DEFCE............................................................................................................................................... 101
DEFFUN ............................................................................................................................................ 102
DEL ................................................................................................................................................... 104
DELETE ............................................................................................................................................ 105
DELETELIST .................................................................................................................................... 106
DELETESEQ ..................................................................................................................................... 107
DELETEU ......................................................................................................................................... 108
DIMENSION ..................................................................................................................................... 109

vi

DIR .................................................................................................................................................... 110
DIV .................................................................................................................................................... 111
DIVS .................................................................................................................................................. 112
DOWNCASE / UPCASE .................................................................................................................. 113
DROUND .......................................................................................................................................... 114
DTX ................................................................................................................................................... 115
DYNTOXML .................................................................................................................................... 116
EBCDIC............................................................................................................................................. 118
ECHO ................................................................................................................................................ 119
ENCRYPT ......................................................................................................................................... 120
ENTER .............................................................................................................................................. 122
EQS .................................................................................................................................................... 123
EQUATE ........................................................................................................................................... 124
EREPLACE ....................................................................................................................................... 125
EXECUTE ......................................................................................................................................... 126
EXIT .................................................................................................................................................. 128
EXP .................................................................................................................................................... 129
EXTRACT ......................................................................................................................................... 130
FADD ................................................................................................................................................ 131
FDIV .................................................................................................................................................. 132
FIELD ................................................................................................................................................ 133
FIELDS .............................................................................................................................................. 134
FILEINFO.......................................................................................................................................... 136
FILELOCK ........................................................................................................................................ 137
FILEUNLOCK .................................................................................................................................. 139
FIND .................................................................................................................................................. 140
FINDSTR........................................................................................................................................... 141
FORMLIST........................................................................................................................................ 142
FLUSH............................................................................................................................................... 143
FMT ................................................................................................................................................... 144
FMTS ................................................................................................................................................. 147
FOLD ................................................................................................................................................. 148
FOOTING .......................................................................................................................................... 150
FOR ................................................................................................................................................... 151
FSUB ................................................................................................................................................. 153
FUNCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 154
GES .................................................................................................................................................... 155
GET ................................................................................................................................................... 156

vii

GETCWD .......................................................................................................................................... 157
GETENV ........................................................................................................................................... 158
GETLIST ........................................................................................................................................... 159
GETUSERGROUP ............................................................................................................................ 160
GETX................................................................................................................................................. 161
GOSUB .............................................................................................................................................. 162
GOTO ................................................................................................................................................ 163
GROUP .............................................................................................................................................. 164
HEADING ......................................................................................................................................... 165
HEADINGE and HEADINGN .......................................................................................................... 166
HUSH ................................................................................................................................................ 167
ICONV............................................................................................................................................... 168
ICONVS ............................................................................................................................................ 169
IF (statement) ..................................................................................................................................... 170
IFS ..................................................................................................................................................... 172
IN ....................................................................................................................................................... 173
INDEX ............................................................................................................................................... 174
INMAT .............................................................................................................................................. 175
INPUT ............................................................................................................................................... 176
INPUTCLEAR .................................................................................................................................. 178
INPUTNULL ..................................................................................................................................... 179
INS ..................................................................................................................................................... 180
INSERT ............................................................................................................................................. 181
INT..................................................................................................................................................... 182
IOCTL ............................................................................................................................................... 183
ISALPHA .......................................................................................................................................... 191
ISALNUM ......................................................................................................................................... 192
ISCNTRL........................................................................................................................................... 193
ISDIGIT ............................................................................................................................................. 194
ISLOWER.......................................................................................................................................... 195
ISPRINT ............................................................................................................................................ 196
ISSPACE ........................................................................................................................................... 197
ISUPPER ........................................................................................................................................... 198
ITYPE ................................................................................................................................................ 199
JBASECOREDUMP ......................................................................................................................... 201
JBASETHREADCreate ..................................................................................................................... 204
JBASETHREADStatus ...................................................................................................................... 205
JQLCOMPILE ................................................................................................................................... 206

viii

JQLEXECUTE .................................................................................................................................. 207
JQLFETCH ........................................................................................................................................ 208
JQLGETPROPERTY ........................................................................................................................ 209
JQLPUTPROPERTY......................................................................................................................... 210
KEYIN ............................................................................................................................................... 211
LATIN1 ............................................................................................................................................. 212
LEFT .................................................................................................................................................. 213
LEN ................................................................................................................................................... 214
LENS ................................................................................................................................................. 215
LENDP .............................................................................................................................................. 216
LES .................................................................................................................................................... 217
LN ...................................................................................................................................................... 218
LOCALDATE ................................................................................................................................... 219
LOCALTIME .................................................................................................................................... 220
LOCATE............................................................................................................................................ 221
LOCK ................................................................................................................................................ 223
LOOP ................................................................................................................................................. 224
LOWER ............................................................................................................................................. 225
MAKETIMESTAMP......................................................................................................................... 226
MAT .................................................................................................................................................. 227
MATBUILD ...................................................................................................................................... 228
MATCHES ........................................................................................................................................ 229
MATCHFIELD.................................................................................................................................. 231
MATPARSE ...................................................................................................................................... 233
MATREAD........................................................................................................................................ 234
MATREADU ..................................................................................................................................... 236
MATWRITE ...................................................................................................................................... 238
MATWRITEU ................................................................................................................................... 239
MAXIMUM ....................................................................................................................................... 240
MINIMUM ........................................................................................................................................ 241
MOD .................................................................................................................................................. 242
MODS ................................................................................................................................................ 243
MSLEEP ............................................................................................................................................ 244
MULS ................................................................................................................................................ 245
NEGS ................................................................................................................................................. 246
NES .................................................................................................................................................... 247
NOBUF .............................................................................................................................................. 248
NOT ................................................................................................................................................... 249

ix

NOTS ................................................................................................................................................. 250
NULL................................................................................................................................................. 251
NUM .................................................................................................................................................. 252
NUMS ................................................................................................................................................ 253
OBJEXCALLBACK ......................................................................................................................... 254
OCONV ............................................................................................................................................. 255
OCONVS ........................................................................................................................................... 257
ONGOTO .......................................................................................................................................... 258
OPEN ................................................................................................................................................. 259
OPENDEV ......................................................................................................................................... 261
OPENINDEX .................................................................................................................................... 262
OPENPATH ...................................................................................................................................... 263
OPENSEQ ......................................................................................................................................... 265
OPENSER.......................................................................................................................................... 269
ORS ................................................................................................................................................... 271
OSBREAD ......................................................................................................................................... 272
OSBWRITE ....................................................................................................................................... 273
OSCLOSE.......................................................................................................................................... 274
OSDELETE ....................................................................................................................................... 275
OSOPEN ............................................................................................................................................ 276
OSREAD ........................................................................................................................................... 277
OSWRITE.......................................................................................................................................... 278
OUT ................................................................................................................................................... 279
PAGE ................................................................................................................................................. 280
PAUSE............................................................................................................................................... 281
PCPERFORM .................................................................................................................................... 282
PERFORM......................................................................................................................................... 282
PRECISION ....................................................................................................................................... 283
PRINT ................................................................................................................................................ 284
PRINTER........................................................................................................................................... 285
PRINTERR ........................................................................................................................................ 286
PROCREAD ...................................................................................................................................... 287
PROCWRITE .................................................................................................................................... 288
PROGRAM........................................................................................................................................ 289
PROMPT ........................................................................................................................................... 290
PUTENV............................................................................................................................................ 291
PWR................................................................................................................................................... 292
QUOTE / DQUOTE / SQUOTE........................................................................................................ 293

x

RAISE ................................................................................................................................................ 294
READ ................................................................................................................................................ 295
READBLK ........................................................................................................................................ 297
READL .............................................................................................................................................. 299
READLIST ........................................................................................................................................ 301
READNEXT ...................................................................................................................................... 302
READPREV ...................................................................................................................................... 303
READSELECT .................................................................................................................................. 305
READSEQ ......................................................................................................................................... 306
READT .............................................................................................................................................. 307
READU.............................................................................................................................................. 308
READV.............................................................................................................................................. 310
READVL ........................................................................................................................................... 312
READVU ........................................................................................................................................... 313
READXML........................................................................................................................................ 315
RECORDLOCKED ........................................................................................................................... 316
REGEXP ............................................................................................................................................ 317
RELEASE .......................................................................................................................................... 318
REMOVE .......................................................................................................................................... 319
REPLACE.......................................................................................................................................... 321
RETURN ........................................................................................................................................... 322
REWIND ........................................................................................................................................... 323
RIGHT ............................................................................................................................................... 324
RND ................................................................................................................................................... 325
RQM .................................................................................................................................................. 326
RTNDATA ........................................................................................................................................ 327
SADD ................................................................................................................................................ 328
SDIV .................................................................................................................................................. 329
SEEK ................................................................................................................................................. 330
SELECT............................................................................................................................................. 332
SEND ................................................................................................................................................. 334
SENDX .............................................................................................................................................. 335
SENTENCE ....................................................................................................................................... 336
SEQ .................................................................................................................................................... 337
SEQS ................................................................................................................................................. 338
SIN ..................................................................................................................................................... 339
SLEEP ............................................................................................................................................... 340
SMUL ................................................................................................................................................ 341

xi

SORT ................................................................................................................................................. 342
SOUNDEX ........................................................................................................................................ 343
SPACE ............................................................................................................................................... 344
SPACES............................................................................................................................................. 345
SPLICE .............................................................................................................................................. 346
SPOOLER.......................................................................................................................................... 347
SQRT ................................................................................................................................................. 350
SSELECT .......................................................................................................................................... 351
SSELECTN........................................................................................................................................ 353
SSELECTV........................................................................................................................................ 353
SSUB ................................................................................................................................................. 354
STATUS Function ............................................................................................................................. 355
STATUS function .............................................................................................................................. 356
STATUS statement ............................................................................................................................ 358
STOP ................................................................................................................................................. 360
STR .................................................................................................................................................... 361
STRS .................................................................................................................................................. 362
SUBROUTINE .................................................................................................................................. 363
SUBS ................................................................................................................................................. 364
SUBSTRINGS ................................................................................................................................... 365
SUM................................................................................................................................................... 367
SWAP ................................................................................................................................................ 368
System Functions ............................................................................................................................... 369
TAN ................................................................................................................................................... 375
TIME ................................................................................................................................................. 376
TIMEDATE ....................................................................................................................................... 377
TIMEDIFF ......................................................................................................................................... 378
TIMEOUT ......................................................................................................................................... 379
TIMESTAMP .................................................................................................................................... 380
TRANS .............................................................................................................................................. 381
TRANS .............................................................................................................................................. 381
TRANSABORT ................................................................................................................................. 383
TRANSQUERY................................................................................................................................. 384
TRANSTART .................................................................................................................................... 385
TRANSEND ...................................................................................................................................... 386
TRIM ................................................................................................................................................. 387
TRIMB............................................................................................................................................... 388
TRIMBS ............................................................................................................................................ 389

xii

TRIMF ............................................................................................................................................... 390
TRIMFS ............................................................................................................................................. 391
UNASSIGNED .................................................................................................................................. 392
UNIQUEKEY .................................................................................................................................... 393
UNLOCK ........................................................................................................................................... 394
UDTEXECUTE ................................................................................................................................. 395
UPCASE ............................................................................................................................................ 395
UTF8 .................................................................................................................................................. 396
WAKE ............................................................................................................................................... 397
WEOF ................................................................................................................................................ 398
WEOFSEQ ........................................................................................................................................ 399
WRITE............................................................................................................................................... 400
WRITEBLK ....................................................................................................................................... 401
WRITELIST ...................................................................................................................................... 402
WRITESEQ ....................................................................................................................................... 403
WRITESEQF ..................................................................................................................................... 404
WRITEU ............................................................................................................................................ 406
WRITEV ............................................................................................................................................ 408
WRITEXML ...................................................................................................................................... 410
WRITEVU ......................................................................................................................................... 411
XLATE .............................................................................................................................................. 413
XMLTODYN .................................................................................................................................... 415
XMLTOXML .................................................................................................................................... 417
XTD ................................................................................................................................................... 418

xiii

Documentation Conventions
This manual uses the following conventions:

Convention

Usage

BOLD

In syntax, bold indicates commands, function names, and options. In text,
bold indicates keys to press, function names, menu selections, and MSDOS commands.

UPPERCASE

In syntax, uppercase indicates JBASE commands, keywords, and options;
BASIC statements and functions; and SQL statements and keywords. In
text, uppercase also indicates JBASE identifiers such as filenames, account
names, schema names, and Windows NT filenames and pathnames.

UPPERCASE

In syntax, italic indicates information that you supply. In text, italic also

Italic

indicates UNIX commands and options, filenames, and pathnames.

Courier

Courier indicates examples of source code and system output.

Courier Bold

Courier Bold In examples, courier bold indicates characters that the
user types or keys (for example, ).

[]

Brackets enclose optional items. Do not type the brackets unless indicated.

{}

Braces enclose nonoptional items from which you must select at least one.
Do not type the braces.

ItemA | itemB

A vertical bar separating items indicates that you can choose only one
item. Do not type the vertical bar.

...

Three periods indicate that more of the same type of item can optionally
follow.

⇒

A right arrow between menu options indicates you should choose each
option in sequence. For example, “Choose File ⇒Exit” means you should
choose File from the menu bar, and then choose Exit from the File pulldown menu.

1

Syntax definitions and examples are indented for ease in reading.
All punctuation marks included in the syntax—for example, commas, parentheses, or
quotation marks—are required unless otherwise indicated.
Syntax lines that do not fit on one line in this manual are continued on subsequent lines.
The continuation lines are indented. When entering syntax, type the entire syntax entry,
including the continuation lines, on the same input line.

2

Preface
This manual is a comprehensive reference for jBASE BASIC and is intended for experienced
programmers. The guide includes explanations of all jBASE BASIC statements and functions
supported by jBASE and descriptive information regarding the use of jBASE BASIC in the UNIX
environment.
If you have never used jBASE BASIC, read this manual before using any statements or functions.

Organization of this manual
This manual contains statements and functions in alphabetical order, each beginning on a new page. At
the top of each page is the syntax for the statement or function, followed by a detailed description of its
use, often including references to other statements or functions that can be used with it or are helpful to
know about. Examples illustrate the application of the statement or function in a program.

jBASE BASIC Language Overview
•

is a UNIX resident programming language supported by the jBASE Database Independent
Management Engine

•

can access database files of any UNIX resident, Open Systems database

•

is aimed primarily at writing business applications, and contains all the constructs needed to access
and modify files and their data efficiently

•

is a sophisticated superset of Dartmouth BASIC supporting structured programming techniques

•

is a flexible and user extendible language

•

contains the functionality needed to write efficient UNIX applications. It can spawn child
processes, access environment variables and interface to other UNIX programs

•

programs can call external functions written in C or jBASE BASIC. C programs can be made to
call functions written in jBASE BASIC

•

programs can mix with Embedded SQL statements written allowing queries and updates on any
SQL Database

•

object code is link compatible with C and so a programmer has the tools of both available to him
to produce the most efficient code for his application

•

Allows the application programmer working in a UNIX environment to write code without
needing to consider memory management, variable typing or floating-point arithmetic corrections:
all of which need to be dealt with when using 'C'

•

Has other advantages over C such as the in-built debugger and easy file I/O;

•

Programs may declare external functions, which are linked into the application by the UNIX
linker-loader. This means that jBASE BASIC offers access to specialized functions written in C or
any language that is link compatible with C

3

Features of jBASE BASIC
•

Optional statement labels

•

Multiple statements on one line

•

Local subroutine calls

•

Branching on result of complex value testing

•

String handling with variable lengths

•

External calls to 'C' libraries

•

External subroutine calls

•

Direct and indirect calls

•

Magnetic tape input and output

•

String, number, and date data conversion capability;

•

File access and update capability for any UNIX resident file, such as j-files or C-ISAM)

•

File and record level locking capability

•

Pattern matching capability

•

Capability of processing file records in any format

•

Sophisticated jBASE BASIC debugger

•

Ability to EXECUTE any jBASE system or database enquiry command

•

The standard UNIX command set is available to manage code libraries

•

Support for networking and inter-process communication.

Benefits of using jBASE BASIC
•

Applications are running on an Open Systems platform:

•

Applications are very efficient as the execution speed of jBASE BASIC code is close to that of
hand crafted 'C'

•

Applications are portable between binary compatible environments, however moving applications
to an alternative operating system requires that the application be recompiled on the target system.
No modifications to the application source are required as any operating specific modifications
will have been implemented by jBASE in the runtime libraries.

•

Applications integrate easily with other UNIX systems

•

Applications benefit from the steady improvements made in compiler optimization.

•

Use of jBASE BASIC offers tremendous productivity improvements over 'C'

•

The close compatibility with UNIX allows the jBASE BASIC developer to produce libraries of
standard subroutines or function calls, which any program can use

•

The standard UNIX command set is available to manage code libraries

•

The provision of Database access is to applications through generic read/write/lock statements that
divorce the application from the database itself. Locks are maintained across remote systems and
communication links thus allowing the application programmer to concentrate on the application
not the database or its location

4

•

JBASE BASIC will import and compile BASIC code from Open Systems RDBMS systems with
little or no modification

•

Applications ported from PICK or Reality run as 'C' applications with all the related performance
and seamless inter-operability advantages over running on an emulation type implementation
written in C

•

Investments in existing jBASE BASIC applications and development and programming skills in
BASIC are fully retained

•

No need for costly retraining of programmers to 'C', which can also be freely used within the
application system, thus allowing more flexibility

•

JBASE BASIC provides connection to external devices and external databases in a manner that is
transparent to existing applications

jBASE BASIC Environment
•

jBASE BASIC will run on any standard UNIX system and with any standard shell or editor. Also
provided is an easy to use jSHELL.

•

jBASE BASIC allows the programmer to choose his working environment to suit. It works equally
with the Bourne, C or Korn shell. Kernel configuration is not required to use the jBASE BASICprogramming environment.

•

You can write jBASE BASIC programs using any UNIX editor using the provided context
sensitive screen editor (jED), designed specifically for jBASE BASIC programmers and jBASE
users.

•

Utilities are supplied to access database files created under jBASE.

•

The final size of executable code is minimized, and duplication avoided, by sharing external object
libraries between all application programs.

•

Specify a file or directory to hold the entire jBASE BASIC source; you can hold the finished
executables in a different file or directory if required.

•

Use a global user library to hold globally accessible user routines.

jBASE BASIC Programming
•

You can write the jBASE BASIC source code using any system editor. Users unfamiliar with
UNIX editors may wish to use the jED editor

•

Use the jBASE BASIC compiler to produce intermediate object code or a UNIX executable file;
use Makefiles to simplify the compilation process, especially if many files are involved. Their use
will also make upgrading and software maintenance an easier task

•

If the system allows, use should be made of linked libraries when calling subroutines and
functions. This will reduce the size of the compiled code that would otherwise be produced

•

Applications accessing jBASE files should make use of the existing routines held in the
/usr/jBASE BASIC/lib directory.

5

6

jBASE BASIC Comparisons
With BASIC
Derived from Dartmouth Basic jBASE BASIC is an enhanced variant of BASIC, which contains all the
commands and constructs necessary for compatibility with other versions of BASIC. It also provides
full interaction with UNIX system and database files. You can modify jBASE BASIC quickly to retain
compatibility with any future enhancements to the BASIC language or its derivatives
On UNIX systems, the jBASE BASIC compiler produces code that runs many times faster than the
same BASIC code compiled and run on any other UNIX based RDBMS environment. jBASE BASIC
can access jBASE, C-ISAM, and UNIX files as well as records and files of other databases The jBASE
BASIC debug facilities are greatly superior to those provided with other versions of BASIC

With 'C'
The jBASE BASIC compiler uses all the features of the cc compiler and can compile 'C' source and
object files, as well as jBASE BASIC source code. You can halt the source compilation at any stage, to
examine the resultant code:
External 'C', and jBASE library access is available
The executables produced by the jBASE BASIC compiler and cc is identical
•

jBASE BASIC has a sophisticated debugger available as standard

•

jBASE BASIC is able to provide full and easy access to UNIX or any third party database files

•

jBASE BASIC has the tools to provide sophisticated string handling

•

jBASE BASIC handles system signals and events automatically

File and Directory Organization
To run jBASE BASIC on a UNIX system, there are several directories and files already set up, which
ensure the smooth and efficient use of the jBASE BASIC programming environment; all the jBASE
BASIC files are held under the UNIX /opt/jBASIC directory.
The main body of the jBASE BASIC program and library files are held in the /opt/jBASIC directory,
which contains all the run-time code, error and library files, as well as default system and terminal setup limit.

7

XML Functions and Statements
JBASE is incorporating new XML capabilities built into jBASE BASIC based on the Xalan and Xerces
libraries.

XML Functions
DYNTOXML
XMLTODYN
XMLTOXML

XML Statements
READXML
WRITEXML

8

jBASE Funtions and Statement @ Variables
@
Use the @ function to position the cursor to a specific point on the terminal screen

COMMAND SYNTAX
@ (col{, row})

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
col and row can be any expression that evaluates to a numeric value.
col specifies, to which column on the screen the cursor should be moved.
row specifies which row (line) on the screen to position the cursor.
Specifying col on its own will locate the cursor to the required column on whichever row it currently
occupies.

NOTES
When specified values exceed either of the physical limits of the current terminal, then unpredictable
results will occur.
The terminal address starts at (0,0), that being the top left hand corner of the screen.
Cursor addressing will not normally work when directed at a printer. If you wish to build printer
independence into your programs, achieve this by accessing the terminfo database through the
SYSTEM () function.

EXAMPLES
FOR I = 1 TO 5
CRT @(5, I):"*":
NEXT I
Home = @(0,0) ;* Remember the cursor home position
CRT Home:"Hi honey, I’m HOME!":

9

@ (SCREENCODE)
Use @(SCREENCODE) to output control sequences according to the capabilities of the terminal

COMMAND SYNTAX
@ (ScreenCode)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Control sequences for special capabilities of the terminal are achieved by passing a negative number as
its argument. ScreenCode is therefore any expression that evaluates to a negative argument.

NOTES
The design of jBASE allows you to import code from many older systems. As these systems have
traditionally not co-ordinated the development of this function they expect different functionality in
many instances. In the following table, you should note that different settings of the
JBASICEMULATE environment variable would elicit different functionality from this function.
Where the emulate code is printed with strikethrough it indicates that the functionality is denied to this
emulation.

Emulation

Code

Function

all

-1

clear the screen and home the cursor

all

-2

home the cursor

all

-3

clear screen from the cursor to the end of the screen

all

-4

clear screen from cursor to the end of the current screen line

ros

-5

turn on character blinking

ros

-6

turn off character blinking

ros

-7

turn on protected field mode

ros

-8

turn off protected field mode

all

-9

move the cursor one character to the left

all

-10

move the cursor one row up the screen

ros

-11

turn on the cursor (visible)

ros

-11

enable protect mode

ros

-12

turn off the cursor (invisible)

ros

-12

disable protect mode

ros

-13

status line on

ros

-13

turn on reverse video mode

ros

-14

status line off

ros

-14

turn off reverse video mode

ros

-15

move cursor forward one character

ros

-15

turn on underline mode

ros

-16

move cursor one row down the screen

ros

-16

turn off underline mode

10

Emulation

Code

Function

all

-17

turn on the slave (printer) port

all

-18

turn off the slave (printer) port

ros

-19

dump the screen to the slave port

ros

-19

move the cursor right one character

ros

-20

move the cursor down one character

ros

-311

turn on the cursor (visible)

ros

-312

turn off the cursor (invisible)

ros

-313

turn on the status line

ros

-314

turn off the status line

If a color terminal is in use, -33 to -64 will control colors.
The codes from -128 to -191 control screen attributes. Where Bit 0 is least significant, you may
calculate the desired code by setting Bit 7 and Bits 0-4:
Bit 0

dimmed mode when set to 1

Bit 1

flashing mode when set to 1

Bit 2

reverse mode when set to 1

Bit 3

blanked mode when set to 1

Bit 4

underline mode when set to 1

Bit 5

bold mode when set to 1

Bit 7

always set to 1

Thus, Reverse and Flashing mode is -134.
To turn off all effects use -128

EXAMPLE
CRT @ (-1):@(30):@( 132):"jBASE Heading":@(-128):
CRT @ (5,5):@(-4):"Prompt: ": ; INPUT Answer

11

@APPLICATION.ID

@ID Dataname used to reference the record-id in a query language
statement:
SORT STOCK BY-DSND @ID
LIST STOCK WITH @ID = "1000"
LIST STOCK WITH @ID LIKE AB...

@CALLSTACK

Returns current space information for DEBUG purposes

@CODEPAGE

Returns cuurnt codepage config jbase_codepage

@DATA

Data statements used in conjunction with INPUT statements are
stored in a data stack or input queue. This stack is accessible in the
@DATA variable

@DATE

internal date returns the internal date – on some systems, this differs
from the DATE function in that the variable is set when program
execution starts, whereas the function reflects the current date

@DAY

Day of month from @DATE

@EOF

End of File character from TTY characteristics

@FILENAME

Current filename

@FOOTER.BREAK

For B options in heading

@HEADER.BREAK

For B options in heading

@LEVEL

The nesting level of execution statements – non stacked

@LOCALE

Returns current Locale as jbase_locale

@LPTRHIGH

Number of lines on the device to which you are printing (that is,
terminal or printer).

@MONTH

Current Month

@PARASENTENCE

The last sentence or paragraph that invoked the current process.

@PATH

Pathname of the current account

@PID

Returns current process ID

@RECORD

Entire current record

12

@SELECTED

Number of elements from the last select list – Non stacked

@TERMTYPE

The Terminal type

@TIME

Returns the internal time – on some systems, this differs from the
TIME function in that the variable is set when program execution
starts, whereas the function reflects the current time

@TIMEZONE

As per jBASE Timezone

@TTY

Returns the terminal port name.

@UID

Returns information from ROOT.THREAD for port @user

@USER.ROOT

The use of the @USER.ROOT command allows a jBASE BASIC
program to store and retrieve a string of up to 63 bytes that is unique
to that user. The intention is to really "publish" information that
other programs can find.
For example
@USER.ROOT = "Temenos T24 Financials"
.....
PRINT "root user declaration is " : @USER.ROOT
See attribute <28> , USER_PROC_USER_ROOT, in the section
"Layout of user record"
The @USER.THREAD is similar except a value exists for each
PERFORM level. So one program can set/retrieve it but if the
program does a PERFORM of a second program then the second
program gets a different set of values.
See attribute <52> , USER_PROC_USER_THREAD, in the section
"Layout of user record"
The @USERSTATS allows a program to retrieve all sorts of
miscellanous information about itself. For example if a program
wants to find out how many database I/O's it performed it could do
this ...
INCLUDE JBC.h
info1 = @USERSTATS

13

read1 = info1
EXECUTE 'COUNT fb1 WITH *A1 EQ "x"'
info2 = @USERSTATS
read2 = info2
PRINT "The COUNT command took ":(read2-read1):" READ's
from the database"
So a program can set a user-definable string to whatever value it
likes , up to 63 bytes, and other programs can use various methods
(see "User Information Retrieval" below) to access this data.
User Information Retrieval
There are 3 ways of finding information about one or more users on
a jBASE system
1.

Using

the

@USER.ROOT,

@USER.THREAD

and

@USERSTATS variables in your jBASE BASIC code you can find
information about yourself. You cannot find information about
other users.
2. The "WHERE (V)" command can be used to display the
@USER.ROOT and @USER.THREAD data for specified users.
3. Using some jBASE BASIC code you can find out lots of
information about each user on the system. This is exactly the
mechanism that the WHERE command uses. For example to display
all users logged on you could write this.
*
* Open the special jEDI file to access the user information.
*OPEN

SYSTEM(1027)

TO

PROC

ELSE

STOP

201,SYSTEM(1027)
*
* For each user logged on read in their user information
*
SELECT PROC

14

LOOP WHILE READNEXT key DO
READ rec FROM PROC,key THEN
*
PRINT "Port ":rec:" is
logged on by user ":rec
*
END
REPEAT
Layout of user record
The information retrieved by either the READ in the above example
or the @USERSTATS is the same and is as follows.
The first 40 attributes are data attributes that correlate to the entire
user. Attributes 41 onwards are multi-valued and have one value per
program being PERFORM'ed by that user
All the numbers below can be replaced by symbolic references in
JBC.h , look for those that begin USER_PROC_
<1> The port number
<2> The number of programs running in this port.
<3> Time the user started in Universal Co-ordinated Time or UTC
(not a dyslexic mistake). This is raw UNIX time. You can convert
this to jBASE internal time format using the U0FF0 conversion or
to internal date format using the U0FF1 conversion.
<4> The process ID
<5> Account name
<6> User name. Normally the operating system name.
<7> Terminal name in jBASE format
<8> Terminal name in Operating system format.
<9> Database name

15

<10> TTY device name
<11> Language name.
<12> Time in UTC the listening thread last found the thread alive.
<13> Amount of heap space memory in free space chain on a
process wide basis. Not real-time, only updated every 15 seconds.
<14> Amount of heap space memory in use on a process wide basis.
Not real-time , only updated every 15 seconds
<15> Thread type as an internal integer.
<16> Type of thread as a text string.
<17> License counters
<18> Number of OPEN’s performed.
<19> Number of READ’s performed.
<20> Number of WRITE's performed.
<21> Number of DELETE's performed
<22> Number of CLEARFILE's performed
<23> Number of PERFORM/EXECUTE's performed.
<24> Number of INPUT's performed.
<25> Not used.
<26> Number of jBASE files the application thinks it has open at
the moment.
<27> Number of jBASE files actually opened by the operating
system at the moment.
<28> Any data set by the application using @USER.ROOT
<29> Process Identifier. A string created by the operating system to
identify the process. It is O/S specific. Currenly on IBM i-series
platform only.
<30> to <40> Reserved.

16

Attributes 41 onward are multi-valued, one value per perform level,
and there are <2> perform levels active.
<41,n> Program name and command line arguments.
<42,n> The line number in jBASE BASIC the program is currently
executing.
<43,n> The source name in jBASE BASIC the program is currently
executing.
<44,n> Not used.
<45,n> Not used.
<46,n> Status of program execution as a readable text string.
<47,n> Status of program execution as an internal integer.
<48,n> User CPU time . Depending upon the hardware this will be
either for the entire process or just the single thread.
<49,n> System CPU time.Depending upon the hardware this will be
either for the entire process or just the single thread.
<50,n> User CPU time used by any external child processes it
might have spawned.
<51,n> System CPU time used by any external child processes it
might have spawned.
<52,n> Any data set by the application using @USER.THREAD

@USERSTATS

The @USERSTATS allows a program to retrieve miscellaneous
information about itself. For example if a program wants to find out
how many database I/O's it performed it could do this
info1 = @USERSTATS
read1 = info1<19>
EXECUTE 'COUNT fb1 WITH *A1 EQ "x"'
info2 = @USERSTATS
read2 = info2<19>
PRINT "The COUNT command took ":(read2-read1):" READ's

17

from the database"
The following definitions have been added to JBC.h file which
defines

the

layout

of

data

returned

either

through

the

@USERSTATS variable or by opening file SYSTEM(1027) and
reading the items in like that.
* Definitions for the data returned from the @USERSTATS
variable or from
* the record read in from the PROC file (using SYSTEM(1027) as
file name)
*
EQUATE USER_PROC_PORT_NUMBER TO 1;* The port
number
EQUATE USER_PROC_NUM_PROGRAMS TO 2;* Number of
programs running in this port
EQUATE USER_PROC_START_TIME TO 3;* Time user started
in UTC format
EQUATE USER_PROC_PID TO 4 ;* Process ID
EQUATE USER_PROC_ACCOUNT TO 5;* Name of the account
EQUATE USER_PROC_USER TO 6 ;* Name of the user
EQUATE USER_PROC_TERMINAL_JBASE TO 7;* Name of
terminal according to jBASE
EQUATE USER_PROC_TERMINAL_OS TO 8;* Name of
terminal as seen by OS
EQUATE USER_PROC_DATABASE TO 9;* Name of database
connected to
EQUATE USER_PROC_TTY TO 10;* Name of TTY device
EQUATE USER_PROC_LANGUAGE TO 11;* Language
EQUATE USER_PROC_LISTENING_TIME TO 12;* Time in
UTC the listening thread last worked
EQUATE USER_PROC_MEM_FREE TO 13;* Amount of

18

memory in heap space free chain
EQUATE USER_PROC_MEM_USED TO 14;* Amount of heap
space memory in use
EQUATE USER_PROC_THREAD_TYPE_INT TO 15;* Thread
type expressed as an integer
EQUATE USER_PROC_THREAD_TYPE_TXT TO 16;* Thread
type expressed as a text string
EQUATE USER_PROC_LICENSE TO 17;* License counters
EQUATE USER_PROC_STATS_OPEN TO 18;* Number of
OPEN's performed.
EQUATE USER_PROC_STATS_READ TO 19;* Number of
READ's performed.
EQUATE USER_PROC_STATS_WRITE TO 20;* Number of
WRITE's performed.
EQUATE USER_PROC_STATS_DELETE TO 21;* Number of
DELETE's performed.
EQUATE USER_PROC_STATS_CLEARFILE TO 22;* Number
of CLEARFILE's performed.
EQUATE USER_PROC_STATS_PERFORM TO 23;* Number of
PERFORM's / EXECUTE's performed.
EQUATE USER_PROC_STATS_INPUT TO 24;* Number of
INPUT's performed.
EQUATE USER_PROC_UNUSED_1 TO 25;* Unused
EQUATE

USER_PROC_OPEN_FILES_VIRTUAL

TO

26

;* Number of files application thinks open
EQUATE USER_PROC_OPEN_FILES_REAL TO 27 ;* Number
of files really open by OS
EQUATE USER_PROC_USER_ROOT TO 28;* Application data
set by @USER.ROOT
EQUATE USER_PROC_PROCESS_TXT TO 29;* Text string to

19

identify process
EQUATE USER_PROC_PROGRAM TO 41;* Program name and
command line arguments
EQUATE USER_PROC_LINE_NUMBER TO 42;* Line number
currently being executed.
EQUATE USER_PROC_SOURCE_NAME TO 43;* Name of
source currently being executed.
EQUATE USER_PROC_UNUSED_2 TO 44;* Unused
EQUATE USER_PROC_UNUSED_3 TO 45;* Unused
EQUATE

USER_PROC_STATUS_TXT TO 46;* Status of

program as a readable text
EQUATE

USER_PROC_STATUS_INT TO 47;* Status of

program as an integer
EQUATE USER_PROC_CPU_USR TO 48;* User CPU time
EQUATE USER_PROC_CPU_SYS TO 49;* System CPU time
EQUATE USER_PROC_CPU_USR_CHILD TO 50;* User CPU
time used by child processes
EQUATE

USER_PROC_CPU_SYS_CHILD TO 51;* System

CPU time used by child processes
EQUATE USER_PROC_USER_THREAD TO 52;* Application
data set by @USER.THREAD
1=PORT

2=count

of

3=Start time in UTC

programs on

4=Process

5=Account name

ID

this port
6=user name

7=terminal

8=terminal name (OS)

name 9Jbase)
11=Language

12=time
UTC

in
last

17=license

10=tty device name

name
13=free heap space (15

14heap

secs)

space used

found alive
16=thread

9=database

15=thread type

(15 secs)
18=count of opens

19=count of

20=count of writes

20

type (string)

counters

21= count of

22=count of

23=count

DELETES

Clear Files

PERFORMS/EXECUTES

INPUTS

26=number of

27=number

28-@USER.ROOT

29=Process

files

of

open

reads

files

(jBASE)

open(Actual)

41=program

42=Current

name

line number

and

of

24=count of

25=NOT USED

30-40 reserved

identifier

42=source name

sentence

46=status

47=status of program

of program

(flag)

text

48=USER

49=System

50=USER

CPU

CPU time

CPU time

child processes

from

51=System
CPU

52=@USER.THREAD

time

from child
procs
@USER.THREAD

A value exists for each PERFORM level. So one program can
set/retrieve it but if the program does a PERFORM of a second
program then the second program gets a different set of values.
Allows an application to store simple statistical information about
the thread level part of their data.

21

jBASE BASIC Functions and Statements A - X
The following pages show the syntax of every statement and function in the language together with
examples of their use.

22

ABORT
The ABORT statement terminates the current running program and the program that called it.

COMMAND SYNTAX
ABORT {message.number{, expression ...}}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The optional message.number provided with the statement must be a numeric value, which corresponds
to a record key in the jBASE error message file.
A single expression or a list of expression(s) may follow the message.number. Where more than one
expression is listed, they must be delimited by the use of the comma character. The expression(s)
correspond to the parameters that need passing to the error file record to print it.
The optional message.number and expression(s) given with the command are parameters or resultants
provided as variables, literal strings, expressions, or functions.

NOTES
Use this statement to terminate the execution of a jBASE BASIC program together with any calling
program. It will then optionally display a message, and return to the shell prompt.
The error file holds the optional message displayed on terminating the program. For successful printing
of the message, parameters such as linefeeds, clearscreen, date and literal strings may also be required.
Setting the Command Level Restart option can alter operation of this command.

EXAMPLE
CRT "CONTINUE (Y/N) ?":; INPUT ANSIF ANS NE "Y" THEN ABORT 66,
"Aborted"
This will terminate the program and print error message 66 passing to it the string "Aborted", which
will be printed as part of error message 66.

23

ABS
ABS returns the mathematical absolute of the ()expression

COMMAND SYNTAX
ABS (expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression can be of any form that should evaluate to a numeric. The ABS function will then return the
mathematical absolute of the expression. This will convert any negative number into a positive result.

NOTES
express this as: value < 0 ? 0 - value : value

EXAMPLES
CRT ABS (10-15)
Displays the value 5
PositiveVar = ABS (100-200)
Assigns the value 100 to the variable PositiveVar

24

ABSS
Use the ABSS function to return the absolute values of all the elements in a dynamic array. If an
element in the dynamic array is null, it returns null for that element.

COMMAND SYNTAX
ABSS (dynamic.array)

EXAMPLE
Y = REUSE(300)
Z = 500:@VM:400:@VM:300:@SM:200:@SM:100
A = SUBS (Z,Y)
PRINT A
PRINT ABSS (A)
The output of this program is:
200]100]0\-100\-200
200]100]0\100\200

25

ADDS
Use ADDS to create a dynamic array of the element-by-element addition of two dynamic arrays.
Added to each element of array1 is the corresponding element of array2, which returns the result in the
corresponding element of a new dynamic array. If an element of one array has no corresponding
element in the other array, it returns the existing element. If an element of one array is the null value, it
returns null for the sum of the corresponding elements.

COMMAND SYNTAX
ADDS (array1, array2)

EXAMPLE
A=2:@VM:4:@VM:6:@SM:10
B=1:@VM:2:@VM:3:@VM:4
PRINTADDS (A,B)
The output of this program is:
3]6]9\10]4

26

ALPHA
The ALPHA function will check that the expression consists entirely of alphabetic characters.

COMMAND SYNTAX
ALPHA (expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The expression can return a result of any type. The ALPHA function will then return TRUE (1) if the
expression consists entirely of alphabetic characters else returns false (0) if any character in expression
is non alphabetic.

INTERNATIONAL MODE
When using the ALPHA function in International Mode it determines the properties of each character
in the expression according to the Unicode Standard, which in turn describes whether the character is
alphabetic or not.

NOTES
Alphabetic characters are in the set a-z and A-Z

EXAMPLE
Abc = "ABC"
IF ALPHA (Abc) THEN CRT "alphabetic"
Abc = "123"
IF NOT (ALPHA(Abc)) THEN CRT "non alphabetic"
Displays:
alphabetic
non alphabetic

27

ANDS
Use the ANDS function to create a dynamic array of the logical AND of corresponding elements of
two dynamic arrays.
Each element of the new dynamic array is the logical AND of the corresponding elements of array1
and array2. If an element of one dynamic array has no corresponding element in the other dynamic
array, it returns a false (0) for that element.
If both corresponding elements of array1 and array2 are null, it returns null for those elements. If one
element is the null value and the other is zero or an empty string, it returns false for those elements.

COMMAND SYNTAX
ANDS (array1, array2)

EXAMPLE
A = 1:@SM:4:@VM:4:@SM:1
B = 1:@SM:1-1:@VM:2
PRINT ANDS (A,B)
The output of this program is: 1\0]1\0

28

ASCII
The ASCII function converts all the characters in the expression from the EBCDIC character set to the
ASCII character set.

COMMAND SYNTAX
ASCII (expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The expression may return a data string of any form. The function will then assume that the characters
are all members of the EBCDIC character set and translate them using a character map. The original
expression is unchanged while the returned result of the function is now the ASCII equivalent.

EXAMPLES
READT EbcdicBlock ELSE CRT "Tape failed!"; STOP
AsciiBlock = ASCII (EbcdicBlock) ;* convert to ASCII

29

ASSIGNED
The ASSIGNED function returns a Boolean TRUE or FALSE result depending on whether or not a
variable has an assigned value.

COMMAND SYNTAX
ASSIGNED (variable)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
ASSIGNED returns TRUE if the variable named has an assigned value before the execution of this
statement. If the variable has no assigned value then the function returns FALSE.

NOTES
Provision of this function is due to its implementation in older versions of the language. You are
advised to program in such a way, to avoid using this statement.
See also: UNASSIGNED.

EXAMPLES
IF ASSIGNED (Var1) THEN
CRT "Var1 has been assigned a value"
END

30

BITAND
Use the BITAND function to perform the bitwise AND comparison of two integers specified by
numeric expressions.

SYNTAX
BITAND (expression1, expression2)

DESCRIPTION
The bitwise AND operation compares two integers bit by bit. It returns a bit of 1 if both bits are 1; else,
it returns a bit of 0.
If either expression1 or expression2 evaluates to the null value, null is returned.
Non integer values are truncated before the operation is performed.
The BITAND operation is performed on a 32-bit twos-complement word.
NOTE: Differences in hardware architecture can make the use of the high-order bit non portable.

EXAMPLE
PRINT BITAND(6,12)
* The binary value of 6 = 0110
* The binary value of 12 = 1100
This results in 0100, and the following output is displayed:
4

31

BITCHANGE
BITCHANGE toggles the state of a specified bit in the local bit table, and returns the original value of
the bit.

COMMAND SYNTAX
BITCHANGE (table_no)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
table_no specifies the position in the table of the bit to be changed.

NOTES
For each process, it maintains a unique table of 128 bits (numbered 1 to 128) and treats each bit in the
table as a two-state flag - the value returned will always be zero or one.
BITCHANGE returns the value of the bit before it was changed. You can therefore check and set (or
reset) a flag in one step.
BITCHANGE also provides some special functions if you use one of the following table_no values:
-1

toggles (enables/disables) the BREAK key Inhibit bit.

-2

toggles (enables/disables) the Command Level Restart feature.

-3

toggles (enables/disables) the Break/End Restart feature.

EXAMPLE
OLD.VAL = BITCHANGE (100)
CRT OLD.VAL
If bit 100 in the table is zero, it sets to one and displays zero; the reverse will apply if set to one..

32

BITCHECK
BITCHECK returns the current value of a specified bit from the local bit table.

COMMAND SYNTAX
BITCHECK (table_no)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
table_no specifies the position in the table of the bit for checking.

NOTES
For each process, it maintains a unique table of 128 bits (numbered 1 to 128) and treats each bit in the
table as a two-state flag - the value returned will always be zero or one.
BITCHECK also provides some special functions if you use one of the following table_no values:
-1

returns the setting of the BREAK key Inhibit bit

-2

returns the setting of the Command Level Restart feature

-3

returns the setting of the Break/End Restart feature

EXAMPLE
BIT.VAL = BITCHANGE (100)
CRT BIT.VAL
If bit 100 in the table is zero, it displays zero; if set to one, it displays one.

33

BITLOAD
BITLOAD assigns all values in the local bit table, or retrieves all the values.

COMMAND SYNTAX
BITLOAD({bit-string})

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
bit-string is an ASCII string of characters, which represent a hexadecimal value. It is interpreted as a
bit pattern and used to assign values to the table from left to right. Assignment stops at the end of the
string or when a non-hexadecimal character is found.
If the string represents less than 128 bits, the remaining bits in the table are reset to 0 (zero).
If bit-string is omitted or evaluates to null, an ASCII hex character string is returned, which defines the
value of the table. Trailing zeroes in the string are truncated.

NOTES
A unique table of 128 bits (numbered 1 to 128) is maintained for each process. Each bit in the table is
treated as a two-state flag - the value will always be 0 (zero) or 1.

EXAMPLE 1
NEW.VALUE = "0123456789ABCDEF"
OLD.VALUE = BITLOAD(X)
Loads the bit table with the value of ASCII hex string NEW.VALUE
After assignment, the contents of the bit table is:
0000
0100
1000
1100
0000
0000
0000
0000

0001
0101
1001
1101
0000
0000
0000
0000

0010
0110
1010
1110
0000
0000
0000
0000

0011
0111
1011
1111
0000
0000
0000
0000

NOTE: that all values beyond the 64th bit have been reset to 0 (zero).

EXAMPLE 2
TABLE.VALUE = BITLOAD()
Loads variable TABLE.VALUE with the hexadecimal values of the bit table

34

BITNOT
Use the BITNOT function to return the bitwise negation of an integer specified by any numeric
expression.

COMMAND SYNTAX
BITNOT (expression ,bit#)

DESCRIPTION
bit# is an expression that evaluates to the number of the bit to invert. If bit# is unspecified, BITNOT
inverts each bit. It changes each bit of 1 to a bit of 0 and each
bit of 0 to a bit of 1. This is equivalent to returning a value equal to the following: (expression)1
If expression evaluates to the null value, null is returned. If bit# evaluates to the null value, the
BITNOT function fails and the program terminates with a run-time error message.
Non integer values are truncated before the operation is performed.
The BITNOT operation is performed on a 32-bit twos-complement word.
NOTE: Differences in hardware architecture can make the use of the high-order bit non portable.

EXAMPLE
PRINT BITNOT(6),BITNOT(15,0),BITNOT(15,1),BITNOT(15,2)
This is the program output:
7 14 13 11

35

BITOR
Use the BITOR function to perform the bitwise OR comparison of two integers specified by numeric
expressions.

COMMAND SYNTAX
BITOR (expression1, expression2)

DESCRIPTION
The bitwise OR operation compares two integers bit by bit. It returns the bit 1 if the bit in either or both
numbers is 1; else, it returns the bit 0.
If either expression1 or expression2 evaluates to the null value, null is returned.
Non integer values are truncated before the operation is performed.
The BITOR operation is performed on a 32-bit twos-complement word.
NOTE: Differences in hardware architecture can make the use of the high-order bit non portable.

EXAMPLE
PRINT BITOR(6,12)
* Binary value of 6 = 0110
* Binary value of 12 = 1100
This results in 1110, and the following output is displayed:
14

36

BITRESET
BITRESET resets the value of a specified bit in the local bit table to zero and returns the previous value
of the bit.

COMMAND SYNTAX
BITRESET (table_no)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
table_no specifies the position in the table of the bit for reset. If table_no evaluates to zero, it resets all
elements in the table to zero and returns the value zero.

NOTES
For each process, it maintains a unique table of 128 bits (numbered 1 to 128) and treats each bit in the
table as a two-state flag - the value returned will always be zero or one.
BITRESET returns the previous value of the bit – you can reset and check a flag in one step.
BITRESET also provides some special functions if you use one of the following table_no values:
-1

resets the BREAK key Inhibit bit

-2

resets the Command Level Restart feature

-3

resets the Break/End Restart feature

See also: BITSET.

EXAMPLE
OLD.VALUE = BITRESET (112)
PRINT OLD.VALUE
If table entry 112 is one, it returns a value of one, resets bit 112 to 0, and prints one. If table entry 112
is zero, returns a value of 0, and prints 0.

37

BITSET
BITSET sets the value of a specified bit in the bit table to one and returns the value of the bit before it
was changed.

COMMAND SYNTAX
BITSET (table_no)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
table_no specifies the bit to be SET. If table_no evaluates to zero, it sets all elements in the table to one
and the returned value is one.

NOTES
For each purpose, it maintains a unique table of 128 bits (numbered 1 to 128) and treats each bit in the
table as a two-state flag - the value returned will always be zero or one.
BITSET returns the previous value of the bit - you can check and set a flag in one step.
BITSET also provides some special functions if you use one of the following table_no values:
-1

sets the BREAK key Inhibit bit

-2

sets the Command Level Restart feature

-3

sets the Break/End Restart feature

See also: BITRESET.

EXAMPLE
OLD.VALUE = BITSET (112)
PRINT OLD.VALUE
If table entry 112 is zero, returns a value of zero, sets bit 112 to one, and prints zero. If table entry 112
is one, returns a value of one, and prints one.

38

BITTEST
Use the BITTEST function to test the bit number of the integer specified by expression.

COMMAND SYNTAX
BITTEST (expression, bit#)

DESCRIPTION
The function returns 1 if the bit is set; it returns 0 if it is not; Bits are counted from right to left. The
number of the rightmost bit is 0.
If expression evaluates to the null value, null is returned. If bit# evaluates to null, the BITTEST
function fails and the program terminates with a run-time error message.
Non integer values are truncated before the operation is performed.

EXAMPLE
PRINT BITTEST(11,0),BITTEST(11,1),BITTEST(11,2),BITTEST(11,3)
* The binary value of 11 = 1011
This is the program output:
1101

39

BITXOR
Use the BITXOR function to perform the bitwise XOR comparison of two integers specified by
numeric expressions. The bitwise XOR operation compares two integers bit by bit. It returns a bit 1 if
only one of the two bits is 1; else, it returns a bit 0.

COMMAND SYNTAX
BITXOR (expression1, expression2)

DESCRIPTION
If either expression1 or expression2 evaluates to the null value, null is returned.
Non integer values are truncated before the operation is performed.
The BITXOR operation is performed on a 32-bit twos-complement word.
NOTE: Differences in hardware architecture can make the use of the high-order bit nonportable.

EXAMPLE
PRINT BITXOR(6,12)
* Binary value of 6 = 0110
* Binary value of 12 = 1100
This results in 1010, and the following output is displayed:
10

40

BREAK
Allows configuration of the BREAK statement

COMMAND SYNTAX
BREAK / BREAK ON / BREAK OFF / BREAK expression

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
When used with an expression or the keywords ON or OFF the BREAK statement enables or disables
the BREAK key for the current process. In UNIX terms, the BREAK key is known more commonly as
the interrupt sequence intr defined by the stty command.
Used as a standalone statement, BREAK will terminate the currently executing loop. The EXIT
statement is functionally equivalent to the BREAK statement used without arguments.

NOTES
The use of BREAK is to terminate the innermost loop, which it ignores if used outside a loop construct.
The compiler will issue warning message 44, and ignore the statement.

EXAMPLES
LOOP
READNEXT KEY FROM LIST1 ELSE BREAK
......
REPEAT
* Program resumes here after BREAK

41

BYTELEN
The BYTELEN function will return the length of the expression as the number of bytes rather than the
number of characters.

COMMAND SYNTAX
BYTELEN (expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The expression can return a result of any type. The BYTELEN function will then return the byte count
of the expression.

NOTES
The BYTELEN function will always return the actual byte count for the expression; irrespective of the
International Mode in operation at the time. This compares with the LEN function, which will return a
character count. The character count may differ from the byte count when processing in International
Mode.

42

CALL
The CALL statement transfers program execution to an external subroutine.

COMMAND SYNTAX
CALL {@}subroutine.name {(argument {, argument ... })}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The CALL statement transfers program execution to the subroutine called subroutine.name, which can
be any valid string either quoted or unquoted. The CALL @ variant of this statement assumes that
subroutine.name is a variable that contains the name of the subroutine to call.
The CALL statement may optionally pass a number of parameters to the target subroutine. These
parameters can consist of any valid expression or variable name. If a variable name is used then the
called program may return a value to the variable by changing the value of the equivalent variable in its
own parameter list.

NOTES
When using an expression to pass a parameter to the subroutine, you cannot use the built-in functions
of jBASE BASIC (such as COUNT), within the expression.
An unlimited number of parameters can be passed to an external subroutine. The number of parameters
in the CALL statement must match exactly the number expected in the SUBROUTINE statement
declaring the external subroutine.
It is not required that the calling program and the external subroutine be compiled with the same
PRECISION. However, any changes to precision in a subroutine will not persist when control returns
to the calling program.
Variables passed, as parameters to the subroutine may not reside in any COMMON areas declared in
the program.

EXAMPLES
CALL MySub
SUBROUTINEMySub
CALL Hello("World")
SUBROUTINE Hello (Message)
CALL Complex(i, j, k)
SUBROUTINE Complex(ComplexA, ComplexB, ComplexC)

43

CALLC
The CALLC command transfers program control to an external function (c.sub.name).
The second form of the syntax calls a function whose name is stored in a jBASE BASIC variable
(@var). The program could pass back return values in variables. CALLC arguments can be simple
variables or complex expressions, but not arrays. Use CALLC as a command or function.

COMMAND SYNTAX
CALLC c.sub.name [(argument1[,argument2]...)]
CALLC @var [(argument1[,argument2]...)]

Calling a C Program in jBASE
You must link the C program to jBASE before calling it from a BASIC program. Perform the
following procedure to prepare jBASE for CALLC:
•

Write and compile the C program.

•

Define the C program call interface

•

Build the runtime version of jBASE (containing the linked C program).

•

Write, compile, and execute the Basic program

Calling a Function in Windows NT
The CALLC implementation in jBASE for Windows NT or Windows 2000 uses the Microsoft
Windows Dynamic Link Library (DLL) facility. This facility allows separate pieces of code to call one
another without permanently binding together. Linking between the separate pieces occurs at runtime
(rather than compile time) through a DLL interface.
For CALLC, developers create a DLL and then call that DLL from jBASE.

EXAMPLES
In the following example, the called subroutine draws a circle with its center at the twelfth row and
twelfth column and a radius of 3:
RADIUS = 3
CENTER = "12,12"
CALLC DRAW.CIRCLE(RADIUS,CENTER)
In the next example, the subroutine name is stored in the variable SUB.NAME, and is indirectly called:
SUB.NAME = DRAW.CIRCLE
CALLC @SUB.NAME(RADIUS,CENTER)

The next example uses, CALLC as a function, assigning the return value of the subroutine

44

PROGRAM.STATUS in the variable RESULT:
RESULT = CALLC PROGRAM.STATUS

45

CALLdotNET
The CALLdotNET command allows BASIC to call any .NET assembly and is useful when using third
party applications.

COMMAND SYNTAX
CALLdotNET NameSpaceAndClassName, methodName, param SETTING ret [ON ERROR
errStatment]
In order to use CALLdotNET, you need:
The .NET Framework
The dotNETWrapper.dll installed somewhere to where your PATH points.

NOTE:
The dotNETWrapper is loaded dynamically at runtime; therefore, a compiled basic application has no
dependencies on the .NET Framework. Loading the framework takes between (~5 –7 sec.). However,
this only occurs when calling the .NET method for the first time.

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
NameSpaceAndClassName The “full” NameSpace (e.g., myNameSpace.myClass)
methodName The name of the .NET in this class (e.g., “myMethod”)
Param Any parameter (eg DynArray)

EXAMPLE
In C#:
using System;
using System.Windows.Forms;
namespace myNameSpace
{
public class Class1
{
public string sayHello(string str)
{
return “Thank you, I received : “ + str;
}
public Class1(){}
}

46

}
In VB.NET:
Namespace myNameSpace
Public Class Class1
Public Function sayHello(ByVal str As String) As String
Dim sAnswer As String
sAnswer = InputBox(str)
sayHello = sAnswer
End Function
End Class
End Namespace
Note: Create the .NET project as a ‘Class Library’.
If using the visual studio IDE, this option is on selected when creating a new project:
If using .NET SDK (instead of the IDE) to
compile class libraries into a ‘DLL’ file,
the ‘csc’ (C# Compiler) or ‘vbc’ (Visual
Basic .NET compiler) command can be
used from the command line:
csc /out:myNameSpace.dll /target:library
sourcefile.cs
The name of the ‘.DLL’ created must be
the same as the ‘namespace’ as used in the class library t locate the ‘dotNetWrapper.dll’ library:
After creating the library, place it in the same private directory as the application. (i.e. the same
directory as the jBASE BASIC executable that will call the class) This is a requirement of the .NET
paradigm and not jBASE. The directory should also be in the PATH environment variable.

47

To call these methods from Basic:
CALLdotNET "myNameSpace.Class1","mymethod", p SETTING ret
CRT ret

ON ERROR
You can manage any errors, which occur during the call, at the BASIC level by getting the
SYSTEM(0) variable.
This variable can have the following values:
1.

Not a Windows platform.

2.

Cannot load the dotNETWrapper

3.

Cannot get assembly

4.

Cannot get Class

5.

Cannot get Method

6.

Cannot Create Instance

7.

Unhandled Error in the .NET library

EXAMPLE
BASIC code using the ON ERROR would look like this:

PROGRAM testCALLdotNET
ns.className = ''
methodName = ''
param = ''
CRT "Please enter NameSpace.ClassName : "
INPUT ns.className
CRT "Please enter a Method Name : "
INPUT methodName
CRT "Please enter a Parameter : "
INPUT param
CALLdotNET ns.className, methodName, param SETTING ret ON ERROR
GOSUB errHandler
CRT "Received back from .NET : " : ret

48

STOP
errHandler:
err = SYSTEM(0)
BEGIN CASE
CASE err = 2
CRT "Cannot find dotNETWrapper.dll”
CASE err = 3
CRT "Class " : className : "doesn't exist !"
CASE err = 5
CRT "Method " : methodName : "doesn't exist !"
END CASE
RETURN

49

CALLJ
The CALLJ command allows BASIC to call a Java method. CALLJ is useful when using third party
applications offering a Java API (for example, publish and subscribe, messaging, etc.)

COMMAND SYNTAX
CALLJ packageAndClassName, [$]methodName, param SETTING ret [ON
ERROR] errStatment
In order to use CALLJ, you need:
•

A Java virtual machine

•

CLASSPATH environment variable set to point on the class you want to invoke

NOTES
The Java virtual machine is loaded dynamically at runtime, so a compiled basic application has no
dependencies on any Java virtual machine. By default, the program will search for:
jvm.dll on Windows platforms
libjvm.sl on HP UNIX
libjvm.so for other platforms
Although it is not usually necessary, it is possible to specify a Java library by setting the JBCJVMLIB
environment variable:
set JBCJVMLIB= C:\jdk1.3.1\jre\bin\classic\jvm.dll

PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS
The first call to CALLJ carries the overhead of loading the Java Virtual Machine into memory.
Susequent calls do not have this overhead and it is recommended that programs are structured in such a
way that the Java Virtual Machine is only loaded once.
In addition, calls to non static methods carry the overhead of calling the constructor for the class.
Wherever possible, static methods should be used.:

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
packageAndClassName The “full” class name (e.g., com.jbase.util.utilClass)
methodName The name of the Java method in this class (e.g., “myMethod”)
NOTE: If the method is static, you must append a ‘$’ before the name. This ‘$’ will be removed from
the method name before calling it.
Param Any parameter (eg DynArray)

EXAMPLE
In Java:

50

package mypackage;
public class mytestclass {
static int i = 0;
private mytestclass() {
}
public String mymethod(String s){
return (“Java Received : “ + s) ;
}
public static String mystaticmethod(String s){
i++;
return s + " "

+ i;

}
}

To call these methods from jBASE BASIC:

CALLJ "mypackage.mytestclass","mymethod", p SETTING ret
CRT ret
CALLJ "mypackage/mytestclass","$mystaticmethod",p SETTING ret
CRT ret

ON ERROR
Use the SYSTEM(0) variable to manage any errors at the BASIC level, which occur during the call.
This variable can have the following values:
1

Fatal error creating thread

2

Cannot create JVM

3

Cannot find class

4

Unicode conversion error

5

Cannot find method

6

Cannot find object constructor

51

7

Cannot instantiate object

EXAMPLE
jBASE BASIC code using the ON ERROR will look like this:
PROGRAM testcallj
className = ''
methodName = ''
param = ''
CRT "Please enter a Class Name : " INPUT className
CRT "Please enter a Method Name : " INPUT methodName
CRT "Please enter a Parameter : " INPUT param
CALLJ className,methodName, param SETTING ret ON ERROR GOTO
errHandler
CRT "Received batch from Java : " : ret
RETURN
errHandler:
err = SYSTEM(0)
IF err = 2 THEN
CRT "Cannot find the JVM.dll !"
RETURN
END
IF err = 3 THEN
CRT "Class " : className : "doesn't exist !"
RETURN
END
IF err = 5 THEN

52

CRT "Method " : methodName : "doesn't exist !"
RETURN
END
END
The CALLJ function provides access to a JavaVM from within the BASIC environment. For it to be
able to start a JavaVM (JVM) the environment needs to know where the JVM is located. Specifically it
needs to know where certain libraries are located.

WINDOWS
Windows: looking for 'jvm.dll'
Add "c:\jdk1.3.1_07\jre\bin\server" to the PATH environment variable.
A generic format might be %JDKDIR%\jre\bin\server.
UNIX
For UNIX it is possible to configure generic symbolic links to make profiles portable.
Location of JDK export JDKDIR=/opt/java1.3
Symbolic link for JRE libs
Symbolic link for JVM library

/opt/java1.3/jrelib
/opt/java1.3/jvmlib

Linux
/opt/java1.3/jrelib -> /opt/java1.3/jre/lib/i386
/opt/java1.3/jvmlib -> /opt/java1.3/jre/lib/i386/server
.profile:
Add “/opt/java1.3/jrelib:/opt/java1.3/jvmlib” to the LD_LIBRARY_PATH
HP-UX
/opt/java1.3/jrelib -> /opt/java1.3/jre/lib/PA_RISC2.0
/opt/java1.3/jvmlib -> /opt/java1.3/jre/lib/PA_RISC2.0/server
.profile:
Add “/opt/java1.3/jrelib:/opt/java1.3/jvmlib” to the SHLIB_PATH
AIX -- (IBM JDK)
/opt/java1.3/jrelib -> /opt/java1.3/jre/bin
/opt/java1.3/jvmlib -> /opt/java1.3/jre/bin/classic

53

.profile:
Add “/opt/java1.3/jrelib:/opt/java1.3/jvmlib” to the LIBPATH
Solaris
/opt/java1.3/jrelib -> /opt/java1.3/jre/lib/sparc
/opt/java1.3/jvmlib -> /opt/java1.3/jre/lib/sparc/server
.profile:
Add “opt/java1.3/jrelib:/opt/java1.3/jvmlib” to the LD_LIBRARY_PATH
Examples using JVM WITHOUT symbolic links as above:
Linux: looking for 'libjvm.so'
Add 2 directories to LD_LIBRARY_PATH.
/opt/java1.3/jre/lib/i386/server:/opt/java1.3/jre/lib/i386
Solaris: looking for 'libjvm.so'
Add 2 directories to LD_LIBRARY_PATH.
/opt/java1.3/jre/lib/sparc/server:/opt/java1.3/jre/lib/sparc
HP-UX 11: looking for 'libjvm.sl'
Add 2 directories to SHLIB_PATH.
/opt/java1.3/jre/lib/PA_RISC2.0/server:/opt/java1.3/jre/lib/PA_RISC2.0

OPTIONS:

JBCJVMLIB
If the searched for library appears incorrect for your platform, then you can override it by setting the
JBCJVMLIB environment variable.
e.g. "export JBCJVMLIB=jvm.shared_lib"
and then CALLJ will try to locate the library 'jvm.shared_lib' at runtime.
JBCJVMPOLICYFILE
You can specify a policy file for the JMV. The policy for a Java application environment (specifying
which permissions are available for code from various sources) is represented by a Policy object. More

54

specifically, it is represented by a Policy subclass providing an implementation of the abstract
methods in the Policy class (which is in the java.security package). You can override it by
setting the JBCJVMPOLICYFILE environment variable.
The source location for the default policy information is
WINDOWS
%JBASERELEASEDIR%\config\policy.all
UNIX
$JBASERELEASEDIR/config/policy.all

e.g. "export JBCJVMPOLICYFILE =/usr/jbase/mypolicy.all"
JBCJVMENCODING
Internally, the Java virtual machine always operates with data in Unicode. However, as data transfers to
or from the Java virtual machine, the Java virtual machine converts the data to other encodings. If the
you want to change the default encoding of the JVM on your platform, then you can override it by
setting the JBCJVMENCODING environment variable.
e.g. "export JBCJVMENCODING = Cp1257"
JBCJVMNOOPTS
Internally, the CALLJ is optimum to start the JVM with options (see below the table). If the you don’t
want to pass these options for the JVM, then you can override it by setting the JBCJVMNOOPTS
environment variable. In this case no more options will be pass to the JVM.

DEFAULT OPTIONS
Win32:

-Xrs

TRUE64:

-Xcheck:jni

Solaris:

-XX:+AllowUserSignalHandlers

Linux:

-Xrs -XX:+AllowUserSignalHandlers

AIX 32 bits:

-Xrs -Xnocatch

AIX 64 bits:

-Xrs -d64

HPUX 32 bits:
HPUX 64 bits:

-Xrs -XX:+AllowUserSignalHandlers

JBCJVMOPT[1..5]
If the you want to pass some options for the JVM, then you can set by setting the JBCJVMOPT[1..5]
environment variable
e.g. "export JBCJVMOPT1=-Xrs "

55

KNOWN LIMITATIONS
HP-UX
There is a problem with HP-UX due to it's dynamic loader. See man dlopen(3C) for detail of the TLS
limitation.
This means that the JVM library must be linked against the calling program, there are no known
problems caused by this.
'ldd progname' lists current external library references and we need to add libjvm.
The result looks like this:
JVM: dl_error [Can't dlopen() a library containing Thread Local Storage: libjvm.sl]
If the program is built with the required link as below then it works.
jbc –Jo callj.b -ljvm -L/opt/java1.3/jre/lib/PA_RISC2.0/server
If the CALLJ statement is inside a subroutine, then the program that calls the subroutine must be built
as above.

Examples using JVM WITHOUT symbolic links as above:
Linux: searching for 'libjvm.so'
Add 2 directories to LD_LIBRARY_PATH.
/opt/java1.3/jre/lib/i386/server:/opt/java1.3/jre/lib/i386

Solaris: searching for 'libjvm.so'
Add 2 directories to LD_LIBRARY_PATH.
/opt/java1.3/jre/lib/sparc/server:/opt/java1.3/jre/lib/sparc

HP-UX 11: searching for 'libjvm.sl'
Add 2 directories to SHLIB_PATH.
/opt/java1.3/jre/lib/PA_RISC2.0/server:/opt/java1.3/jre/lib/PA_RISC2.
0

56

OPTIONS
JBCJVMLIB
If the search for the library appears incorrect for your platform, then you can override it by setting the
JBCJVMLIB environment variable.
e.g. "export JBCJVMLIB=jvm.shared_lib"
and then CALLJ will try to locate the library 'jvm.shared_lib' at runtime.

JBCJVMPOLICYFILE
You can specify a policy file for the JMV. The policy for a Java application environment (specifying
which permissions are available for code from various sources) is represented by a Policy object. More
specifically, it is represented by a Policy subclass providing an implementation of the abstract methods
in the Policy class (which is in the java.security package). You can override it by setting the
JBCJVMPOLICYFILE environment variable.
The source location for the default policy information is:

WINDOWS

%JBASERELEASEDIR%\config\policy.all
UNIX

$JBASERELEASEDIR/config/policy.all

e.g. "export JBCJVMPOLICYFILE =/usr/jbase/mypolicy.all"

JBCJVMENCODING
Internally, the Java virtual machine always operates with data in Unicode. However, as data transfers to
or from the Java virtual machine, the Java virtual machine converts the data to other encodings. If the
you want to change the default encoding of the JVM on your platform, then you can override it by
setting the JBCJVMENCODING environment variable.

e.g.

"export JBCJVMENCODING = Cp1257"

JBCJVMNOOPTS

57

Internally, CALLJ is optimized to start the JVM with options (see the table below). If you don’t want
to pass these options for the JVM, then you can override it by setting the JBCJVMNOOPTS
environment variable. In this case no more options will be passed to the JVM.

DEFAULT OPTIONS :
Win32:

-Xrs

TRUE64:

-Xcheck:jni

Solaris:

-XX:+AllowUserSignalHandlers

Linux:

-Xrs -XX:+AllowUserSignalHandlers

AIX 32 bits:

-Xrs -Xnocatch

AIX 64 bits:

-Xrs -d64

HPUX 32 bits:
HPUX 64 bits:

-Xrs -XX:+AllowUserSignalHandlers

JBCJVMOPT[1..5]
If the you want to pass some options for the JVM, then set the JBCJVMOPT[1..5] environment
variable

e.g.

"export JBCJVMOPT1=-Xrs "

KNOWN LIMITATIONS

HP-UX
There is a problem with HP-UX due to its dynamic loader. See man dlopen(3C) for detail of the TLS
limitation.
This means that the JVM library must be linked against the calling program, there are no known
problems caused by this.
'ldd progname' lists current external library references and we need to add libjvm.
The symptom looks like this:
JVM: dl_error [Can't dlopen() a library containing Thread Local Storage: libjvm.sl]
If the program is built with the required link as below then it works.

58

jbc –Jo callj.b -ljvm -L/opt/java1.3/jre/lib/PA_RISC2.0/server
If the CALLJ statement is inside a subroutine, then the program that calls the subroutine must be built
as above.

59

CALLONEXIT
The CALLONEXIT function call allows you to specify the name of a SUBROUTINE to call when the
program terminates.

COMMAND SYNTAX
rc = CALLONEXIT("ErrorExit")
The subroutine definition would look like this
SUBROUTINE CALLONEXIT(parm1)
You can add parameters to the error subroutine by adding multi-values to the parameter to
CALLONEXIT, which are passed to the called subroutine in the first parameter.
If you execute CALLONEXIT multiple times with the same subroutine name, it discards other calls.
If you execute CALLONEXIT multiple times with a different subroutine name, then upon exit multiple
subroutines will be called in the order that CALLONEXIT was called.

EXAMPLES
For example, consider the simple programs below. The program enters the debugger. If at this point the
login session terminates for any reason (the line drops, the program is killed, the user enters 'off' at the
debugger prompt) , the two specified subroutines (ErrorExit and EndProgram) will still be called just as
they would if the program were allowed to terminate normally.

PROGRAM PROG1
rc = CALLONEXIT("ErrorExit")
EXECUTE "PROG2"

PROGRAM PROG2
rc = CALLONEXIT("EndProgram")
DEBUG
All efforts are made to call the subroutine under all circumstances. However, if a SIGKILL (signal 9)
terminates the program, which cannot be trapped, it does not call the subroutine. This is a feature of
operating systems, not a limitation. In addition, if the program terminates due to say a memory error,
then calling the subroutines depends upon how badly the memory error has corrupted the memory.

60

CASE
The CASE statement allows the programmer to execute a particular sequence of instructions based
upon the results of a series of test expressions.

COMMAND SYNTAX
BEGIN CASE
CASE expression statement(s)
CASE expression
statement(s)
...
END CASE

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The BEGIN CASE and END CASE statements bound the CASE structure. Within this block, an
arbitrary number of CASE expression statements may exist followed by any number of jBASE BASIC
statements. The expression should evaluate to a TRUE or FALSE result. The evaluation of each
expression at execution time is in order. If the expression returns a TRUE result, it then executes the
statements below. On completion of the associated statements, execution will resume at the first
statement following the END CASE.
NOTES: A default action (to trap error conditions for instance) may be introduced by using an
expression that is always TRUE, such as CASE one. This should always be the last expression in the
CASE block.

EXAMPLE
BEGIN CASE
CASE A = 1
CRT "You won!"
CASE 1
CRT "You came nowhere"
END CASE
A single comment is printed depending on the value of A.
NOTE: that if A is not 1 then the default CASE 1 rule will be executed as a "catch all".

61

CATALOG Command
Cataloging and Running your Programs
Use the CATALOG command to create UNIX executables and shared libraries from the application
source code. Once you have cataloged your programs, you can run them like any other command on
the system.
The RUN command which is sometimes used to execute compiled jBASE BASIC programs without
cataloging them can still be used but is really only maintained for compatibility. Whenever possible,
you should catalog your programs rather than RUN them.
The CATALOG command should be executed from the application directory rather than using link
names and the application id should be used. The reasons for executing the CATALOG command from
the application directory and application id are that the .profile script will have set up the required
environment variables correctly and that the correct file permission will be used when creating and
deleting UNIX executables and directories.
The format of the CATALOG command is as follows.
CATALOG SourceFilename Itemlist
When first invoked the CATALOG command will create a $HOME/bin directory into which the UNIX
executables will be placed. A $HOME/lib directory will also be created into which any subroutines will
be placed. The lib directory contains a jLibDefinition file, which describes how to build the subroutines
into shared libraries. The entries in the jLibDefinition file are described below:
libname naming convention for shared object files.
exportname

export list of shared objects. Used as cross reference to find subroutine functions.

maxsize maximum size of a shared object library before creating another.
When the maximum size of a shared library object is reached then a new shared library object will be
created by the CATALOG command. The new shared library objects are named according to the
definition of libname and are numbered sequentially. For example:
libname=lib%a%n.so
where
%a = account or directory name
%n = number in sequence.
If subroutines were cataloged in the user account name, fred then the shared object libraries produced
would be named, libfred0.so libfred1.so libfred2.so and so on.

62

Note: To guard against libraries being cataloged incorrectly, perhaps under the wrong user account
name, the definition of libname should be changed to libfred%n.so. This will ensure that any shared
objects are created using the proper user account name.
The shared library objects, .so files, contain the UNIX executables for subroutine source code. The
shared library objects are linked at runtime by the jBASE call function, which utilises the dynamic
linker programming interface. The dynamic linker will link shared libraries at the start of program
execution time, or when requested by the jBASE call function. For example, each executable created
using the jBASE compiler will be linked with the jBASE jEDI library functions, libjedi.so, at
compilation time. This shared library enables database record retrieval and update and will be loaded
into memory by the dynamic linker when an application executable starts execution. However the
shared library containing any subroutines required by the executing program will only be loaded into
memory when initially requested by the subroutine call. Only one copy of any shared library is required
in memory at any time, thus reducing program memory requirements.
The $HOME/lib directory also contains a directory where all the subroutine objects, .o files, are held.
These are required for making the shared library, .so files.
The $HOME/lib directory also contains an export list, .el file, built by the CATALOG command,
which is used as a cross reference when dynamically linking shared objects at run time.
The main application program executables are placed into the $HOME/bin directory.
To enable the application executables to be found the $HOME/bin path should be added to the PATH
environment variable.
To enable the executing application to call the correct application subroutines the JBCOBJECTLIST or
LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable should be assigned to the application shared library path,
$HOME/lib. If the main application program or any subroutine programs make calls to subroutines in
other directories then the path of the shared library directories should also be added to the
JBCOBJECTLIST or LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable.
It is recommended that executables or subroutines of the same name are not available from different
directories. This can make application execution very confusing and is reliant on assigning the lib or
bin directories to the environment variable in the correct sequence. The assignment of the environment
variables should be included and exported in the .profile script file.
Executables and shared library objects can be removed from the bin and lib directories by using the
DECATALOG command.

63

CATS
The CATS function concatenates the corresponding elements in two dynamic arrays.

COMMAND SYNTAX
CATS (DynArr1, DynArr2)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
DynArr1 and DynArr2 represent dynamic arrays.

NOTES
If one dynamic array supplied to the CATS function is null then the result of the CATS function is the
non-null dynamic array.

EXAMPLES
X

= "a" : @VM : "b" : @VM : "c"

B = 1 : @VM : 2 : @VM : 3
Z = CATS(X, Y)

The assigned value to variable Z is:

a1 : @VM : b2 : @VM : c3
A = "a" : @SVM : "b" : @VM : "c": @VM : "d"
B = "x" : @VM : "y" : @SVM : "z"
C = CATS(A, B)

The assigned value to variable C is:

ax : @SVM : b : @VM : cy : @SVM : z : @VM : d

64

CHAIN
The CHAIN statement exits the current program and transfers process control to the program defined
by the expression. Process control will never return to the originating program.

COMMAND SYNTAX
CHAIN expression

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The expression should evaluate to a valid UNIX or Windows command (this may be another jBASE
BASIC program). The command string may be suffixed with the (I option, which will cause any
COMMON variables in the current program to be inherited by the new program (providing it is a
jBASE BASIC program).

NOTES
There are no restrictions to the CHAIN statement and you may CHAIN from anywhere to anywhere.
However, it is advisable that your program follows a logical path easily seen by another programmer.
If the program, which contains the CHAIN command (the current program) was called from a JCL
program, and the program to be executed (the target program) is another jBASE BASIC program,
control will return to the original JCL program when the target program terminates. If the target
program is a JCL program, control will return to the command shell when the JCL program terminates.

EXAMPLES
CHAIN "OFF" ;* exit via the OFF command
! Prog1
COMMON A,B
A = 50; B = 100
CHAIN "NEWPROG (I"
! NEWPROG
COMMON I,J
! I and J inherited
CRT I,J

65

CHANGE
The CHANGE statement operates on a variable and replaces all occurrences of one string with another.

COMMAND SYNTAX
CHANGE expression1 TO expression2 IN variable

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression1 - may evaluate to any result and is the string of characters that will be replaced.
expression2 - may also evaluate to any result and is the string of characters that will replace
expression1 - The variable may be any previously assigned variable in the program.

NOTES
There is no requirement that strings be of the same length. The jBASE BASIC language also supports
the CHANGE function for compatibility with older systems.

EXAMPLES
String1 = "Jim"
String2 = "James"
Variable = "Pick up the tab Jim"
CHANGE String1 TO String2 IN Variable
CHANGE "tab" TO "check" IN Variable

66

CHANGETIMESTAMP
Use CHANGETIMESTAMP to adjust existing timestamp to return new timestamp value.

COMMAND SYNTAX
CHANGETIMESTAMP (Timestamp, Array)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The CHANGETIMESTAMP function generates a new timestamp by adjusting an existing timestamp
value using the elements specified in the dynamic array.
The format of the adjustment array is as follows:
Years^Months^Weeks^Days^Hours^Minutes^Seconds^Milliseconds

67

CHAR
The CHAR function returns the ASCII character specified by the expression.

COMMAND SYNTAX
CHAR (expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The expression must evaluate to a numeric argument in the range 0-255, which is the entire ASCII
character set.

INTERNATIONAL MODE
The CHAR function will return Unicode values encoded as UTF-8 byte sequences as follows:
Expression values 0 – 127 return UTF-8 single byte characters equivalent to ASCII.
Expression values 127 – 248 return UTF-8 double byte character sequences.
Expression values 249 – 255 return system delimiters 0xf8 – 0xff
Expression values > 255 return UTF-8 multi byte character sequences
When system delimiter values are not specifically required, generate UTF-8 byte sequences using the
UTF8 function. i.e. X = UTF8(@AM) will generate a UTF-8 byte sequence in variable X for the
system delimiter equating to Unicode value 0x000000fe.

NOTES
jBASE BASIC variables can contain any of the ASCII characters 0-255, thus there are no restrictions
on this function.
Use this function to insert field delimiters within a variable or string; these are commonly equated to
AM, VM, SV in a program.
See also: CHARS

EXAMPLES
EQUATE AM TO CHAR (254) ;* field Mark
EQUATE VM TO CHAR(253) ;* value Mark
EQUATE SV TO CHAR(252) ;* sub Value mark
CRT CHAR (7): ;* ring the bell

CHARS
The CHARS function accepts a dynamic array of numeric expressions and returns a dynamic array of
the corresponding ASCII characters.

COMMAND SYNTAX
68

CHARS (DynArr)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Each element of DynArr must evaluate to a numeric argument in the range 0-255.

NOTES
If any of the dynamic array elements are non-numeric, a run-time error will occur.
See also: CHAR ().

EXAMPLE
y = 58 : @AM : 45 : @AM : 41
z = CHARS (y)
FOR i = 1 TO 3
CRT z:
NEXT i
This code displays: :-)

69

CHDIR
The CHDIR function allows the current working directory, as seen by the process environment, to be
changed.

COMMAND SYNTAX
CHDIR (expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The expression should evaluate to a valid path name within the file system. The function returns a
Boolean TRUE result if the CHDIR succeeded and a Boolean FALSE result if it failed.

EXAMPLES
IF CHDIR ("/usr/jBASIC/src") THEN
CRT "jBASE development system INSTALLED"
END
IF GETENV("JBASICGLOBALDIR", jgdir) THEN
IF CHDIR (jgdir:"\config") ELSE
CRT "jBASE configuration cannot be found."
ABORT
END
END

70

CHECKSUM
The CHECKSUM function returns a simple numeric checksum of a character string.

COMMAND SYNTAX
CHECKSUM(expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The expression may evaluate to any result but will usually be a string. The function then scans every
character in the string and returns a numeric addition of the characters within the string.

NOTES
The function calculates the checksum by summing the product of the ASCII value of each character
and its position within the string.

EXAMPLES
INPUT DataBlock,128:
IF CHECKSUM(DataBlock) = ExpectedChk THEN
CRT AckChar:
END
ELSE
......

71

CLEAR
The CLEAR statement will initialize all the variables to numeric 0.

COMMAND SYNTAX
CLEAR

NOTES
Use CLEAR at any time during the execution of the program.

EXAMPLES
Var1 = 99
Var2 = 50
CLEAR

72

CLEARCOMMON
The CLEARCOMMON statement initializes all unnamed common variables to a value of zero.

COMMAND SYNTAX
CLEARCOMMON

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
None

73

CLEARDATA
The CLEARDATA statement clears data stacked by the DATA statement.

COMMAND SYNTAX
CLEARDATA

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
None

74

CLEARFILE
Use the CLEARFILE statement to clear all the data from a file previously opened with the OPEN
statement.

COMMAND SYNTAX
CLEARFILE {variable} {SETTING setvar} {ON ERROR statements}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The variable should be the subject of an OPEN statement before the execution of CLEARFILE upon it.
If the variable is omitted from the CLEARFILE statement, it assumes the default file variable as per the
OPEN statement.

NOTES
The CLEARFILE statement will remove every database record on the file against which it is executed,
therefore, use with caution.
If the variable argument does not describe a previously opened file, the program will enter the
debugger with an appropriate message.
If the SETTING clause is specified and the CLEARFILE fails, it sets setvar to one of the following
values:

INCREMENTAL FILE ERRORS
128

No such file or directory

4096

Network error

24576

Permission denied

32768

Physical I/O error or unknown error

EXAMPLES
OPEN "DATAFILE" ELSE ABORT 201, "DATAFILE"
OPEN "PROGFILE" TO FILEVAR ELSE ABORT 201, "PROGFILE"
CLEARFILE
CLEARFILE FILEVAR

75

CLEARINPUT
The CLEARINPUT command clears the terminal type-ahead buffer to allow the next INPUT statement
to force a response from the user.

COMMAND SYNTAX
CLEARINPUT

EXAMPLE
In the following example, the CLEARINPUT statement clears the terminal type-ahead buffer to
provoke a response from the user to the prompt:
CLEARINPUT
PRINT "DO YOU WANT TO DELETE THIS FILE?(Y OR N)"; INPUT X,1

NOTE: The CLEARINPUT command is synonymous with INPUTCLEAR.

76

CLEARSELECT
Use the CLEARSELECT statement to clear active select lists.

COMMAND SYNTAX
CLEARSELECT {ListName | ListNumber}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
ListName must evaluate to a jBASE BASIC list variable. ListNumber is one of the numbered lists in
the range 0 to 11. If neither ListName nor ListNumber are specified then it clears the default list (0).

EXAMPLE
A = "good" : @AM : "bad" : @AM : "ugly"
B = "night" : @AM : "day"
SELECT A TO 3
SELECT B TO blist
adone = 0; bdone = 0

LOOP
READNEXT Ael FROM 3 ELSE adone = 1
READNEXT Bel FROM blist ELSE bdone = 1
UNTIL adone AND bdone DO
CRT Ael, Bel
CLEARSELECT 3
CLEARSELECT blist
REPEAT
This program displays: good night

77

CLOSE
Use the CLOSE statement to CLOSE an opened file, which is no longer required

COMMAND SYNTAX
CLOSE variable{, variable ...}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The variable list should contain a list of previously opened file variables that are no longer needed. The
variables will be cleared and may be reused as ordinary variables.
NOTES: You can open an unlimited amount of files within jBASE BASIC; however leaving them
open consumes valuable system resources.
Use good practice to hold open only those file descriptors to which you have constant access.

EXAMPLES
OPEN "DATAFILE" TO FILEVAR ELSE ABORT 201, "DATAFILE"
.....
CLOSE FILEVAR

78

CLOSESEQ
CLOSESEQ closes the file previously opened for sequential access.

COMMAND SYNTAX
CLOSESEQ FileVar

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
FileVar contains the file descriptor of the previously opened sequential file

79

COL1 and COL2
Use these functions in conjunction with the FIELD function to determine the character positions 1
position before and 1 position after the location of the last field.

COMMAND SYNTAX
COL1() / COL2()

NOTES
When a field has been located in a string, it is sometimes useful to know its exact position within the
string to manipulate either it, or the rest of the string. COL1() will return the position of the character
immediately before the last field located. COL2() will return the position of the character immediately
after the end of the last field located. Use them to manipulate the string.

EXAMPLES
A = "A,B,C,D,E"
Fld = FIELD(A, ",", 2)
CRT COL1()
CRT COL2()
Displays the values 2 and 4

80

COLLECTDATA
Use the COLLECTDATA statement to retrieve data passed from the PASSDATA clause of an
EXECUTE statement.

COMMAND SYNTAX
COLLECTDATAvariable

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
variable is the name of the variable, which is to store the retrieved data.

NOTES
Use the COLLECTDATA statement in any program, which is EXECUTEd (or PERFORMed) by
another program where the calling program uses a PASSDATA clause. The EXECUTEd program uses
a COLLECTDATA statement to retrieve the passed data.
If a PASSDATA clause is not in effect, variable will be assigned a value of null.

EXAMPLE
FIRST
001 EXECUTE "RUN JBASIC_PROGS SECOND" PASSDATA "Handover"
SECOND
001 COLLECTDATA PassedMessage
002 CRT PassedMessage

In the above example, program FIRST will EXECUTE program SECOND and will pass the string
"Handover" in the PASSDATA clause. Program SECOND retrieves the string to a variable
PassedMessage and prints the string on the Terminal screen.

81

COMMON
The COMMON statement declares a list of variables and matrices that can be shared among various
programs. There can be many common areas including a default, unnamed common area.

COMMAND SYNTAX
COMMON {/CommonName/} variable{, variable ... }

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The list of variables should not have been declared or referenced previously in the program file. The
compiler will detect any bad declarations and display suitable warning or error messages. If the
common area declared with the statement is to be named then the first entry in the list should be a
string, delimited by the / character.

NOTES
The compiler will not, by default, check that variables declared in COMMON statements are initialized
before they have been used as this may be beyond the scope of this single source code check. The -JCi
option, when specified to the jBASE BASIC compiler, will force this check to be applied to common
variables as well. The initialization of named common is controlled in the Config_EMULATE file.
Variables declared without naming the common area may only be shared between the program and its
subroutines (unless CHAIN is used). Variables declared in a named common area may be shared across
program boundaries. When any common area is shared, all programs using it should have declared the
same number of variables within it.
Dimensioned arrays are declared and dimensioned within the COMMON statement.

EXAMPLES
COMMON A, B(2, 6, 10), c
COMMON/Common1/ A, D, Array(10, 10)

82

COMPARE
The COMPARE function compares two strings and returns a value indicating whether or not they are
equal.

COMMAND SYNTAX
COMPARE(expression1, expression2{, justification})

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression1 is the first string for comparison
expression2 is the second string for comparison
justification specifies how the strings are to be compared. "L" indicates a left justified comparison.
"R" indicates a right justified comparison. The default is left justification.
The function returns one of the following values:
-1

The first string is less than the second

0

The strings are equal

1

The first string is greater than the second

EXAMPLE
A = "XY999"
B = "XY1000"
R1 = COMPARE(A,B,"L")
R2 = COMPARE(A,B,"R")
CRT R1,R2
The code above displays 1 -1, which indicates that XY999 is greater than XY1000 in a left justified
comparison and XY999 is less than XY1000 in a right justified comparison.

INTERNATIONAL MODE
When using the COMPARE function in International Mode, the function will use the currently
configured locale to determine the rules by which each string is considered less than or greater than the
other will.

83

CONTINUE
The CONTINUE statement is the complimentary statement to the BREAK statement without
arguments.

COMMAND SYNTAX
Use the statement within a loop to skip the remaining code in the current iteration and proceed directly
on to the next iteration.

NOTES
See also: BREAK, EXIT
The compiler will issue a warning message and ignore the statement if it is found outside an iterative
loop such as FOR...NEXT, LOOP...REPEAT.

EXAMPLES
FOR I = 1 TO 30
IF Pattern(I) MATCHES "0N" THEN CONTINUE
GOSUB ProcessText
NEXT I

The above example will execute the loop 30 times but will only call the subroutine ProcessText when
the current array element of Pattern is not a numeric value or null.

84

CONVERT
The CONVERT function is the function form of the CONVERT statement. It performs exactly the
same function but may also operate on an expression rather than being restricted to variables.

COMMAND SYNTAX
CONVERT (expression1, expression2, expression3)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression1 is the string to which the conversion will apply.
expression2 is the list of all characters to translate in expression1.
expression3 is the list of characters that will be converted to.
NOTE: For Prime, Universe and Unidata emulations:
expression1 is the list of all characters to translate in expression1.
expression2 is the list of characters that will be converted to.
expression3 is the string to which the conversion will apply.
See also: the CONVERT statement.

EXAMPLES
Value = CONVERT (Value, "#.,", "$,.")
Value = CONVERT(PartCode, "abc", "ABC")
Value = CONVERT(Code, "1234567890", "0987654321")

85

CONVERT (STATEMENT)
The CONVERT statement converts one or more characters in a string to their corresponding
replacement characters.

COMMAND SYNTAX
CONVERT expression1 TO expression2 IN expression3

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression1 is the list of all characters to translate in expression3
expression2 is the list of characters that will be converted to.
expression3 is the string to which the conversion will apply.

NOTES
There is a one to one correspondence between the characters in expression1 and expression2. That is,
conversion of character 1 in expression1 to character 1 in expression2, etc.
See also: the CONVERT function.

EXAMPLE
Value = 'ABCDEFGHIJ'
CRT 'Orignal:

':Value

CONVERT 'BJE' TO '^+!' IN Value
CRT 'Converted: ':Value
Orignal:

ABCDEFGHIJ

Converted: A^CD!FGHI+

86

COS
The COS function calculates the cosine of any angle using floating point arithmetic, then rounds to the
precision implied by the jBASE BASIC program, which makes it very accurate.

COMMAND SYNTAX
COS(expression)
This function calculates the cosine of an expression.

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The expression must evaluate to a numeric result or a runtime error will occur.

NOTES
Assumes the value returned by expression is in degrees.

EXAMPLES
FOR I = 1 TO 360
CRT COS(I) ;* print cos i for 1 to 360 degrees
NEXT I

87

COUNT
The COUNT function returns the number of times that one string occurs in another.

COMMAND SYNTAX
COUNT(expression1, expression2)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Both expression1 and expression2 may evaluate to any data type but logically they will evaluate to
character strings.

NOTES
The count is made on overlapping occurrences as a pattern match from each character in expression1.
This means that the string jjj occurs 3 times in the string jjjjj.
See also:DCOUNT.

EXAMPLES
Calc = "56 * 23 / 45 * 12"
CRT "There are ":COUNT(Calc, "*"):" multiplications"

88

COUNTS
Use the COUNTS function to count the number of times a substring is repeated in each element of a
dynamic array. The result is a new dynamic array whose elements are the counts corresponding to the
elements in the dynamic array.

COMMAND SYNTAX
COUNTS (dynamic.array, substring)
dynamic.array specifies the dynamic array whose elements are to be searched.
substring is an expression that evaluates to the substring to be counted. substring can be a character
string, a constant, or a variable. Each character in an element is matched to substring only once.
Therefore, when substring is longer than one character and a match is found, the search continues with
the character following the matched substring. No part of the matched element is recounted toward
another match. If substring does not appear in an element, a 0 value is returned. If substring is an empty
string, the number of characters in the element is returned. If substring is null, the COUNTS function
fails and the program terminates with a run-time error message. If any element in dynamic.array is null,
null is returned.

EXAMPLE
ARRAY="A":@VM:"AA":@SM:"AAAAA"
PRINT COUNTS (ARRAY, "A")
PRINT COUNTS(ARRAY, "AA")
The output of this program is:
1]2\5
0]1\2

89

CREATE
Use the CREATE statement after an OPENSEQ statement to create a record in a jBASE directory file
or to create a UNIX or DOS file. CREATE creates the record or file if the OPENSEQ statement fails.
An OPENSEQ statement for the specified file.variable must be executed before the CREATE
statement to associate the pathname or record ID of the file to be created with the file.variable. If
file.variable is null, the CREATE statement fails and the program enters the debugger.
Use the CREATE statement when OPENSEQ cannot find a record or file to open and the next
operation is to be a READSEQ or READBLK. If the first file operation is a WRITESEQ,WRITESEQ
creates the record or file if it does not exist.
If the record or file is created, it executes the THEN statements; if no record or file is created, it
executes the ELSE statements.

COMMAND SYNTAX
CREATE file.variable {THEN statements [ELSE statements] | ELSE statements}

EXAMPLE
In the following example, RECORD does not yet exist. When OPENSEQ fails to open RECORD to the
file variable FILE, the CREATE statement creates RECORD in the type 1 file DIRFILE and opens it to
the file variable FILE.
OPENSEQ 'DIRFILE', 'RECORD' TO FILE
ELSE CREATE FILE ELSE ABORT
WEOFSEQ FILE
WRITESEQ 'SOME DATA' TO FILE ELSE STOP

90

CRT
The CRT statement sends data directly to the terminal, even if a PRINTER ON statement is currently
active.

COMMAND SYNTAX
CRT expression {, expression..} {:}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
An expression can evaluate to any data type. The CRT statement will convert the result to a string type
for printing. Expressions separated by commas will be sent to the screen separated by a tab character.
The CRT statement will append a newline sequence to the final expression unless it is terminated with
a colon ":" character.

NOTES
As the expression can be any valid expression, it may have output formatting applied to it.
A jBASE BASIC program is normally executed using buffered output mode. This means that data is
not flushed to the terminal screen unless a newline sequence is printed or terminal input is requested.
This makes it very efficient. However you can force output to be flushed to the terminal by printing a
null character CHAR (0). This has the same effect as a newline sequence but without affecting screen
output.
For compatibility, use DISPLAY in place of CRT.

EXAMPLES
CRT A "L#5"
CRT @ (8,20):"Shazza was here":
FOR I = 1 TO 200
CRT @ (10,10):I:CHAR (0):
...
NEXT I

91

DATA
The DATA statement stacks the series of expressions on a terminal input FIFO stack. Terminal input
statements will then treat this data as if entered at the keyboard.

COMMAND SYNTAX
DATA expression {, expression ...}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The expression may evaluate to any data type; views each comma-separated expression as one line of
terminal input.

NOTES
The data stacked for input will subsequently be treated as input by any jBASE BASIC program.
Therefore use it before PERFORM/EXECUTE, CHAIN or any other method of transferring program
execution. Use also to stack input for the currently executing program; do not use to stack input back to
an executing program.
When a jBASE BASIC program detects stacked data, it is taken as keyboard input until the stack is
exhausted. The program will then revert to the terminal device for subsequent terminal input.
Stacked data delimited by field marks (xFE) will be treated as a series of separate terminal inputs.
See also: CLEARDATA

EXAMPLES
DATA "Y", "N", "CONTINUE" ;* stack input for prog
EXECUTE "PROGRAM1" ;* execute the program

92

DATE
The DATE( ) function returns the date in internal system form. This date is expressed as the number of
days since December 31, 1967.

COMMAND SYNTAX
DATE( )

NOTES
The system and your own programs should manipulate date fields in internal form. They can then be
converted to a readable format of your choice using the OCONV( ) function and the date conversion
codes.
The year 2000 is a leap year
See also: TIMEDATE( )

EXAMPLES
CRT OCONV (DATE(), "D2")
displays today's date in the form: 14 JUL 64

93

DCOUNT
The DCOUNT( ) function counts the number of field elements in a string that are separated by a
specified delimiter.

COMMAND SYNTAX
DCOUNT(expression1, expression2)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression1 evaluates to a string in which fields are to be counted.
expression2 evaluates to the delimiter string used to count the fields.

NOTES
The delimiter string may consist of more than one character.
If expression1 is a NULL string, the function returns a value of zero.
The delimiter string may consist of any character, including system delimiters such as field marks or
value marks.
See also: COUNT.

EXAMPLES
A = "A:B:C:D"
CRT DCOUNT(A, ":")
displays the value 4

94

DEBUG
The DEBUG statement causes the executing program to enter the jBASE BASIC debugger.

COMMAND SYNTAX
DEBUG

NOTES
Describes the debugger here.

EXAMPLES
IF FatalError = TRUE THEN
DEBUG ;*enter the debugger
END

95

DECATALOG and DELETE-CATALOG Commands
The DECATALOG and DELETE-CATALOG commands are used to remove the run-time versions of
cataloged jBASE BASIC programs.

COMMAND SYNTAX
DECATALOG SourceFilename ProgramName
DECATALOG ProgramName

96

DECRYPT
The DECRYPT function encrypts strings.

COMMAND SYNTAX
DECRYPT(string, key, method)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
string specifies the string to be encrypted.
key is the value used to encrypt the string. Its use depends on method.
method is a value, which indicates the encryption mechanism to use (See below):
The ENCRYPT and DECRYPT functions that are part of jBASE BASIC now support the following
cipher methods (Defined in JBC.h)
JBASE_CRYPT_GENERAL

General-purpose encryption scheme

JBASE_CRYPT_ROT13

Simple ROT13 algorithm. (Key not used)

JBASE_CRYPT_XOR11

XOR MOD11 algorithm. Uses the first character of a
key as a seed value.

JBASE_CRYPT_RC2

RC2 algorithm

JBASE_CRYPT_DES

DES algorithm

JBASE_CRYPT_3DES

Three Key, Triple DES algorithm

JBASE_CRYPT_BLOWFISH

Blowfish algorithm

JBASE_CRYPT_BASE64

(See below)

BASE64 is not really an encryption method, but more of an encoding. The reason for this is that the
output of an encryption often results in a binary string. It allows binary data to be represented as a
character string. BASE64 operation is not required but is performed in addition to the primary
algorithm. e.g. JBASE_CRYPT_RC2_BASE64
ENCRYPT with this method is the same as a DECRYPT with method JBASE_CRYPT_RC2 followed
by DECRYPT with method JBASE_CRYPT_BASE64.
DECRYPT with this method is the same as a DECRYPT with method JBASE_CRYPT_BASE64
followed by DECRYPT with method JBASE_CRYPT_RC2.
JBASE_CRYPT_RC2_BASE64

RC2 algorithm

JBASE_CRYPT_DES_BASE64

DES algorithm

JBASE_CRYPT_3DES_BASE64

Triple DES algorithm

JBASE_CRYPT_BLOWFISH _BASE64

Blowfish algorithm

NOTES
See also: ENCRYPT

97

EXAMPLES
INCLUDE JBC.h
X = DECRYPT(X, Ekey, JBASE_CRYPT_GENERAL)
IF DECRYPT("rknzcyr”,"", JBASE_CRYPT_ROT13) = "example" THEN
CRT "ROT13 ok"
END
IF ENCRYPT("g{ehvkm","9", JBASE_CRYPT_XOR11) = "example" THEN
CRT "XOR.MOD11 ok"
END
cipher = JBASE_CRYPT_BLOWFISH_BASE64
key

= "Our Very Secret Key"

str

= "String to encrypt"

enc = ENCRYPT( str, key, cipher )
CRT "Encrypted: ":enc
dec = DECRYPT( enc, key, cipher )
CRT "Decrypted: ":dec

Displays as output:

Encrypted: xuy6DXxUkD32spyfsKEvUtXrsjP7mC+R
Decrypted: String to encrypt

98

DEFC
Use the DEFC statement to declare an external C function to the jBASE BASIC compiler, define its
arguments, and return types. The DEFC statement assumes that the C functions will need to manipulate
jBASE BASIC variables and hence will also require the thread data pointer. As such, all C functions
require recoding to include the data pointer as an argument to the C function. The location of the data
pointer argument depends upon the function return type.

COMMAND SYNTAX
DEFC {FuncType} FuncName ({ArgType {, ArgType ...}})

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
FuncType and ArgType are selected from one of INT, FLOAT or VAR. FuncType specifies the type of
result that the function will return. Assumes INT if FuncType is omitted. The optional list of ArgTypes
specifies the argument types that the C function will expect. The compiler must know this in advance,
as it will automatically perform type conversions on these arguments.

EXAMPLE
#include 
#include 

#ifdef DPSTRUCT_DEF
#define JBASEDP

DPSTRUCT *dp,

#else
#define JBASEDP
#endif
VAR *MyString(VAR *Result, JBASEDP

VAR *VarPtr)

{
char *Ptr;
assert(dp != NULL);
Ptr = (char *) CONV_SFB(VarPtr);
printf("MyString: %s - %d\n", Ptr, strlen(Ptr) );

99

STORE_VBI(Result, strlen(Ptr) );
return(Result);
}
INT32 MyCalc(INT32 Value1, INT32 Value2)
{
INT32 Result;
Result =

(Value1 / Value2);

printf("MyCalc: %d\n", Result);
return(Result);
}

NOTES
Compile a DEFC for each C function before making any reference to it else the compiler will not
recognize the function name.
The function is called in the same manner, as it would be in a C program, which means it can be used
as if it was an intrinsic function of the jBASE BASIC language and therefore returns a value. However,
specifying it as a standalone function call causes the compiler to generate code that ignores any
returned values.
When passing jBASE BASIC variables to a C function, you must utilize the predefined macros to
access the various data types it contains. C functions are particularly useful for increasing the
performance of tight loops that perform specific functions. The jBASE BASIC compiler must cater for
any eventuality within a loop (such as the controlling variable changing from integer to floating point).
A dedicated C function can ignore such events, if they are guaranteed not to happen.
The jBASE BASIC programmer may freely ignore the type of argument used when invoking the C
function, as the jBASE BASIC compiler will automatically perform type conversion.

100

DEFCE
With jBASE the DEFCE statement should be used, rather than the DEFC statement, for calling
externalCprograms,whicharepure‘C’codeanddonotusethejBASElibrarymacro’sandfunctions.

EXAMPLE 1
ForCfunctionsthatdonotrequirejBASEfunctionsusetheDEFCEstatement,howeverthepassing
argumentscanonlybeoftypeINT,FLOATandSTRING.

DEFCE INT MYFUNC3(INT)
INT32 MYFUNC3(INT32 Count)
{
INT32 Result;
….
return Result;
}

EXAMPLE 2
DEFCE INT cfunc( INT, FLOAT, VAR)
Var1 = cfunc( A, 45, B)
cfunc( 34, C, J)
You can call standard UNIX functions directly by declaring them with the DEFC statement according
to their parameter requirements. You can only call them directly providing they return one of the type
int or float/double or that the return type may be ignored.

EXAMPLE 3
DEFCE INT getpid()
CRT "Process id =":getpid()

101

DEFFUN
Use the DEFFUN statement to declare an external jBASE BASIC function to the jBASE BASIC
compiler and optionally define its arguments. Use DEFFUN in the program that calls the function.

COMMAND SYNTAX
DEFFUN FuncName ({ {MAT} Argument1, {MAT} Argument2...})

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
FuncName is the name used to define the function. It must be the same as the source file name.
Argument specifies a value passed to the function by the calling program. To pass an array, the
keyword you must use the MAT before the argument name. These parameters are optional (as
indicated in the Command Syntax) but can be specified for clarity. Note that if the arguments are not
initialized somewhere in the program you will receive a compiler warning.

NOTES
The DEFFUN statement identifies a user-written function to the jBASE BASIC compiler, which must
be present in each program that calls the function, before the function is called. A hidden argument is
passed to the function so that a value can be returned to the calling program. The return value is set in
the function using the RETURN (value) statement. If the RETURN statement specifies no value then
the function returns an empty string.

EXAMPLE 1
DEFFUN Add()
A = 10
B = 20
sum = Add(A, B)
PRINT sum
X = RND (42)
Y = RND(24
)
PRINT Add(X, Y)
FUNCTION Add(operand1, operand2)
result = operand1 + operand2
RETURN(result)

102

Call standard UNIX functions directly by declaring them with the DEFCE statement according to their
parameter requirements. However, they may only be called directly providing they return one of the
type int or float/double or that the return type may be ignored.

EXAMPLE 2
DEFCE INT getpid()
CRT "Process id =":getpid()

103

DEL
Use the DEL statement to remove a specified element of a dynamic array.

COMMAND SYNTAX
DEL variable

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The variable can be any previously assigned variable or matrix element. The expressions must evaluate
to a numeric value or a runtime error will occur.
expression1 specifies the field in the array to operate upon and must be present.
expression2 specifies the multivalue within the field to operate upon and is an optional parameter.
expression3 is optionally present when expression2 has been included. It specifies which subvalue to
delete within the specified multivalue.

NOTES
Truncates non-integer values for any of the expressions to integers
Ignores invalid numeric values for the expressions without warning
The command operates within the scope specified, i.e. if specifying only a field then it deletes the
entire field (including its multivalues and subvalues). If specifying a subvalue, then it deletes only the
subvalue leaving its parent multivalue and field intact.

EXAMPLES
FOR I = 1 TO 20
Numbers = I

;*generate numbers

NEXT I
FOR I = 19 TO 1 STEP –2
DEL Numbers

;*remove odd numbers

NEXT I

104

DELETE
Use the DELETE statement to delete a record from a jBASE file.

COMMAND SYNTAX
DELETE {variable,} expression {SETTING setvar} {ON ERROR statements}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
If specified, variable should have been the subject of a previous OPEN statement. If variable is omitted
then it assumes the default file variable.
The expression should evaluate to the name of a record stored in the open file.
If the SETTING clause is specified and the delete fails, it sets setvar to one of the following values:

INCREMENTAL FILE ERRORS
128

No such file or directory

4096

Network error

24576

Permission denied

32768

Physical I/O error or unknown error

NOTES
The statement will have no effect if the record name does not exist within the file.
If the program against the file record was holding a lock, it will release the lock.

EXAMPLES
OPEN "DAT1" TO DatFile1 ELSE ABORT 201, "DAT1"
DELETE DatFile1, "record1"
will delete the record "record1" from the file DAT1

105

DELETELIST
The DELETELIST statement will delete the previously stored list named by expression.

COMMAND SYNTAX
DELETELIST expression

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The expression should evaluate to the name of a list that has been stored with either the WRITELIST
statement or the SAVE-LIST command from the shell.

NOTES
If POINTER-FILE is accessible then it saves lists within else are saved in the jBASE work file.

EXAMPLES
List = "JobList"
DELETELIST List
Will delete the pre-saved list called JobList

106

DELETESEQ
DELETESEQ deletes a sequential file.

COMMAND SYNTAX
DELETESEQ Expression {SETTING setvar} {ON ERROR statements} {LOCKED statements}
THEN | ELSE statements
or
DELETESEQ Expression, Filename {SETTING setvar} {ON ERROR statements} {LOCKED
statements} THEN | ELSE statements

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Expression specifies the variable to contain next record from sequential file.
FileVar specifies the file descriptor of the file opened for sequential access.
Statements conditional jBASE BASIC statements

107

DELETEU
Use the DELETEU statement to delete a record without releasing the update record lock set by a
previous READU statement
See also:READ statements.
Use the OPEN statement to open a file. If specifying a file variable in the OPEN statement, use it in the
DELETEU statement. You must place a comma between the file variable and the record ID expression.
If specifying no file variable in the DELETEU statement, the statement applies to the default file.
See also: OPEN statement for a description of the default file.

108

DIMENSION
Use the DIM statement to declare arrays to the compiler before referencing.

COMMAND SYNTAX
DIM{ENSION} variable(number{, number... }){, variable(number {,number...}) ...}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The variable may be any valid variable name neither declared nor previously used. The numbers
define the size of each dimension and must be either constants or the subject of an EQUATE statement.
A single DIM statement may declare a number of arrays by separating their declarations with a comma.

NOTES
Declare the array before it is referenced in the program source (compilation as opposed to execution).
If using a variable as an undeclared dimensioned array the compiler will display an error message.
Do not use the array variable as a normal variable or dynamic array before dimensioning, as the
compiler will detect this as an error.
A dimension size may not be specified as one as this has no logical meaning. The compiler will detect
this as a warning.
When arrays are referenced directly as in A = Array(7), the compiler will optimize the reference as if it
was a single undimensioned variable.
See also: COMMON

EXAMPLES
EQUATE DimSize1 TO 29
DIM Array1(10,10), Array2(5, 20, 5, 8)
DIM Age(DimSize1)

109

DIR
Use the DIR function to return information about a file.

COMMAND SYNTAX
DIR (filename)
The filename is a string argument representing the path and filename of a file. This function returns a
dynamic array with four attributes.
Attribute

Description

1

File size in bytes

2

last modified date (in internal format)

3

last modified time (in internal format)

4

D if the filename is a directory, blank if the filename is a file

EXAMPLE
F = DIR(“.”)
PRINT F
“0{am}0{am}0{am}D”: is the output of this program.

110

DIV
See also: Floating point Operations
Use the DIV function to calculate the value of the quotient after division of the dividend by the divisor.

COMMAND SYNTAX
DIV (dividend, divisor)
The dividend and divisor expressions can evaluate to any numeric value. The only exception is that the
divisor cannot be zero. If either dividend or divisor evaluates to null, it returns null.

EXAMPLE
I=400; K=200
J = DIV (I,K)
PRINT J
2: is the output of this program.

111

DIVS
See also: Floating point Operations
Use the DIVS function to create a dynamic array containing the result of the element-by-element
division of two dynamic arrays.

COMMAND SYNTAX
DIVS (array1, array2)
The division of each element of array1 is by the corresponding element of array2, which returns the
result in the corresponding element of a new dynamic array. If elements of array1 have no
corresponding elements in array2, it pads array2 with ones and returns the array1 elements. If an
element of array2 has no corresponding element in array1, it returns zero. If an element of array2 is
zero, it prints a run-time error message and returns 0. If either element of a corresponding pair is null, it
returns null.

EXAMPLE
A=10:@VM:15:@VM:9:@SM:4
B=2:@VM:5:@VM:9:@VM:2
PRINT DIVS(A,B)
The output of this program is: 5]3]1\4]0

112

DOWNCASE / UPCASE
DOWNCASE converts all uppercase characters in an expression to lowercase characters.
UPCASE converts all lowercase characters in an expression to uppercase characters.

COMMAND SYNTAX
DOWNCASE|LOWCASE(expression) / UPCASE (expression)

INTERNATIONAL MODE
When using the DOWNCASE or UPCASE function in International Mode the conversion from upper
case to lower case or vice versa will be determined for each character in the expression by the Unicode
standard, which describes the up or down case properties for the character.

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression in a string containing some alphabetic characters

NOTES
It ignores Non-alphabetic characters.

113

DROUND
See also: Floating point Operations
The DROUND function performs double-precision rounding on a value. Double-precision rounding
uses two words to store a number, accommodating a larger number than in single-precision rounding,
which stores each number in a single word.

COMMAND SYNTAX
DROUND(val.expr [,precision.expr])
NOTE: DROUND affects the internal representation of the numeric value. It performs the rounding
without conversion to and from string variables. This increases the speed of calculation.

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
val.expr specifies the value to round.
precision.expr specifies the precision for the rounding. The valid range is 0 to 14. Default precision is
four places.

EXAMPLE
In the following example, the DROUND statement results in 18.84955596. The equation is resolved,
and rounds the result to eight decimal places.
A= DROUND((3.14159265999*2*3),8)

PRINT A

114

DTX
The DTX function will return the hexadecimal representation of a numeric expression.

COMMAND SYNTAX
DTX(expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression must evaluate to a decimal numeric value or a runtime error will occur.

NOTES
See also: XTD.

EXAMPLES
Decimal = 254
CRT DTX(Decimal)
displays FE

115

DYNTOXML
COMMAND SYNTAX
DYNTOXML (array,xsl,result)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Convert the array to XML using the optimal xsl to transform
XML = (DYNTOXML(array,””,result)
Takes the contents of the dynamic array held in an array, and returns a generic XML representation of
that array or an error
(result=0 OK; result<>0 Bad);

EXAMPLE
a = "Tom" : @AM : "Dick" : @AM : "Harry"
xml = DYNTOXML(a,"",result)
CRT xml
SCREEN OUTPUT


Tom
Dick
Harry

If a style sheet is passed in the second parameter, it performs a transform to give a different format of
XML.

EXAMPLE
xml = DYNTOXML(a,xsl,result)
CRT xml
SCREEN OUTPUT

Tom
Dick
Harry

XSL CONTENTS



116























117

EBCDIC
The EBCDIC function converts all the characters in an expression from the ASCII character set to the
EBCDIC character set.

COMMAND SYNTAX
EBCDIC(expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression may contain a data string of any form. The function will convert it to a character string,
assume that the characters are all members of the ASCII set and translate them using a character map.
The original expression is unchanged while the returned result of the function is now the EBCDIC
equivalent.

EXAMPLE
READT AsciiBlock ELSE CRT "Tape failed!"; STOP
EbcdicBlock = EBCDIC(AsciiBlock) ;* Convert to EBCDIC

118

ECHO
The ECHO statement will turn on or off the echoing of characters typed at the keyboard.

COMMAND SYNTAX
ECHO ON
ECHO OFF
ECHO expression

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Use the statement with the keywords ON and OFF to specify echoing or not. If used with an
expression, then the expression should evaluate to a Boolean TRUE or FALSE result.
TRUE: echoing on
FALSE: echoing off.

NOTES
Use the SYSTEM function to determine the current state of character echoing. SYSTEM(24) returns
Boolean TRUE if enabled and returns Boolean FALSE if disabled.

EXAMPLES
ECHO OFF
CRT "Enter your password ":
INPUT Password
ECHO ON
.....
This will disable the character input echoing while typing in a password.

119

ENCRYPT
The ENCRYPT function encrypts strings.

COMMAND SYNTAX
ENCRYPT(string, key, method)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
string specifies the string for encryption.
key is the value used to encrypt the string. Its use depends on method.
method is a value, which indicates the encryption mechanism to use (See below):
The ENCRYPT and DECRYPT functions that are part of jBASE BASIC now support the following
cipher methods (Defined in JBC.h)
JBASE_CRYPT_GENERAL

General-purpose encryption scheme

JBASE_CRYPT_ROT13

Simple ROT13 algorithm. (Key not used)

JBASE_CRYPT_XOR11

XOR MOD11 algorithm. Uses the first character of a key as a seed
value.

JBASE_CRYPT_RC2

RC2 algorithm

JBASE_CRYPT_DES

DES algorithm

JBASE_CRYPT_3DES

Three Key, Triple DES algorithm

JBASE_CRYPT_BLOWFISH

Blowfish algorithm

JBASE_CRYPT_BASE64

(See below)

BASE64 is more of an encoding method rather than an encryption method. The reason for this is that
the output of an encryption often results in a binary string, which allows the representation of binary
data as a character string. Although not required the BASE64 operation is performed in addition to the
primary algorithm. E.g. JBASE_CRYPT_RC2_BASE64
ENCRYPT with this method is the same as an ENCRYPT with method JBASE_CRYPT_RC2
followed by ENCRYPT with method JBASE_CRYPT_BASE64.
DECRYPT with this method is the same as a DECRYPT with method JBASE_CRYPT_BASE64
followed by DECRYPT with method JBASE_CRYPT_RC2.
JBASE_CRYPT_RC2_BASE64

RC2 algorithm

JBASE_CRYPT_DES_BASE64

DES algorithm

JBASE_CRYPT_3DES_BASE64

Triple DES algorithm

JBASE_CRYPT_BLOWFISH _BASE64

Blowfish algorithm

NOTES
120

See also: DECRYPT.

EXAMPLES
INCLUDE JBC.h
X = DECRYPT(X, Ekey, JBASE_CRYPT_GENERAL)
IF DECRYPT("rknzcyr”,"", JBASE_CRYPT_ROT13) = "example" THEN
CRT "ROT13 ok"
END
IF ENCRYPT("g{ehvkm","9", JBASE_CRYPT_XOR11) = "example" THEN
CRT "XOR.MOD11 ok"
END
cipher = JBASE_CRYPT_BLOWFISH_BASE64
key

= "Our Very Secret Key"

str

= "String to encrypt"

enc = ENCRYPT( str, key, cipher )
CRT "Encrypted: ":enc
dec = DECRYPT( enc, key, cipher )
CRT "Decrypted: ":dec

Displays as output:

Encrypted: xuy6DXxUkD32spyfsKEvUtXrsjP7mC+R
Decrypted: String to encrypt

NOTES
See also: DECRYPT.

121

ENTER
The ENTER statement unconditionally passes control to another executable program.

COMMAND SYNTAX
ENTER program_name
ENTER @variable_name

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
program_name is the name of the program for execution. The use of single or double quotes to
surround program_name is optional.
@ specifies that the program name is contained in a named variable.
variable_name is the name of the variable, which contains the program name.

NOTES
The jBASE BASIC COMMON data area can be passed to another jBASE BASIC program by
specifying the option "I" after the program name. Pass the COMMON data area only to another jBASE
BASIC program.
Use ENTER to execute any type of program.
If the program which contains the ENTER command (the current program) was called from a JCL
program, and the program for execution (the target program) is another jBASE BASIC program,
control will return to the original JCL program when the target program terminates. If the target
program is a JCL program, control will return to the command shell when the JCL program terminates.

EXAMPLES
ENTER "menu"
ProgName = "UPDATE"
ENTER @ ProgName

122

EQS
Use the EQS function to test if elements of one dynamic array are equal to the elements of another
dynamic array.

COMMAND SYNTAX
EQS (array1, array2)
EQS compares each element of array1 with the corresponding element of array2 and returns, a one if
the two elements are equal in the corresponding element of a dynamic array. It returns a zero if the two
elements are not equal. It returns zero if an element of one dynamic array has no corresponding
element in the other dynamic array. If either element of a corresponding pair is null, it returns null for
that element.

EXAMPLE
A=1:@VM:45:@SM:3:@VM:"one"
B=0:@VM:45:@VM:1
PRINT EQS(A,B)
The output of this program is: 0]1\0]0

123

EQUATE
Use EQUATE to declare a symbol equivalent to a literal, variable or simple expression.

COMMAND SYNTAX
EQU{ATE} symbol TO expression

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
symbol is the name of the symbol to use;.can be any name that would be valid for a variable.
expression can be a literal, a variable or a simple expression.

NOTES
Sensible use of EQUATEd symbols can make your program easier to maintain, easier to read, and
more efficient.
Efficiency can be enhanced because the address of an EQUATEd value is computed during
compilation and is substituted for each occurrence of the symbol name. Unlike the address of a
variable, which must be computed for each access during run time, the address of a symbol is always
known. This significantly reduces the processing overhead involved in accessing a particular value. See
also: the example for a more detailed explanation of the other benefits.
Enhance Readability by referring to say, QTY rather than INV_LINE(4). You would simply
"EQUATE QTY TO INV_LINE(4)" at an early stage in the program. This can also help with
maintenance of the program, particularly in situations where record layouts might change. For
example, if the quantity field moves to INV_LINE(6), you only have to change one line in your
program.

EXAMPLE
COMMON FLAG
EQUATE NO_CHARGE TO FLAG
EQUATE CR TO CHAR (13), TRUE TO 1, FALSE TO 0
EQUATE PRICE TO INV_LINE(7), TAX TO 0.175
EQUATE DASHES TO "-------"
IF NO_CHARGE = TRUE THEN PRICE = 0
CRT "Tax =":PRICE * TAX:CR:DASHES

124

EREPLACE
Use the EREPLACE function to replace substring in an expression with another substring. If you do
not specify an occurrence, it replaces each occurrence of a substring.

COMMAND SYNTAX
EREPLACE (expression, substring, replacement [,occurrence [,begin] ] )

SYNTAX ELEMANTS
occurrence specifies the number of occurrences of substring to replace. To replace all occurrences,
specify occurrence as a number less than 1. begin specifies the first occurrence to replace. If begin is
omitted or less than one, it defaults to one. If substring is an empty string, replacement is prefixed to
expression. If replacement is an empty string, it removes all occurrences of substring. If expression
evaluates to null, it returns null. If substring, replacement, occurrence, or begin evaluates to null, the
EREPLACE function fails and the program terminates with a run-time error message. The EREPLACE
function behaves like the CHANGE function except when substring evaluates to an empty string.

EXAMPLE
A = "AAABBBCCCDDDBBB"
PRINT EREPLACE (A,"BBB","ZZZ")
PRINT EREPLACE (A,"","ZZZ")
PRINT EREPLACE (A,"BBB","")

The output of this program is:
AAAZZZCCCDDDZZZ
ZZZAAABBBCCCDDDBBB
AAACCCDDD

125

EXECUTE
See also: Floating point Operations
The EXECUTE or PERFORM statement allows the currently executing program to pause and execute
any other UNIX/NT program, including another jBASE BASIC program or a jBASE command.

COMMAND SYNTAX
EXECUTE|PERFORM expression {CAPTURING variable} {RETURNING|SETTINGvariable}
{PASSLIST {expression}} {RTNLIST {variable}}{PASSDATA variable} {RTNDATA variable}
Passes Data, Dynamic Arrays and lists to programs written in jBASE BASIC, you can intercept screen
output and error messages from any program.

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The PERFORMed expression can be formed from any jBASE construct. The system will not verify
that the command exists before executing it. Use a new Bourne Shell to execute a command (sh) by
default. The shell type can be changed by preceding the command with a CHAR(255) concatenated
with either "k", "c", or "s" to signify the Korn shell, C shell or Bourne Shell.
Variables used to pass data to the executed program should have been assigned to a value before using.
You can use any variable name to receive data.
CAPTURING variable
The capturing clause will capture any output that the executing program would normally send to the
terminal screen and place it in the variable specified. A field mark in the variable replaces every
newline normally sent to the terminal.
RETURNING variable or SETTING variable
The returning and setting clauses are identical. Both clauses will capture the output associated with any
error messages the executing program issues. The first field of the variable will be set to the exit code
of the program.
PASSLIST variable
The PASSLIST clause allows jBASE programs to exchange lists or dynamic arrays between them. The
variable should contain the list that the program wishes to pass to the jBASE program it is executing.
The program to be executed should be able to process lists, otherwise the list will just be ignored. If the
variable name is not specified then the clause will pass the default select list to the executing program.
RTNLIST variable
If the executed program sets up a list then use the RTNLIST clause to place that list into a specified
variable. It places the list in the default list variable if omitted.
PASSDATA variable
Passes the data in the specified variable to another jBASE BASIC program, the executing jBASE
BASIC program should retrieve the data using the COLLECTDATA statement.

RTNDATA variable

126

The RTNDATA statement returns any data passed from an executing jBASE BASIC program in the
specified variable. The executing jBASE BASIC program should use the RTNDATA statement to pass
data back to the calling program.

NOTES
The clauses may be specified in any order within the statement but only one of each clause may exist.

EXAMPLES
OPEN "DataFile" ELSE ABORT 201, "DataFile"
SELECT
PERFORM "MyProg" SETTING ErrorList PASSLIST
EXECUTE "ls" CAPTURING DirListing

127

EXIT
The EXIT statement halts the execution of a program and returns a numeric exit code to the parent
process. For compatibility with older versions of the language, use the EXIT statement without an
expression. In this case, it is synonymous with the BREAK statement.

COMMAND SYNTAX
EXIT (expression)
EXIT

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Any expression provided must be parenthesized and evaluate to a numeric result. The numeric result is
used as the UNIX or Windows exit code, which is returned to the parent process by the C function
exit(). If the expression does not evaluate to a numeric result the program will enter the debugger and
display a suitable error message.

NOTES
The expression has been forced to be parenthesized to avoid confusion with the EXIT statement
without an expression as much as is possible. The authors apologize for having to provide two different
meanings for the same keyword
See also:BREAK.

EXAMPLE
READ Record FROM FileDesc, RecordKey ELSE
CRT "Record ":RecordKey:" is missing"
EXIT(1)
END ELSE
CRT "All required records are present"
EXIT(0)
END

128

EXP
The EXP function returns the mathematical constant to the specified power.

COMMAND SYNTAX
EXP(expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The expression may consist of any form of jBASE BASIC expression but should evaluate to a numeric
argument or a runtime error occurs and the program enters the debugger.

NOTES
The function returns a value that is accurate to as many decimal places specified by the PRECISION of
the program.

EXAMPLE
zE10 = EXP(10) ;* Get e^10

129

EXTRACT
The EXTRACT function is an alternative method of accessing values in a dynamic array other than
using the  syntax described earlier.

COMMAND SYNTAX
EXTRACT(expression1, expression2 {, expression3 {, expression4}})

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression1 specifies the dynamic array to work with and will normally be a previously assigned
variable.
The expressions 2 through 4 should all return a numeric value or a runtime error will occur and the
program will enter the debugger.
expression2 specifies the field to extract, expression3 the value to extract and expression4 the subvalue to extract.

EXAMPLES
A = "0"; A<2> = "1"; A<3> = "2"
CRT EXTRACT(A, 2)
Will display the value "1".

130

FADD
The FADD function performs floating point addition of two numeric values.

COMMAND SYNTAX
FADD(expression1, expression2)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Both expression1 and expression 2 must evaluate to non-null numeric values.

NOTES
If either of the arguments evaluates to null then a run time "non-numeric" error will occur.

EXAMPLES
PRECISION 7
CRT FADD(0.5044,23.7290002)
displays 24.2334002

131

FDIV
The FDIV function performs floating point division on two numeric values.

COMMAND SYNTAX
FDIV(expression1, expression2)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Both expression1 and expression 2 must evaluate to non-null numeric values.

NOTES
If either of the arguments evaluates to null then a run time "non-numeric" error will occur.
If the second argument evaluates to zero then a run time "divide by zero" error will occur.
The calculation is not subject to the PRECISION setting.

EXAMPLES
CRT FMUL(1,7)
displays 0.1428571429

132

FIELD
The FIELD function returns a multi-character delimited field from within a string.

COMMAND SYNTAX
FIELDS(string, delimiter, occurrence{, extractCount})

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
string specifies the string, from which the field(s) is to be extracted.
delimiter specifies the character or characters that delimit the fields within the dynamic array.
occurrence should evaluate to an integer of value 1 or higher. It specifies the delimiter used as the
starting point for the extraction.
extractCount is an integer that specifies the number of fields to extract. If omitted, assumes one.

NOTES
If the emulation option, jbase_field, is set then the field delimiter may consist of more than a single
character, allowing fields to be delimited by complex codes.
See also: GROUP

EXAMPLES
Fields = "AAAA:BBJIMBB:CCCCC"
CRT FIELD(Fields, ":", 3)
CRT FIELD(Fields, "JIM", 1)
displays:
CCCCC
AAAA:BB

133

FIELDS
The FIELDS function is an extension of the FIELD function. It returns a dynamic array of multicharacter delimited fields from a dynamic array of strings.

COMMAND SYNTAX
FIELDS(DynArr, Delimiter, Occurrence{, ExtractCount})

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
DynArr should evaluate to a dynamic array.
Delimiter specifies the character or characters that delimit the fields within the dynamic array.
Occurrence should evaluate to an integer of value 1 or higher. It specifies the delimiter used as the
starting point for the extraction.
ExtractCount is an integer that specifies the number of fields to extract. If omitted, assumes one.

NOTES
If the emulation option, jbase_field, is set then the field delimiter may consist of more than a single
character, allowing fields to be delimited by complex codes.

EXAMPLES
The following program shows how each element of a dynamic array can be changed with the FIELDS
function.
t = ""
t<1> = "a:b:c:d:e:f"
t<2> = "aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff" : @VM: "1:2:3:4" : @SVM: ":W:X:Y:Z"
t<3> = "aaa:bbb:ccc:ddd:eee:fff":@VM:@SVM
t<4> = "aaaa:bbbb:cccc:dddd:eeee:ffff"
r1 = FIELDS(t,":",2)
r2 = FIELDS(t,":",2,3)
r3 = FIELDS(t,"bb",1,1)

The above program creates three dynamic arrays.
V - represents a value mark.
s - represents a sub-value mark.
r1

<1>b
<2>bb v 2 s W

134

<3>bbb
<4>bbbb
r2

<1>b:c:d
<2>bb:cc:dd v 2:3:4 s W:X:Y<3>bbb:ccc:ddd v s
<4>bbbb:cccc:dddd

r3

<1>a:b:c:d:e:f
<2>aa: v 1:2:3:4 s W:X:Y:Z
<3>aaa: v s
<4>aaaa:

135

FILEINFO
Use the FILEINFO function to return information about the specified file variable.

COMMAND SYNTAX
FILEINFO (file.variable, key)
This function is currently limited to return values to determine if the file variable is a valid file
descriptor variable.
Key Return Status
01 if file.variable is a valid files variable zero otherwise.

136

FILELOCK
Use the FILELOCK statement to acquire a lock on an entire file. This prevents other users from
updating the file until the program releases it. A FILELOCK statement that does not specify lock.type
is equivalent to obtaining an update record lock on every record of the file. An open file is specified by
file.variable. If no file.variable is specified, the default file is assumed; if the file is neither accessible
nor open, the program enters the debugger.

COMMAND SYNTAX
FILELOCK filevar {LOCKED statements} {ON ERROR statements}
FILEUNLOCK filevar {ON ERROR statements}

DESCRIPTION
When the FILELOCK statement is executed, it will attempt to take an exclusive lock on the entire file.
If there are any locks currently outstanding on the file, then the statement will block until there are no
more locks on the file. The use of the LOCKED clause allows the application to perform an unblocked
operation.
When the FILELOCK statement is blocked waiting for a lock, other processes may continue to perform
database operations on that file, including the removal of record locks and the taking of record locks.
Once the FILELOCK is taken, it will block ALL database accesses to the file whether or not the access
involves record locks. i.e. a READ will block once it has been executed, as will, CLEARFILE etc,. The
lock continues until the file is closed, the program terminates, or a FILEUNLOCK statement is
executed.
NOTE: The FILELOCK statement might differ to those found on other vendors systems. You should
also not that the use of these statements for other than administration work, for example, within batch
jobs, is not recommended. The replacement of such with more judicious use of item locks is advised.

IMPLEMENTATION NOTES
The FILELOCK command is implemented using the native locking mechanism of the operating system
and is entirely at its mercy. Because of this, you may see some slight implementation differences
between operating systems. These comments on native locking do not apply to the NT platform as
jBASE uses the NT locking mechanism.
The uses of the native (UNIX) locking mechanism means the file in question MUST NOT use the
jBASE locking mechanism. You can set a file to use the native locking mechanism by using the
jchmod command:
jchmod +N filename {filename ...}
Alternatively, like this when the file is originally created:
CREATE-FILE filename 1,1 23,1 NETWORK=TRUE
If the file continues to use the jBASE record locking, then the ON ERROR clause will be taken and the
SYSTEM(0) and STATUS() functions will set to 22 to indicate the error.

137

EXAMPLES
OPEN '','SLIPPERS' TO FILEVAR ELSE STOP "CAN'T OPEN FILE"
FILELOCK FILEVAR LOCKED STOP 'FILE IS ALREADY LOCKED'
FILEUNLOCK DATA
OPEN '','SLIPPERS' ELSE STOP "CAN'T OPEN FILE"
FILELOCK LOCKED STOP 'FILE IS ALREADY LOCKED'
PRINT "The file is locked."
FILEUNLOCK

138

FILEUNLOCK
Use the FILEUNLOCK statement to release a file lock set by the FILELOCK statement.

COMMAND SYNTAX
FILEUNLOCK [file.variable] [ON ERROR statements]
file.variable specifies a file previously locked with a FILELOCK statement. If file.variable is not
specified, the default file with the FILELOCK statement is assumed .If file.variable is not a valid file
variable then the FILEUNLOCK statement will enter the debugger.
The ON ERROR Clause
The ON ERROR clause is optional in the FILELOCK statement. The ON ERROR clause lets you
specify an alternative for program termination when encountering a fatal error during processing of the
FILELOCK statement. If a fatal error occurs, with no ON ERROR clause specified, the program enters
the debugger.
If the ON ERROR clause is used, the value returned by the STATUS function is the error number.

EXAMPLE
In the following example, the first FILEUNLOCK statement unlocks the default file. The second
FILEUNLOCK statement unlocks the file variable FILE.
OPEN '','SLIPPERS' ELSE STOP "CAN'T OPEN SLIPPERS"
FILELOCK
FILEUNLOCK
OPEN 'PIPE' TO FILEVAR ELSE STOP
FILELOCK FILEVAR
FILEUNLOCK FILEVAR

139

FIND
The FIND statement allows the location of a specified string within a dynamic array.

COMMAND SYNTAX
FIND expression1 IN Var1 {, expression2} SETTING Var2 {, Var3 {, Var4}} THEN | ELSE
statement(s)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression1 evaluates to the string with which to compare every element of the dynamic array. Var1 is
the dynamic array that will be searched. The FIND command will normally find the first occurrence of
expression1 unless expression2 is specified. If specified then expression2 will cause a specific
occurrence of expression1 to be located. The three variables Var2, Var3, Var4 are used to record the
Field, Value and Sub-Value positions in which expression1 was found.
If expression1 is found in any element of Var1 then Vars 2, 3 and 4 are set to the position in which it
was found and any THEN clause of the statement is executed. If expression1 is not found within any
element of the dynamic array then Vars 2, 3 and 4 are undefined and the ELSE clause of the statement
is executed.

NOTES
The statement may omit either the THEN clause or the ELSE clause but may not omit both. It is valid
for the statement to contain both clauses if required.
See also: LOCATE, FINDSTR

EXAMPLES
Var = "ABC":VM:"JAC":AM:"CDE":VM:"WHO"
FIND "JAC" IN Var SETTING Ap, Vp THEN
CRT "JAC is in Field ":Ap:", value ":Vp
END ELSE
CRT "JAC could not be found"
END
Will display: JAC is in Field 1, value 2

140

FINDSTR
The FINDSTR statement locates a string as a substring of a dynamic array element. It is similar in
operation to the FIND statement.

COMMAND SYNTAX
FINDSTR expression1 IN Var1 {, expression2} SETTING Var2 {,Var3 {, Var4}} THEN | ELSE
statement(s)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression1 evaluates to the string with which to search every element of the dynamic array. Var1 is
the actual dynamic array that will be searched. FINDSTR will normally locate the first occurrence of
expression1 unless expression2 is specified. If specified then expression2 will cause a specific
occurrence of expression1 to be located. The three variables Var2, Var3, Var4 are used to record the
Field, Value and Sub-Value positions in which expression1 was found.
If expression1 is found as a substring of any element of Var1 then Vars 2, 3 and 4 are set to the position
in which it was found and the THEN clause of the statement is executed if it is present. If expression1
is not found within any element of the dynamic array then Vars 2,3 and 4 are undefined and the ELSE
clause of the statement is executed.

NOTES
The statement may omit either the THEN clause or the ELSE clause but may not omit both. It is valid
for the statement to contain both clauses if required.

EXAMPLES
Var = "ABC":VM:"OJACKO":AM:"CDE":VM:"WHO"
FINDSTR "JAC" IN Var SETTING Ap, Vp THEN
CRT "JAC is within Field ":Ap:", value ":Vp
END ELSE
CRT "JAC could not be found"
END
Displays: JAC is within Field 1, value 2

141

FORMLIST
The FORMLIST statement creates an active select list from a dynamic array.

COMMAND SYNTAX
FORMLIST variable1 {TO variable2 | listnum}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
variable1 specifies the dynamic array from which the active select list is to be created
If variable2 is specified then the newly created list will be placed in the variable. Alternatively, a
select list number in the range 0 to 10 can be specified with listnum. If neither variable2 nor listnum is
specified then the default list variable will be assumed.

NOTES
See also: DELETELIST, READLIST, WRITELIST

EXAMPLES
MyList = "key1":@AM:"key2":@AM:"key3"
FORMLIST MyList TO ListVar
LOOP
READNEXT Key FROM ListVar ELSE EXIT
READ Item FROM Key THEN
* Do whatever processing is necessary on Item
END
REPEAT

142

FLUSH
Writes all the buffers for a sequential I/O file immediately. Normally, sequential I/O uses buffering for
input/output operations, and writes are not immediately flushed.

COMMAND SYNTAX
FLUSH file.variable {THEN statements [ELSE statements] | ELSE statements}
file.variable specifies a file previously opened for sequential processing. If file.variable evaluates to
null, the FLUSH statement fails and the program enters the debugger. After the buffer is written to the
file, it executes the THEN statements, ignoring the ELSE statements.
If none of the above can be completed, it executes the ELSE statements.

EXAMPLE
OPENSEQ 'DIRFILE', 'RECORD' TO FILE THEN
PRINT "'DIRFILE' OPENED FOR SEQUENTIAL PROCESSING"
END ELSE STOP
WEOFSEQ FILE
*
WRITESEQ 'NEW LINE' ON FILE THEN
FLUSH FILE THEN
PRINT "BUFFER FLUSHED"
END ELSE PRINT "NOT FLUSHED"
ELSE ABORT
*
CLOSESEQ FILE
END

143

FMT
Join lines on U in mask code definition.
Expand on syntax to formatting superset. i.e. we now allow [Width] [Background] [Justification]

INTERNATIONAL MODE
When using the FMT function in International Mode the “Width” fields refer to character display
widths, such that a character may take up more than a single display position. This is typical of the
Japanese, Chinese, and characters whereby the character display requires possibly two display
positions.
Additional date formatting codes have been provided for use in Internationalized programs.
See also: OCONV / FMTS as per FMT
GE - Operator similar to EQ. compares two expressions for greater than or equal
GT - Greater than
GTS - Add as per GES, except just greater than for dynamic array comparison.

INTERNATIONAL MODE
When using the “GE/GT/GES/GTS” function in International Mode, the “operator/function” will use
the currently configured locale to determine the rules by which each string is considered greater or
equal to the other.

Mask Code

Description

j

Justification
R

Right Justified

L

Left Justified

U

Left Justified, Break on space. Note: This justification will format the
output into blocks of data in the variable and it is up to the programmer
to actually separate the blocks.

D
n

Date (OCONV)

Decimal Precision: A number from 0 to 9 that defines the decimal precision. It
specifies the number of digits for output following the decimal point. The
processor inserts trailing zeros if necessary. If n is omitted or is 0, a decimal
point will not be output.

m

Scaling Factor: A number that defines the scaling factor. The source value is
descaled (divided) by that power of 10. For example, if m=1, the value is
divided by 10; if m=2, the value is divided by 100, and so on. If m is omitted, it
is assumed equal to n (the decimal precision).

Z

Suppress leading zeros. NOTE: fractional values, which have no integer, will

144

Mask Code

Description
have a zero before the decimal point. If the value is zero, a null will be output.

,

The thousands separator symbol. It specifies insertion of thousands separators
every three digits to the left of the decimal point. You can change the display
separator symbol by invoking the SET-THOU command. Use the SET-DEC
command to specify the decimal separator.

c

Credit Indicator. NOTE: If a value is negative and you have not specified one of
these indicators, the value will be displayed with a leading minus sign. If you
specify a credit indicator, the data will be output with either the credit characters
or an equivalent number of spaces, depending on its value.
C

Prints the literal CR after negative values.

D

Prints the literal DB after positive values.

E

Encloses negative values in angle brackets < >

M

Prints a minus sign after negative values.

N

Suppresses embedded minus sign.

$

Appends a Dollar sign to value.

Fill Character and

#n

Length

Spaces. Repeat space n times. Output value is overlaid on the spaces
created.

*n

Asterisk. Repeat asterisk n times. Output value is overlaid on the
asterisks created.

%n

Zero. Repeat zeros n times. Output value is overlaid on the zeros created.

&x

Format. x can be any of the above format codes, a currency symbol, a
space, or literal text. The first character following & is used as the
default fill character to replace #n fields without data. Format strings are
enclosed in parentheses "( )".

EXAMPLES
Format

Source

Returned Value

Expression

Value (X)

(columns) (V)
12345678901234567890
12345678901234567890
12345678901234567890

V = FORMAT(X, "R2#10")

1234.56

1234.56

V = FORMAT(X, "L2%10")

1234.56

1234.56000

V = FORMAT(X, "R2%10")

1234.56

0001234.56

V = FORMAT(X, "L2*10")

1234.56

12.34*****

V = FORMAT(X, "R2*10")

1234.56

*****12.34

V = FORMAT(X, "R2,$#15")

123456.78

$123,456.78

V = FORMAT(X, "R2,&$#15")

123456.78

$$$$$123,456.78

145

V = FORMAT(X, "R2,& $#15")

123456.78

$

123,456.78

V = FORMAT(X, "R2,C&*$#15")

-123456.78

$***123,456.78CR

V = FORMAT(X, "R((###) ###-###)")

1234567890

(123) 456-7890

V = FORMAT(X, "R((#3) #2-#4)")

1234567890

(123) 456-7890

V = FORMAT(X, "L& Text #2-#3")

12345

Text 12-345

V = FORMAT(X, "L& ((Text#2) #3)")

12345

(Text12) 345

V = FORMAT(X, "T#20")

This is a test of the

This is a test of the

American Broadcasting American

V = FORMAT(X, "D4/")

System

Broadcasting System

12260

07/25/2001

146

FMTS
Use the FMTS function to format elements of dynamic.array for output. Each element of the array is
independently acted upon and returned as an element in a new dynamic array.

COMMAND SYNTAX
FMTS (dynamic.array, format)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
format is an expression that evaluates to a string of formatting codes. The Syntax of the format
expression is:
[width] [background] justification [edit] [mask]
The format expression specifies the width of the output field, the placement of background or fill
characters, line justification, editing specifications, and format masking. For complete syntax details,
See also: FMT function.
If dynamic.array evaluates to null, it returns null. If format evaluates to null, the FMTS function fails
and the program enters the debugger.
GE OPERATOR SIMILAR TO eq. compares two expressions for greater than or equal
GT As Above, except Greater than
GTS Add as per GES, except just greater than for dynamic array expression
FMUL/FDIV/FADD/FSUB

147

FOLD
The FOLD function re-delimits a string by replacing spaces with attribute marks at positions defined by
a length parameter.

COMMAND SYNTAX
FOLD(expression1, expression2)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression1 evaluates a string to be re-delimited.
expression2 evaluates to a positive integer that represents the maximum number of characters between
delimiters in the resultant string.

NOTES
The FOLD function creates a number of sub-strings such that the length of each sub-string does not
exceed the length value in expression2. It converts spaces to attribute marks except when enclosed in
sub-strings and removes extraneous spaces.

EXAMPLES
The following examples show how the FOLD function delimits text based on the length parameter. The
underscores represent attribute marks.
q = "Smoking is one of the leading causes of statistics"
CRT FOLD(q, 7)
Smoking_is one_of the_leading_causes_of_statist_ics
q = "Hello world"
CRT FOLD(q, 5)
Hello_world
q = "Let this be a reminder to you all that this organization will
not
tolerate failure."
CRT FOLD(q, 30)
let this be a reminder to you_all that this organization_will not
tolerate failure.
q = "the end"

148

CRT FOLD(q, 0)
t_h_e_e_n_d

149

FOOTING
The FOOTING statement halts all subsequent output to the terminal at the end of each output page.
The statement allows the evaluation and display of an expression at the foot of each page. Output,
which is current, and being sent to the terminal, the output is paused until the entry of a carriage return
at the terminal (unless the N option is specified either in the current HEADING or in this FOOTING).

COMMAND SYNTAX
FOOTING expression

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The expression should evaluate to a string, which is printed at the bottom of every page of output. The
string could contain a number of interpreted special characters, replaced in the string before printing.
The following characters have special meaning within the string:
"C{n}"

center the line, if n is specified the output line is assumed to be n characters long

"D" or \\

replace with the current date

"L" or ]

replace with the newline sequence

"N"

terminal output does not pause at the end of each page

"P" or ^

replace with the current page number

"PP" or ^^

replace with the current page number in a field of 4 characters; the field is right
justified

"T" or \

replace with the current time and date

"

replace with a single " character

NOTES
If the output is to the printer a PRINTER ON statement is in force; output sent to the terminal with the
CRT statement is not paged; if output is to the terminal then all output is paged.

EXAMPLE
FOOTING "Programming staff by weight Page "P"

150

FOR
The FOR statement allows the construction of looping constructs within the program, which is
controlled by a counting variable; this can be terminated early by expressions tested after every
iteration.

COMMAND SYNTAX
FOR var=expression1 TO expression2 {STEP expression3} {WHILE | UNTIL expression4}...NEXT
{var}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
var is the counting variable used to control the loop. The first time the loop is entered var is assigned
the value of expression1, which must evaluate to a numeric value. After each iteration of the loop, var
is automatically incremented by one.
expression2 must also evaluate to a numeric value as it causes the loop to terminate when the value of
var is greater than the value of this expression. expression2 is evaluated at the start of every iteration of
the loop and compared with the value of expression1.
If the STEP expression3 clause is included within the statement, var will automatically be incremented
by the value of expression3 after each iteration of the loop. expression3 is evaluated at the start of each
iteration.
expression3 may be negative, in which case the loop will terminate when var is less than expression2.
The statement may optionally include either an evaluated WHILE or UNTIL clause (not both), before
each iteration of the loop. When the WHILE clause is specified the loop will only continue with the
next iteration if expression4 evaluates to Boolean TRUE. When the UNTIL clause is specified the loop
will only continue with the next iteration if expression4 evaluates to Boolean FALSE.

NOTES
Because expression2 and expression3 must be evaluated upon each iteration of the loop, you should
only code complex expressions here if they may change within each iteration. If the values they yield
will not change then you should assign the value of these expressions to a variable before coding the
loop statement. You can replace expressions 3 and 4 with these variables. This can offer large
performance increases where complex expressions are in use.
See also: BREAK, CONTINUE.

EXAMPLES
Max =DCOUNT(BigVar, CHAR (254))
FOR I = 1 TO Max STEP 2 WHILE BigVar LT 2
5
BigVar += 1

151

NEXT I
This example will increment every second field of the variable BigVar but the loop will terminate early
if the current field to be incremented is not numerically less than 25.

152

FSUB
The FSUB function performs floating-point subtraction on two numeric values.

COMMAND SYNTAX
FSUB(expression1, expression2)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Both expression1 and expression 2 must evaluate to non-null numeric values.

NOTES
If either of the arguments evaluates to null then a run time "non-numeric" error will occur.

EXAMPLES
PRECISION 7
CRT FSUB(2.54,5.703358)
displays -3.163358

153

FUNCTION
Identifies a user-defined function, which can be invoked by other jBASE BASIC programs, arguments
to the function can optionally be declared.

COMMAND SYNTAX
FUNCTION name {({MAT} variable, {MAT} variable...) }

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Name is the name by which the function is invoked.
Variable is an expression used to pass values between the calling program and the function.

NOTES
Use the FUNCTION statement to identify user-written source code functions. Each function must be
coded in separate records and the record Id must match that of the Function Name, which in turn
should match the reference in the calling program.
The optional comma separated variable list can be a number of expressions that pass values between
the calling programs and the function. To pass an array the variable name must be preceded by the
MAT keyword. When a user-written function is called, the calling program must specify the same
number of variables that are specified in the FUNCTION statement.
An extra 'hidden' variable is used to return a value from the user-written function. The value to be
returned can be specified within the Function by the RETURN (value) statement. If using the
RETURN statement without a value then by default it returns an empty string.
The calling program must specify a DEFFUN or DEFB statement to describe the function to be called
and the function source must be cataloged and locatable similar to subroutines.

EXAMPLE
FUNCTION MyFunction(A, B)

Result = A * B
RETURN (Result)

154

GES
Use the GES function to test if elements of one dynamic array are greater than or equal to
corresponding elements of another dynamic array.

COMMAND SYNTAX
GES (array1, array2)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Compares each element of array1 with the corresponding element of array2, if the element from array1
is greater than or equal to the element from array2, it returns a one in the corresponding element of a
new dynamic array. If the element from array1 is less than the element from array2, it returns a zero
(0). If an element of one dynamic array has no corresponding element in the other dynamic array, it
evaluates the undefined element as empty, and the comparison continues.
If either element of a corresponding pair is null, it returns null for that element.

155

GET
The GET statement reads a block of data directly from a device.

COMMAND SYNTAX
GET Var {,length} {SETTING Count} FROM Device {UNTIL TermChars} {RETURNING
TermChar} {WAITING Timeout} THEN | ELSE statements

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Var is the variable in which to place the input (from the previously open Device).
If length is specified, it limits the number of characters read from the input device.
If the optional Count option is used, it returns the number of characters actually read from the device.
Device is the file variable associated with the result from a successful OPENSEQ or OPENSER
command.
TermChars specifies one or more characters that will terminate input.
TermChar The actual character that terminated input
Timeout is the number of seconds to wait for input. If no input is present when the timeout period
expires, the ELSE clause (if specified) is executed.

NOTES
The GET statement does no pre-or post-processing of the input data stream - nor does it handle any
terminal echo characteristics. If this is desired, the application - or device drive - will handle it.
If there are no specified length and timeout expressions, the default input length is one (1) character. If
no length is specified, but TermChars are, there is no limit to the number of characters input.
The GET syntax requires a specified THEN or ELSE clause, or both. The THEN clause executes when
the data received is error free; the ELSE clause executes when the data is unreceiveable (or a timeout
occurs).
See: GETX

156

GETCWD
The GETCWD function allows a jBASE BASIC program to determine the current working directory of
the program, which is normally be the directory in which execution of the program occurred but
possibly changed using the CHDIR function.

COMMAND SYNTAX
GETCWD(Var)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
When executed the Var will be set to the name of the current working directory; the function itself
returns a Boolean TRUE or FALSE value to indicate whether the command was successful or not.

NOTES
Refer to your UNIX or Windows documentation for more information on the concept of the current
working directory.

EXAMPLES
IF GETCWD(Cwd) THEN
CRT "Current Working Directory = ":Cwd
END ELSE
CRT "Could not determine CWD!"
END

157

GETENV
All processes have an environment associated with them that contains a number of variables indicating
the state of various parameters. The GETENV function allows a jBASE BASIC program to determine
the value of any of the environment variables associated with it.

COMMAND SYNTAX
GETENV(expression, variable)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The expression should evaluate to the name of the environment variable whose value is to be returned.
The function will then assign the value of the environment variable to variable. The function itself
returns a Boolean TRUE or FALSE value indicating the success or failure of the function.
.
See: PUTENV

EXAMPLE
IF GETENV("PATH", ExecPath) THEN
CRT "Execution path is ":ExecPath
END ELSE

CRT "Execution path is not set up"
END

158

GETLIST
GETLIST allows the program to retrieve a previously stored list (perhaps created with the SAVE-LIST
command), into a jBASE BASIC variable.

COMMAND SYNTAX
GETLIST expression TO variable1 {SETTING variable2} THEN|ELSE statements

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
variable1 is the variable into which the list will be read. expression should evaluate to the name of a
previously stored list to retrieve, or null. If expression evaluates to null, the current default external
select list (generated by a previous SELECT command for example) will be retrieved. If specified,
variable2 will be set to the number of elements in the list.
If the statement succeeds in retrieving the list, then the statements associated with any THEN clause
will be executed. If the statement fails to find the list, then the statements associated with any ELSE
clause will be executed.

NOTES
The GETLIST statement is identical in function to the READLIST statement.
See also: DELETELIST, WRITELIST

EXAMPLES
Find the list first
GETLIST "MyList" TO MyList ELSE STOP
LOOP
* Loop until there are no more elements
WHILE READNEXT Key FROM MyList DO
......
REPEAT

159

GETUSERGROUP
For UNIX, the jBASE BASIC GETUSERGROUP function returns the group number for the user ID
specified by @uid. For Windows NT or Windows 2000, it returns zero.

COMMAND SYNTAX
GETUSERGROUP(uid)

EXAMPLES
In the following example, the program statement assigns the user group to variable X:
X = GETUSERGROUP(@UID)
In the next example, the program statement assigns the user group for 1023 to variable X:
X = GETUSERGROUP(1023)

160

GETX
The GETX statement reads a block of data (in ASCII hexadecimal format) directly from a device.

COMMAND SYNTAX
GETX Var {,length} {SETTING Count} FROM Device {UNTIL TermChars} {RETURNING
TermChar} {WAITING Timeout} THEN | ELSE statements

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Var is the variable in which to place the input (from the previously open Device).
If specifying a length it limits the number of characters read from the input device.
If the optional Count option is used, it returns the number of characters actually read from the device.
Device is the file variable associated with the result from a successful OPENSEQ or OPENSER
command.
TermChars specifies one or more characters that will terminate input.
TermChar The actual character that terminated input
Timeout is the number of seconds to wait for input. If no input is present when the timeout period
expires, the ELSE clause (if specified) is executed.

NOTES
The GETX statement does no pre-or post-processing of the input data stream nor does it handle any
terminal echo characteristics. It is assumed that if this is desired the application - or device drive - will
handle it.
If there are no specified length and timeout expressions, the default input length is one (1) character. If
there is no length specified, but TermChars are, there is no limit to the number of characters input.
The GETX syntax requires a specified THEN or ELSE clause, or both. The THEN clause executes
when the data received is error free; the ELSE clause executes when the data is unreceiveable (or a
timeout occurs).
GETX will convert all input into ASCII hexadecimal format after input.
See also: GET

161

GOSUB
The GOSUB statement causes execution of a local subroutine, after which execution will continue with
the next line of code.

COMMAND SYNTAX
GOSUB label

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The label should refer to an existent label within the current source code, which identifies the start of a
local subroutine.

EXAMPLES
GOSUB Initialize ;* open files etc..
GOSUB Main ;* perform main program
GOSUB Finish ;* close files etc..
STOP
...
Initialize: * open files

OPEN......
.
RETURN
....
Main: * main execution loop
......
RETURN
Finish: * clean up after execution
......
RETURN

162

GOTO
The GOTO statement causes program execution to jump to the code at a specified label.

COMMAND SYNTAX
GO{TO} Label

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The label should refer to an existing label within the current source code.

NOTES
Warning: using the GOTO command obscures the readability of the code and is a hindrance to
maintainability. All programs written using the GOTO construct can be written using structured
statements such as LOOP and FOR. There are various opinions on this issue but the consensus is, avoid
GOTO.
One possibly acceptable use of the GOTO statement is to transfer execution to an error handler upon
detection of a fatal error that will cause the program to terminate.

EXAMPLE
GOTO Exception;* jump to the exception handler
.....
Exception:* exception handler
....STOP

163

GROUP
The GROUP function is equivalent to the FIELD function.

COMMAND SYNTAX
GROUP(Expression1, Expression2, Expression3, Expression4)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Expression1 evaluates to the string containing fields to be extracted.
Expression2 evaluates to the character(s) delimiting each field within Expression1.
Expression3 should evaluate to a numeric value specifying the number of the first field to extract from
Expression1.
Expression4 evaluates to a numeric value specifying the number of fields to extract as a group.

NOTES
Expression2 may evaluate to more than a single character allowing fields to be delimited with complex
expressions.

EXAMPLES
A = "123:-456:-789:-987:-"
CRT GROUP(A, ":-", 2, 2)
This example displays:
456:-789
on the terminal being the second and third fields and their delimiter within variable A

164

HEADING
Heading halts all subsequent output to the terminal at the end of each page. The statement evaluates
and displays an expression at the top of each page. Current output sent to the terminal, is paused until
entry of a carriage return at the terminal - unless the N option is specified.

COMMAND SYNTAX
HEADING expression

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The expression should evaluate to a string printed at the top of every page of output. The string may
contain a number of interpreted special characters, replaced in the string before printing. The following
characters have special meaning within the string:
"C{n}"

Center the line. If n is specified the output line is assumed n characters long.

"D" or \\

Replace with the current date.

"L" or ]

Replace with the newline sequence.

"N"

Terminal output does not pause at the end of each page.

"P" or ^

Replace with the current page number.

"PP" or ^^

Replace with the current page number in a field of 4 characters. The field is
right justified.

"T" or \

Replace with the current time and date.

"

Replace with a single " character.

NOTES
If output is to the printer, a PRINTER ON statement is in use, and does not page output sent to the
terminal with the CRT statement. Unless you specify the “N” option, all output sent to the terminal is
paged.

EXAMPLES
HEADING "Programming staff by size of waist Page "P"

165

HEADINGE and HEADINGN
The HEADINGE statement is the same as the HEADING statement, which causes a page eject with the
HEADING statement.
The HEADINGN statement is the same as the HEADING statement, and suppresses the page eject.

166

HUSH
Use the HUSH statement to suppress the display of all output normally sent to a terminal during
processing. HUSH also suppresses output to a COMO file.
HUSH acts as a toggle. If it is used without a qualifier, it changes the current state. Do not use this
statement to shut off output display unless you are sure the display is unnecessary. When you use
HUSH ON, all output is suppressed including error messages and requests for information.

COMMAND SYNTAX
HUSH { ON | OFF | expression }

EXAMPLE
HUSH ON

167

ICONV
The ICONV function converts data in external form such as dates to their internal form.

COMMAND SYNTAX
ICONV(expression1, expression2)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression1 evaluates to the data upon which the conversion is to be performed.
expression2 should evaluate to the conversion code that is to be performed against the data.
Add additional ICONV extensions for timestamp as per WDx/WTx

NOTES
If the conversion code used assumes a numeric value and a non-numeric value is passed then the
original value in expression1 is returned unless the emulation option iconv_nonnumeric_return_null is
set.

EXAMPLES
InternalDate = ICONV("27 MAY 1997", "D")
In this example, ICONV returns the internal form of the date May 27, 1997.

168

ICONVS
Use ICONVS to convert each element of dynamic.array to a specified internal storage format.

COMMAND SYNTAX
ICONVS (dynamic.array, conversion)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
conversion is an expression that evaluates to one or more valid conversion codes, separated by value
marks (ASCII 253).
Each element of dynamic.array is converted to the internal format specified by conversion and is
returned in a dynamic array. If multiple codes are used, they are applied from left to right. The first
conversion code converts the value of each element of dynamic.array. The second conversion code
converts the value of each element of the output of the first conversion, and so on. If dynamic.array
evaluates to null, it returns null. If an element of dynamic.array is null, null it returns null for that
element. If conversion evaluates to null, the ICONV function fails and the program terminates with a
run-time error message.
The STATUS function reflects the result of the conversion:
For information about converting elements in a dynamic array to an external format
See also: OCONVS function.
0

The conversion is successful.

1

An element of dynamic.array is invalid. It returns an empty string, unless
dynamic.array is null, in which case it returns null.

2

Conversion is invalid.

3

Successful conversion of possibly invalid data.

169

IF (statement)
Allows other statements to be conditionally executed

COMMAND SYNTAX
IF expression THEN|ELSE statements

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
It evaluates the expression to a value of Boolean TRUE or FALSE. If the expression is TRUE executes
then the statements defined by the THEN clause (if present). If the expression is FALSE executes the
statements defined by the ELSE clause.
The THEN and ELSE clauses may take two different forms being single and multiple line statements.
The simplest form of either clause is of the form:
IF A THEN CRT A
or
IF A ELSE CRT A
However, expand the clauses to enclose multiple lines of code using the END keyword as so:
IF A THEN
A = A*6
CRT A
END ELSE
A = 76
CRT A
END
You can combine the single and multi-line versions of either clause to make complex combinations of
the command. For reasons of readability it is suggested that where both clauses are present for an IF
statement that the same form of each clause is coded.

NOTES
IF statements can be nested within either clause to any number of levels

EXAMPLE
CRT "Are you sure (Y/N) ":
INPUT Answer,1_

170

IF OCONV (Answer, "MCU")= "Y" THEN
GOSUB DeleteFiles
CRT "Files have been deleted"
END ELSE
CRT "File delete was ignored"
END

171

IFS
Use the IFS function to return a dynamic array whose elements are chosen individually from one of
two dynamic arrays based on the contents of a third dynamic array.

COMMAND SYNTAX
IFS (dynamic.array, true.array, false.array)
IFS evaluate each element of the dynamic.array. If the element evaluates to true, it returns the
corresponding element from true.array to the same element of a new dynamic array. If the element
evaluates to false, it returns the corresponding element from false.array. If there is no corresponding
element in the correct response array, it returns an empty string for that element. If an element is null,
that element evaluates to false.

172

IN
The IN statement allows the program to receive raw data from the input device, which is normally the
terminal keyboard, one character at a time.

COMMAND SYNTAX
IN Var {FOR expression THEN|ELSE statements}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Var will be assigned the numeric value (0 - 255 decimal) of the next character received from the input
device. The statement will normally wait indefinitely (block) for a character from the keyboard.
Specifying the FOR clause to the IN statement allows the statement to stop waiting for keyboard after a
specified amount of time. The expression should evaluate to a numeric value, which will be taken as
the number of deci-seconds (tenths of a second) to wait before abandoning the input.
The FOR clause must have either or both of the THEN or ELSE clauses If a character is received from
the input device before the time-out period then Var is assigned its numeric value and the THEN clause
is executed (if present). If the input statement times out before a character is received then Var is
unaltered and the ELSE clause is executed (if present).

NOTES
See also: INPUT, INPUTNULL.

EXAMPLES
Char2 = "
IN Char
IF Char = 27 THEN ;* ESC seen
IN Char2 FOR 20 THEN ;* Function Key?
Char2 = CHAR(Char2) ;* ASCII value

END
END
Char = CHAR(Char):Char2 ;* Return key sequence

173

INDEX
The INDEX function will return the position of a character or characters within another string.

COMMAND SYNTAX
INDEX(expression1, expression2, expression3)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression1 evaluates to the string to be searched.
expression2 evaluates to the string or character that will be searched for within expression1.
expression3 should evaluate to a numeric value and specify which occurrence of expression2 should
be searched for within expression1.

NOTES
If the specified occurrence of expression2 is not found in expression1 then it returns Zero (0).

EXAMPLE
ABet = "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabc"
CRT INDEX(ABet, "a", 1)
CRT INDEX(ABet, "a", 2
)
CRT INDEX(ABet, "jkl", 1)

The above code will display:
1
27
10

174

INMAT
The INMAT() function returns the number of dimensioned array elements.

COMMAND SYNTAX
INMAT( {array} )

DESCRIPTION
Using the INMAT() function, without the 'array' argument, returns the number of dimensioned array
elements from the most recent MATREAD, MATREADU, MATREADL or MATPARSE statement. If
the number of array elements exceeds the number of elements specified in the corresponding DIM
statement, the INMAT() function will return zero.
Using the INMAT(), function with the 'array' argument, returns the current number of elements to the
dimensioned 'array'.

NOTES
In some dialects the INMAT() function is also used to return the modulo of a file after the execution of
an OPEN statement, which is inconsistent with its primary purpose and not implemented in jBASE. To
achieve this functionality use the IOCTL() function with the JIOCTL_COMMAND_FILESTATUS
command.

EXAMPLE
OPEN "CUSTOMERS" TO CUSTOMERS ELSE STOP 201, "CUSTOMERS"
DIM CUSTREC(99)
ELEMENTS = INMAT(CUSTREC) ; * Returns the value "99" to the variable
ELEMENTS
ID = "149"
MATREAD CUSTREC FROM CUSTOMERS, ID THEN
CUSTREC.ELEMENTS = INMAT() ; * Returns the number of elements in
the CUSTRECarray to the variable CUSTREC.ELEMENTS
END

175

INPUT
The INPUT statement allows the program to collect data from the current input device, which will
normally be the terminal keyboard but may be stacked input from the same or separate program.

COMMAND SYNTAX
INPUT {@ (expression1 {, expression2 )}{:} Var{{, expression3}, expression4} {:}{_} {WITH
expression5} {FOR expression6 THEN|ELSE statements}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
@(expression1, expression2) allows the screen cursor to be positioned to the specified column and
row before the input prompt is sent to the screen. The syntax for this is the same as the @( ) function
described earlier.
Var is the variable in which the input data is to be stored.
expression3, when specified, should evaluate to a numeric value. This will cause input to be
terminated with an automatic newline sequence after exactly this number of characters has been input.
If the _ option is specified with expression4 then the automatic newline sequence is not specified but
any subsequent input characters are belled to the terminal and thrown away.
expression4 when specified, should evaluate to a sequence of 1 to 3 characters. The first character will
be printed expression3 times to define the field on the terminal screen. At the end of the input if less
than expression3 characters were input then the rest of the field is padded with the second character if it
was supplied. If the third character is supplied then the cursor will be positioned after the last character
input rather than at the end of the input field.
The : option, when specified, suppress the echoing of the newline sequence to the terminal. This will
leave the cursor positioned after the last input character on the terminal screen.
WITH expression5 allows the default input delimiter (the newline sequence) to be changed. When
specified, expression5, should evaluate to a string of up to 256 characters, each of which may delimit
the input field. If this clause is used then the newline sequence is removed as a delimiter and must be
specified explicitly within expression5 as CHAR(10).
The "FOR" clause allows the "INPUT" statement to time out after a specified waiting period instead of
blocking as normal Expression6 should evaluate to a numeric value, which will be taken as the number
of deci-seconds (tenths of a second) to wait before timing out. The time-out value is used as the time
between each keystroke and should a time-out occur, Var would hold the characters that were input
until the time-out.
The FOR clause requires either the THEN and ELSE clauses or both; if no time-out occurs the THEN
clause is taken. If a time-out does occur, the ELSE clause is taken.

NOTES
The INPUT statement will always examine the data input stack before requesting data from the input
device. If data is present on the stack then it is used to satisfy INPUT statements one field at a time

176

until the stack is exhausted. Once exhausted, the INPUT statement will revert to the input device for
further input. There is no way (by default) to input a null field to the INPUT@ statement. If the
INPUT@ statement receives the newline sequence only as input, then the Var will be unchanged. Use
the INPUTNULL statement to define a character that indicates a NULL input.
Use the CONTROL-CHARS command to control whether or not control characters (i.e. those outside
the range x'1F' - x'7F') are accepted by INPUT.
See also: IN, INPUTNULL.

EXAMPLES
Answer = "
LOOP
WHILE Answer = " DO
INPUT Answer,1 FOR 10 ELSE
GOSUB UpdateClock
END
REPEAT
The above example attempts to read a single character from the input device for 10 deci-seconds (1
second). The LOOP will exit when a character has been input otherwise every second it will call the
local subroutine UpdateClock.

177

INPUTCLEAR
The INPUTCLEAR statement clears the type-ahead buffer.

COMMAND SYNTAX
INPUTCLEAR

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
None

NOTES
INPUTCLEAR only clears the type-ahead buffer. It does not clear data stacked with the DATA
statement.
The INPUTCLEAR statement is synonymous with CLEARINPUT.

EXAMPLE
CRT "Start year end processing (Yes/No) :"
INPUTCLEAR
INPUT ans
IF ans # "Yes" THEN
CRT "year end processing not started"
END

178

INPUTNULL
The INPUTNULL statement allows the definition of a character that will allow a null input to be seen
by the INPUT@ statement.

COMMAND SYNTAX
INPUTNULL expression

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The expression should evaluate to a single character. Subsequently, any INPUT@ statement that sees
only this character input before the new-line sequence will NULL the variable in which input is being
stored.
If expression evaluates to the NULL string " then the default character of _ is used to define a NULL
input sequence.

NOTES
The INPUT statement does not default to accepting the _ character as a NULL input, the programmer
must explicitly allow this with the statement: INPUTNULL "

EXAMPLES
INPUTNULL "&"
INPUT @ (10,10):Answer,1
IF Answer = " THEN
CRT "A NULL input was received"
END

179

INS
The INS statement allows the insertion of elements into a dynamic array.

COMMAND SYNTAX
INS expression BEFORE Var

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression evaluates to the element to be inserted in the dynamic array.
expression1 expression2 and expression3 should all evaluate to numeric values and specify the Field,
Value and Sub-Value before which the new element is to be inserted.

NOTES
Specifying a negative value to any of the expressions 1 through 3 will cause the element to append as
the last Field, Value or Sub-Value rather than at a specific position. Only one expression may be
negative otherwise only the first negative value is used correctly while the others are treated as the
value 1.
The statement will insert NULL Fields, Values or Sub-Values accordingly if any of the specified
insertion points exceeds the number currently existing.

EXAMPLE
Values = "
FOR I = 1 TO 50
INS I BEFORE Values<-1>
NEXT I
FOR I = 2 TO 12
INS I*7 BEFORE Values<7,i>
NEXT I

180

INSERT
INSERT is the function form of the INS statement, with preference given to the use of INS.

COMMAND SYNTAX
INSERT(expression1, expression2{, expression3 {, expression4 }}; expression5)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression1 evaluates to a dynamic array in which to insert a new element and will normally be a
variable.
expression2 expression3 and expression4 should evaluate to numeric values and specify the Field,
Value and Sub-Value before which the new element will be inserted.
expression5 evaluates to the new element to be inserted in expression1.

EXAMPLES
A = INSERT(B, 1,4; "Field1Value4")

181

INT
The INT function truncates a numeric value into its nearest integer form.

COMMAND SYNTAX
INT( expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression should evaluate to a numeric value. The function will then return the integer portion of the
value.

NOTES
The function works by truncating the fractional part of the numeric value rather than by standard
mathematical rounding techniques. Therefore, INT(9.001) and INT(9.999) will both return the value 9.

EXAMPLES
CRT INT(22/7)
Displays the value 3

182

IOCTL
The jBASE BASIC language provides an intrinsic function called IOCTL that behaves in a similar
manner to the C function ioctl(). Its purpose is to allow commands to be sent to the database driver for
a particular file, and then to receive a reply from the database driver.
As with the C function ioctl, the use of IOCTL is highly dependent upon the database driver it is
talking to. Each database driver may choose to provide certain common functionality, or may add its
own commands and so on. This is especially true of user-written database drivers.
First, an example of a source program that opens a file and finds the type of file:
INCLUDE JBC.h
OPEN "MD" TO DSCB ELSE STOP 201,"MD"
status=""
IF IOCTL(DSCB,JIOCTL_COMMAND_FILESTATUS,status) THEN
PRINT "Type of file = ":DQUOTE(status<1>)
END ELSE
PRINT "IOCTL FAILED !! unknown file type"
END
If the ELSE clause is taken, it does not necessarily mean there is an error, it only means that the
database driver for file "MD" does not support the command that was requested from it. The file JBC.h
is supplied with jBASE in the directory JBCRELEASEDIR sub directory include. If the source is
compiled with the jbc or BASIC command, this directory is automatically included in the search path
and no special action is needed by the programmer for the "INCLUDE JBC.h" statement.
The format of the IOCTL function is:
IOCTL( Filevar, Command, Parameter)
Where:
filevar Is a variable that has had a file opened against it using the OPEN statement. However, if you
want to use the default file variable, use -1 in this position. For example:
OPEN "MD" ELSE STOP
filevar = -1
IF IOCTL(filevar,JIOCTL_COMMAND_xxx,status) ...
command can be any numeric value (or variable containing a numeric). However, it is up to the
database driver to support that particular command number. The remainder of this chapter describes the
common IOCTL command numbers supported by the jBASE database drivers provided.

183

Status Pass here a jBASE BASIC variable. The use of this variable depends upon the command
parameter, and will be described later for each command supported.
The return value is 0 for failure, or 1 for success. A value of -1 generally shows the command has not
been recognized.
The remainder of this section will deal with the IOCTL commands that are supported by the provided
jBASE database drivers, and the JBC_COMMAND_GETFILENAME command that is supported for
all database drivers.

JBC_COMMAND_GETFILENAME COMMAND
Using this command to the IOCTL function, you can determine the exact file name that was used to
open the file. This is helpful because jEDI uses Q pointers, F pointers and the JEDIFILEPATH
environment variable to actually open the file, and the application can never be totally sure where the
resultant file was really opened. Normally of course, this is of no concern to the application.

EXAMPLE
Open the file CUSTOMERS and find out the exact path that was used to open the file.
INCLUDE JBC.h
OPEN "CUSTOMERS" TO DSCB ELSE STOP 201,"CUSTOMERS"
filename = ""
IF IOCTL(DSCB,JBC_COMMAND_GETFILENAME,filename) ELSE
CRT "IOCTL failed !!" ; EXIT(2)
END
PRINT "Full file path = ":DQUOTE(filename)
This command is executed by the jBASE BASIC library code rather than the jEDI library code or the
database drivers, so it can be run against a file descriptor for any file type.

JIOCTL_COMMAND_CONVERT COMMAND
Some of the jBASE BASIC database drivers will perform an automatic conversion of the input and
output record when performing reads and writes.
An example of this is when writing to a directory. In this case, the attribute marks will be converted to
new-line characters and a trailing new-line character added. Similarly for reading from a directory the
new-line characters will be replaced with attribute marks, and the trailing new-line character will be
deleted.
The above example is what happens for the database driver for directories. It assumes by default that
the record being read or written is a text file and that the conversion is necessary. It tries to apply some
intelligence to reading files, as text files always have a trailing new-line character. Therefore, if a file is
read without a trailing new-line character, the database driver assumes the file must be a binary file
rather than a text file, and no conversion takes place.

184

This conversion of data works in most cases and usually requires no special intervention from the
programmer.
There are cases however, when this conversion needs to be controlled and interrogated, and the IOCTL
function call with the JIOCTL_COMMAND_CONVERT command provides the jBASE database
drivers that support this conversion with commands to control it.
The call to IOCTL, if successful, will only affect file operations that use the same file descriptor.
Consider the following code:
INCLUDE JBC.h
OPEN "MD" TO FILEVAR1 ELSE ...
OPEN "MD" TO FILEVAR2 ELSE ...
IF IOCTL(FILEVAR1,JIOCTL_COMMAND_CONVERT,"RB")
In the above example, any future file operations using variable FILEVAR1 will be controlled by the
change forced in the IOCTL request. Any file operations using variable FILEVAR2 will not be
affected and will use the default file operation.
Input to the IOCTL is a string of controls delimited by a comma that tell the database driver what to do.
The output from the IOCTL can optionally be a string to show the last conversion that the driver
performed on the file.
The descriptions of the available controls that can be passed as input to this IOCTL function are:

Code

Description

RB

All future reads to be in binary (no conversion)

RT

All future reads to be in text format (always do a conversion)

RI

All future reads to decide themselves whether binary or text

RS

Return to caller the status of the last read ("B" = binary, "T" = text )

WB

All future writes to be in binary (no conversion)

WT

All future writes to be in text format (always do a conversion)

WI

All future writes to decide themselves whether binary or text

WS

Return to caller the status of the last write ("B" = binary, "T" = text )

KB

All future reads/writes have the record key unaltered

KT

All future reads/writes have the record key modified

KI

All future reads/writes to decide if to do a conversion

KS

Return to caller the status of the last record key ("B" = binary, "T" = text )

EXAMPLE 1
The application wants to open a file, and to ensure that all reads and writes to that file are in binary, and
that no translation such as new-lines to attribute marks is performed.

185

INCLUDE JBC.h
OPEN "FILE" TO DSCB ELSE STOP 201,"FILE"
IF IOCTL(DSCB,JIOCTL_COMMAND_CONVERT,"RB,WB") ELSE
CRT "UNABLE TO IOCTL FILE 'FILE'" ; EXIT(2)
END

EXAMPLE 2
Read a record from a file, and find out if the last record read was in text format (were new-lines
converted to attribute marks and the trailing new-line deleted), or in binary format (with no conversion
at all).
INCLUDE JBC.h
OPEN "." TO DSCB ELSE STOP 201,"."
READ rec FROM DSCB,"prog.o" ELSE STOP 202,"prog.o"
status = "RS"
IF IOCTL(DSCB,JIOCTL_COMMAND_CONVERT,status) THEN
IF status EQ "T" THEN CRT "TEXT" ELSE CRT "BINARY"
END ELSE
CRT "The IOCTL failed !!"
END

JIOCTL_COMMAND_FILESTATUS COMMAND
The JIOCTL_COMMAND_FILESTATUS command will return an attribute delimited list of the status
of the file to the caller.

Attribute Description
<1>
<2>
<3>
<4>
<5>
<6>
<7>
<8>

File type, as a string
FileFlags, as decimal number, show LOG, BACKUP and TRANS
BucketQty, as decimal number, number of buckets in the file
BucketSize, as decimal number, size of each bucket in bytes
SecSize, as decimal number, size of secondary data space
Restore Spec, a string showing any restore re-size specification
Locking identifiers, separated by multi-values
FileFlags showing LOG, BACKUP and TRANSACTION permissions

186

<8,1>
<8,2>
<8,3>
<9>

Set to non-zero to suppress logging on this file
Set to non-zero to suppress transaction boundaries on this file
Set to no-zero to suppress backup of the file using jbackup
Hashing algorithm used

EXAMPLE
Open a file and see if the file type is a directory.
INCLUDE JBC.h
OPEN ".." TO DSCB ELSE STOP 201,".."
status = ""
IF IOCTL(DSCB,JIOCTL_COMMAND_FILESTATUS,status) ELSE
CRT "IOCTL failed !!" ; EXIT(2)
END
IF status<1> EQ "UD" THEN
PRINT "File is a directory"
END ELSE
PRINT "File type is ":DQUOTE(status<1>)
PRINT "This is not expected for .."
END

EXAMPLE 2
Open a file ready to perform file operations in a transaction against it. Make sure the file has not been
removed as a transaction type file by a previous invocation of the command "jchmod
-T CUSTOMERS".
INCLUDE JBC.h
OPEN "CUSTOMERS" TO DSCB ELSE STOP 201,"CUSTOMERS"
IF IOCTL(DSCB,JIOCTL_COMMAND_FILESTATUS,status) ELSE
CRT "IOCTL failed !!" ; EXIT(2)
END
IF status<8,2> THEN
CRT "Error ! File CUSTOMERS is not"
CRT "part of transaction boundaries !!"
CRT "Use "jchmod +T CUSTOMERS" !!"
EXIT(2)
END
JIOCTL_COMMAND_FINDRECORD COMMAND

187

This command will find out if a record exists on a file without the need to actually read in the record.
This can provide large performance gains in certain circumstances.

EXAMPLE
Before writing out a control record, make sure it doesn't already exist. As the control record is quite
large, it will provide performance gains to simply test if the output record already exists, rather than
reading it in using the READ statement to see if it exists.
INCLUDE JBC.h
OPEN "outputfile" TO DSCB ELSE STOP 201,"outputfile"
... Make up the output record to write out in "output"
key = "output.out"
rc = IOCTL(DSCB,JIOCTL_COMMAND_FINDRECORD,key)
BEGIN CASE
CASE rc EQ 0
WRITE output ON DSCB,key
CRT "Data written to key " : key
CASE rc GT 0
CRT "No further action, record already exists"
CASE 1
CRT "IOCTL not supported for file type"
END CASE

JIOCTL_COMMAND_FINDRECORD_EXTENDED COMMAND
This command to the IOCTL function returns the record size and the time and date the record was last
updated. If the record does not exist, null is returned. The time/date stamp is returned in UTC format.

EXAMPLE
Print the time and data of last update for each record in filename.
INCLUDE JBC.h
OPEN "filename" TO DSCB ELSE STOP 201,"filename"
*
* Select each record in the newly opened file
*
SELECT DSCB
LOOP WHILE READNEXT record.key DO
*
* Get the details on the record and look for errors.
*
record.info = record.key

188

IF IOCTL(DSCB,JIOCTL_COMMAND_FINDRECORD_EXTENDED,record.info) ELSE
CRT "Error! File driver does not support this"
STOP
END
*
* Extract and convert the returned data
*
record.size = record.info<1>
record.utc = record.info<2>
record.time = OCONV(record.utc,"U0ff0")
record.date = OCONV(record.utc,"U0ff1")
*
* Print the information.
*
PRINT "Record key ":record.key:" last updated at ":
PRINT OCONV(record.time,"MTS"):" ":
PRINT OCONV(record.date,"D4")
REPEAT

JIOCTL_COMMAND_HASH_RECORD COMMAND
For jBASE hashed files such as j3 and j4 each record is pseudo-randomly written to one of the buckets
(or groups) of the hashed file. The actual bucket it is written to depends upon two factors:
The actual record key (or item-id)
The number of buckets in the file (or modulo)
This IOCTL command shows which bucket number the record would be found in, given the input
record key. The bucket number is in the range 0 to (b-1) where b is the number of buckets in the file
specified when the file was created (probably using CREATE-FILE).
The command only returns the expected bucket number, as is no indication that the record actually
exists in the file.
Two attributes are returned by this command. The first is the hash value that the record key has hashed
to, and the second attribute is the bucket number.

EXAMPLE
Open a file, and find out what bucket number the record "PIPE&SLIPPER" would be found in.
INCLUDE JBC.h
OPEN "WEDDING-PRESENTS" TO DSCB ELSE STOP
key = "PIPE&SLIPPER"
parm = key
IF IOCTL(DSCB,JIOCTL_COMMAND_HASH_RECORD,parm) THEN

189

PRINT "key ":key:" would be in bucket ":parm<2>
END ELSE
CRT "IOCTL failed, command not supported"
END

JIOCTL_COMMAND_HASH_LOCK COMMAND
The jEDI locking mechanism for records in jEDI provided database drivers is not strictly a 100%
record locking mechanism. Instead, it uses the hashed value of the record key to give a value from 0 to
230-1 to describe the record key. The IOCTL command can be used to determine how a record key
would be converted into a hashed value for use by the locking mechanism.

EXAMPLE
Lock a record in a file and find out what the lock id of the record key is. The example then calls the
jRLA locking demon and the display of locks taken should include the lock taken by this program.
INCLUDE JBC.h
DEFCE getpid()
OPEN "WEDDING-PRESENTS" TO DSCB ELSE STOP
key = "PIPE&SLIPPER"
parm = key
IF IOCTL(DSCB,JIOCTL_COMMAND_HASH_LOCK,parm) ELSE
CRT "IOCTL failed, command not supported"
EXIT(2)
END
PRINT "The lock ID for the key is ":parm
PRINT "Our process id is " : getpid()

190

ISALPHA
The ISALPHA function will check that the expression consists of entirely alphabetic characters.

COMMAND SYNTAX
ISALPHA(expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The expression can return a result of any type. The ISALPHA function will then return TRUE (1) if the
expression consists of entirely alphabetic characters. The function will return FALSE (0) if any
character in the expression is not alphabetic.

INTERNATIONAL MODE
When the ISALPHA function is used in International Mode the properties of each character is
determined according to the Unicode Standard.

191

ISALNUM
The ISALNUM function will check that the expression consists of entirely alphanumeric characters.

COMMAND SYNTAX
ISALNUM(expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The expression can return a result of any type. The ISALNUM function will then return TRUE (1) if
the expression consists of entirely alphanumeric characters. The function will return FALSE (0) if the
expression contains any characters, which are not alphanumeric.

INTERNATIONAL MODE
When the ISALNUM function is used in International Mode the properties of each character is
determined according to the Unicode Standard.

192

ISCNTRL
The ISCNTRL function will check that the expression consists entirely of control characters.

COMMAND SYNTAX
ISCNTRL(expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The expression can return a result of any type. The ISCNTRL function will then return TRUE (1) if the
expression consists of entirely control characters. The function will return FALSE (0) if the expression
contains any characters, which are not control characters.

INTERNATIONAL MODE
When the ISCNTRL function is used in International Mode the properties of each character is
determined according to the Unicode Standard.

193

ISDIGIT
The ISDIGIT function will check that the expression consists of entirely numeric characters.

COMMAND SYNTAX
ISDIGIT(expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The expression can return a result of any type. The ISDIGIT function will then return TRUE (1) if the
expression consists of entirely numeric characters. The function will return FALSE (0) if the
expression contains any characters, which are not numeric.

INTERNATIONAL MODE
When the ISDIGIT function is used in International Mode the properties of each character is
determined according to the Unicode Standard.

194

ISLOWER
The ISLOWER function will check that the expression consists of entirely lower case characters.

COMMAND SYNTAX

ISLOWER(expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The expression can return a result of any type. The ISLOWER function will then return TRUE (1) if
the expression consists of entirely lower case characters. The function will return FALSE (0) if the
expression contains any characters, which are not lower case characters.

INTERNATIONAL MODE
When the ISLOWER function is used in International Mode the properties of each character is
determined according to the Unicode Standard

195

ISPRINT
The ISPRINT function will check that the expression consists of entirely printable characters.

COMMAND SYNTAX

ISPRINT(expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The expression can return a result of any type. The ISPRINT function will then return TRUE (1) if the
expression consists of entirely printable characters. The function will return FALSE (0) if the
expression contains any characters, which are not printable.

INTERNATIONAL MODE
When the ISPRINT function is used in International Mode the properties of each character is
determined according to the Unicode Standard.

196

ISSPACE
The ISSPACE function will check that the expression consists of entirely space type characters.

COMMAND SYNTAX

ISSPACE(expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The expression can return a result of any type. The ISSPACE function will then return TRUE (1) if the
expression consists of entirely spacing type characters. The function will return FALSE (0) if the
expression contains any characters, which are not space characters.

INTERNATIONAL MODE
When the ISSPACE function is used in International Mode the properties of each character is
determined according to the Unicode Standard.

197

ISUPPER
The ISUPPER function will check that the expression consists of entirely upper case characters.

COMMAND SYNTAX
ISUPPER(expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The expression can return a result of any type. The ISUPPER function will then return TRUE (1) if the
expression consists of entirely lower case characters. The function will return FALSE (0) if the
expression contains any characters, which are not upper case characters.

INTERNATIONAL MODE
When the ISUPPER function is used in International Mode the properties of each character is
determined according to the Unicode Standard.

198

ITYPE
Use the ITYPE function to return the value resulting from the evaluation of an I-type expression in a
jBASE file dictionary.

COMMAND SYNTAX
ITYPE (i.type)
I.type is an expression evaluating to the contents of the compiled I-descriptor. You must compile the Idescriptor before the ITYPE function uses it; otherwise, you get a run-time error message.
Using several methods set the I.type to the evaluated I-descriptor in several ways. One way is to read
the I-descriptor from a file dictionary into a variable, then use the variable as the argument to the
ITYPE function. If the I-descriptor references a record ID, the current value of the system variable
@ID is used. If the I-descriptor, references field values in a data record, the data is taken from the
current value of the system variable @RECORD.
To assign field values to @RECORD, read a record from the data file into @RECORD before invoking
the ITYPE function.
If i.type evaluates to null, the ITYPE function fails and the program terminates with a run-time error
message.
NOTE: Set the @FILENAME to the name of the file before ITYPE execution.

EXAMPLE
This is the SLIPPER file content:
JIM

GREG

ALAN

001 8

001 10

001 5

This is the DICT SLIPPER content:
SIZE
001 D
002 1
003
004
005 10L
006 L

This is the program source code:

OPEN 'SLIPPERS' TO FILE ELSE STOP
OPEN 'DICT','SLIPPERS' TO D.FILE ELSE STOP

199

*
READ ITYPEDESC FROM D.FILE, 'SIZE' ELSE STOP
*
EXECUTE 'SELECT SLIPPERS'
@FILENAME = “SLIPPERS”
LOOP
READNEXT @ID DO
*
READ @RECORD FROM FILE, @ID THEN
*
PRINT @ID: "WEARS SLIPPERS SIZE " ITYPE(ITYPEDESC)
END
REPEAT
The output of this program is:
3 records selected
JIM WEARS SLIPPERS SIZE 8
GREG WEARS SLIPPERS SIZE 10
ALAN WEARS SLIPPERS SIZE 5

200

JBASECOREDUMP
Use as a diagnostic tool for applications and allows a snapshot of the application to be dumped to an
external file for later analysis

COMMAND SYNTAX
JBASECOREDUMP(expression1, expression2)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
For jBASE 4.1 upwards only, the program variables and CALL/GOSUB stack will be dumped.
The output is in free style text format.
The function is called such:
PRINT " fatal application error, outputting a core dump"
filename = "GLOBUSDUMP_":TIME():"_":DATE():"_":SYSTEM(18)
PRINT "Please send the file ":filename:" to your Temenos support"
dummy = JBASECOREDUMP(filename , 0 )
EXIT(99)
The first parameter shows the name of the operating system file to output the core dump to. You can
supply "" instead of a file name and jBASE allocates a filename of:
/JBASECOREDUMP_nnnn_mmmmm
where
nnn is the port number and mmmmmm is the process id.
The second parameter is not used at present. Future versions will allow extra information to be
selectively dumped.
A null string is always returned from the function.

EXAMPLE
jBASE Core dump created at Thu Apr 10 17:12:01 2003
Program test31 , port 0 , process id 21959
CALL/GOSUB stack
Line 0 , Source jmainfunction.b , Level 0
Source changed to ./test31.b
0007

201

GOSUB 100

0012

GOSUB 200

0016

CALL SUB1

Source changed to ./SUB1.b
0004

GOSUB 100

0009

GOSUB 200

All the defined VAR's in the program

COMMON variables
0x8057dd0 : greg1[1,-1]
: (V) String
13
bytes at address 0x8057f60 : This is greg1

:

0x8057e30 : greg2[1,-1]
: (V) String
13
bytes at address 0x8057fc0 : This is greg2

:

STANDARD Variables in SUBROUTINE main()
0xbfffed54 : Var1[1,-1]
: (V) String
12
bytes at address 0x8057f00 : This is CAR1

:

STANDARD Variables in SUBROUTINE SUB1
0xbfffe39c : I

: (V) Integer

:

: (V) Uninitialised

:

5
0xbfffe3b8 : VM
(UNASSIGNED)

0xbfffe3d4 : x1[1,-1]
: (V) String
:
56
bytes at address 0x8059a60 :
2\3742\3749\374SUB1.b\3752\3741\3744\374SUB1.b\3751\3742\37412\374tes
t31.b\3751\3741\3747\374test31.b

0

0xbfffe3f0 : rc[1,-1]
bytes at address 0x40422b04 :

: (V) String

:

0xbfffe40c : GGC2

: (V) Integer

:

4
0xbfffe428 : GGC3[1,-1]
: (V) String
:
56
bytes at address 0x8059e68 :
2\3742\3749\374SUB1.b\3752\3741\3744\374SUB1.b\3751\3742\37412\374tes
t31.b\3751\3741\3747\374test31.b

202

0xbfffe444 : DSCB
File './fb3'

: (V) File descriptor

:

0xbfffe460 : rec
(UNASSIGNED)

: (V) Uninitialised

:

0xbfffe47c : USERSTATS
(UNASSIGNED)

: (V) Uninitialised

:

203

JBASETHREADCreate
Use the JBASETHREADCreate command to start a new thread.

COMMAND SYNTAX
JBASETHREADCreate(ProgramName, Arguments, User, Handle)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
ProgramName Name of program to execute
Arguments Command line arguments
User Name of user in format "user{,account{,password}}" or "" to configuration as calling user id

204

JBASETHREADStatus
The JBASETHREADStatus command shows the status of all running threads.

COMMAND SYNTAX
JBASETHREADStatus(ThreadList)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS

ThreadList a list of all threads active in this process, with one attribute per thread.
The layout of the multi-values in each attribute is as follows:
< n,1 > port number
< n,2 > thread handle returned from JBASETHREADCreate

205

JQLCOMPILE
JQLCOMPILE compiles a jQL statement.

COMMAND SYNTAX
JQLCOMPILE (Statement, Command, Options, Messages)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS

Statement is the variable, which will receive the compiled statement, used by a majority of functions to
execute and work on the result set etc.
Command is the actual jQL query that you want to compile (such as SELECT or something similar).
Use RETRIEVE to obtain data records as the verb rather than an existing jQL verb. This will ensure
that the right options are set internally. In addition, use any word that is not a jQL reserved word as the
verb and it will work in the same way as RETRIEVE: implement a PLOT command that passes the
entire command line into JQLCOMPILE and the results will be the same as if the first word were
replaced with RETRIEVE.
Option: you must specify JQLOPT_USE_SELECT to supply a select list to the JQLEXECUTE
function; the compile builds a different execution plan if using select lists.
Messages: If the statement fails to compile, this dynamic array is in the STOP format, therefore STOP
messages can be programmed and printed. Provides a history of compilation for troubleshooting
purposes; Returns -1 if there is a problem found in the statement and 0 for no problem

206

JQLEXECUTE
JQLEXECUTE starts executing a compiled jQL statement.

COMMAND SYNTAX
JQLEXECUTE (Statement, SelectVar)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Statement is the valid result of a call to a JQLCOMPILE(Statement, …)
SelectVar is a valid select list used to limit the statement to a predefined set of items. For example:

SELECT PROGRAMMERS WITH IQ_IN_PTS > 250
1 Item Selected
> LIST PROGRAMMERS NAME

PROGRAMMERS...

NAME

0123

COOPER, F B

This function returns -1 in the event of a problem, such as an incorrect statement variable. It will cause
the statement to run against the database and produce a result set for use with JQLFETCH()

207

JQLFETCH
JQLFETCH fetches the next result in a compiled jQL statement.

COMMAND SYNTAX
JQLFETCH (Statement, ControlVar, DataVar)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Statement is the result of a valid call to JQLCOMPILE(), followed by a valid call to JQLEXECUTE().
ControlVar will receive the ‘control break’ elements of any query. FOR EXAMPLE, if there are
BREAK values in the statement, described here are the totals:
The format of ControlVar is:
Attr 1
Level: 0 means detail line 1 – 25
breaks, the same as the A correlative NB.
Attr2
Attr 3
first.

for the control

Item ID
Break control Value is 1 if a blank line should be output

Attr 4

Pre-break value for 'B' option in header

Attr 5

Post-break value for 'B' option in header

DataVar will receive the actual screen data on a LIST statement for instance. The format is one
attribute per column.
Applies Attribute 7 Conversions (or attribute 3 in Prime-style DICTS) to the data
If the property STMT_PROPERTY_FORMAT is set then each attribute is also formatted according to
the width and justification of the attribute definition and any override caused by the use of FMT, of
DISPLAY.LIKE on the command line –
NOTE that column headers may also affect the formatting for that column.
This function is called until there is no more output (multiple).

208

JQLGETPROPERTY
Gets the property of a compiled jQL statement

COMMAND SYNTAX
JQLGETPROPERTY (PropertyValue, Statement, Column, PropertyName)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
PropertyValue Receives the requested property value from the system or “” if the property is not set
Statement The result of a valid JQLCOMPILE(Statement)
Column Specifies that you want the value of the property for a specific column (otherwise 0 for the
whole statement).
PropertyName These are EQUATED values defined by INCLUDE’ing the file JQLINTERFACE.h.
This function returns -1 if there is a problem with the parameters or the programmer. These properties
answer questions such as “Was LPTR mode asked for,” and “How many columns are there?”
Note: Properties are valid after the compile; this is the main reason for separating the compile and
execute into two functions. After compiling, it is possible examine the properties and set properties
before executing.

209

JQLPUTPROPERTY
JQLPUTPROPERTY sets a property in a compiled jQL statement.

COMMAND SYNTAX
JQLPUTPROPERTY (PropertyValue, Statement, Column, PropertyName)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
PropertyValue is the value to which you want to set the specified property, such as one or “BLAH”
Statement is the result of a valid JQLCOMPILE() function.
NOTE: Some properties may require JQLEXECUTE()first.
Column Holds 0 for a general property of the statement, or a column number if it is something that can
be set for a specific column.
PropertyName – These are EQUATED values defined by INCLUDE’ing the file JQLINTERFACE.h.
There are lots of these and someone is going to have to document each one.
This function returns -1 if it locates a problem in the statement and zero for no problem.
NOTE: Properties are valid after the compile; this is the main reason for separating the compile and
execute into two functions. After compiling, it is possible examine the properties and set properties
before executing.

210

KEYIN
Use the KEYIN function to read a single character from the input buffer and return it.

COMMAND SYNTAX
KEYIN ( )
KEYIN uses raw keyboard input, therefore all special character handling (for example, backspace) is
disabled. System special character handling (for example, processing of interrupts) is unchanged.

211

LATIN1
The LATIN1 function converts a UTF-8 byte sequence into the binary or latin1 equivalent.

COMMAND SYNTAX
LATIN1(expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The expression is to be a UTF-8 encoded byte sequence, which is the default format when executing in
International Mode.

NOTES
Use this function for converting UTF-8 data into binary or the latin1 code page for external
consumption. i.e. Tape devices.

212

LEFT
The LEFT function extracts a sub-string of a specified length from the beginning of a string.

COMMAND SYNTAX
LEFT(expression, length)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression evaluates to the string from which the sub string is extracted.
length is the number of extracted characters if length is less than 1, LEFT() returns null.

NOTES
The LEFT() function is equivalent to sub-string extraction starting from the first character position, i.e.
expression[1,length]
See also: RIGHT ()

EXAMPLE
S =
CRT
CRT
CRT

"The world is my lobster"
DQUOTE (LEFT(S,9))
DQUOTE(LEFT(S,999))
DQUOTE(LEFT(S,0))

This code displays:
"The world"
"The world is my lobster"
""

213

LEN
The LEN function returns the character length of the supplied expression.

COMMAND SYNTAX
LEN(expression)

INTERNATIONAL MODE

The LEN function when used in International Mode will return the number of characters in the
specified expression rather than the number of bytes. If the expression consists of entirely of UTF-8
characters in the ASCII range 0 – 127 then the character length of the expression will equate to the byte
length. However, when the expression contains characters outside the ASCII range 0 – 127 then byte
length and character length will differ. If the byte is specifically required then use the BYTELEN
function in place of the LEN function.
NOTE: Do not use programs manipulating byte counts in International Mode.

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression can evaluate to any type and the function will convert it to a string automatically.

EXAMPLES
Lengths = "
FOR I = 1 TO 50
Lengths = LEN(Values)
NEXT I

214

LENS
Use the LENS function to return a dynamic array of the number of bytes in each element of the
dynamic.array.

COMMAND SYNTAX
LENS (dynamic.array)
Each element of dynamic.array must be a string value. The characters in each element of dynamic.array
are counted, with the counts returned.
The LENS function includes all blank spaces, including trailing blanks, in the calculation.
If dynamic.array evaluates to a null string, it returns zero (0). If any element of dynamic.array is null,
returns zero (0) for that element.

INTERNATIONAL MODE
The LEN function when used in International Mode will return the number of characters in the
specified expression rather than the number of bytes. If the expression consists of entirely of UTF-8
characters in the ASCII range 0 – 127 then the character length of the expression will equate to the byte
length. However, when the expression contains characters outside the ASCII range 0 – 127 then byte
length and character length will differ. If the byte is specifically required then use the BYTELEN
function in place of the LEN function.
NOTE: Do not use programs to manipulate byte counts in International Mode.

215

LENDP
The LENDP function returns the display length of an expression

COMMAND SYNTAX
LENDP(expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS

The expression can evaluate to any type. The LENDP function will evaluate each character in the
expression and return the calculated display length.

INTERNATIONAL MODE
The LENDP function when used in International Mode will return the display length for the characters
in the specified expression rather than the number of bytes.
NOTE: Some characters, usually Japanese, Chinese, etc will return a display length of greater than one
for some characters. Some characters, for instance control characters or null (char 0), will return a
display length of 0.
LE - Less than or equal operator Ditto re GE and LES re INTERNATIONAL MODE

216

LES
Use the LES function to determine whether elements of one dynamic array are less than or equal to the
elements of another dynamic array.

COMMAND SYNTAX
LES (array1, array2)
It compares each element of array1 with the corresponding element of array2. If the element from
array1 is less than or equal to the element from array2, a 1 is returned in the corresponding element of a
new dynamic array. If the element from array1 is greater than the element from array2, it returns a zero
(0). If an element of one dynamic array has no corresponding element in the other dynamic array, it
evaluates the undefined element as empty, and the comparison continues.
If either of a corresponding pair of elements is null, it returns null for that element. If you use the
subroutine syntax, it returns the resulting dynamic array as return.array.

217

LN
The LN function returns the value of the natural logarithm of the supplied value.

COMMAND SYNTAX
LN( expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The expression should evaluate to a numeric value. The function will then return the natural logarithm
of that value.

NOTES
The calculation of the natural logarithm is by using the mathematical constant e as a number base.

EXAMPLES
A = LN(22/7)

218

LOCALDATE
Return an internal date using the specified Timestamp and TimeZone combination.

COMMAND SYNTAX
LOCALDATE(Timestamp, TimeZone)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The LOCALDATE function uses the specified timestamp and adjusts the value by the specified time
zone to return the date value in internal date format.

219

LOCALTIME
Return an internal time using the specified Timestamp and TimeZone combination.

COMMAND SYNTAX
LOCALTIME(Timestamp, TimeZone)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The LOCALTIME function uses the specified timestamp and adjusts the value by the specified time
zone to return the time value in internal time format.

220

LOCATE
The LOCATE statement finds the position of an element within a specified dimension of a dynamic
array.

COMMAND SYNTAX
LOCATE expression1 IN expression2{}, {, expression5} {BY
expression6} SETTING Var THEN|ELSE statement(s)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression1 evaluates to the string that will be searched for in expression2.
expression2 evaluates to the dynamic array within which expression1 will be searched for.
expression3 and expression4, when specified, cause a value or subvalue search respectively.
expression5 indicates the field, value or subvalue from which the search will begin.
BY expression6 causes the search to expect the elements to be arranged in a specific order, which can
considerably improve the performance of some searches. The available string values for expression6
are:
AL

Values are in ascending alphanumeric order

AR

Values are in right justified, then ascending order

AN

Values are in ascending numeric order

DL

Values are in descending alphanumeric order

DR

Values are in right justified, then descending order

DN

Values are in descending numeric order

Var will be set to the position of the Field, Value or Sub-Value in which expression1 was found if
indeed. If it was not found and expression6 was not specified then Var will be set to one position past
the end of the searched dimension. If expression6 did specify the order of the elements then Var will be
set to the position before which the element should be inserted to retain the specified order.
The statement must include one of or both of the THEN and ELSE clauses. If expression1 is found in
an element of the dynamic array, it executes the statements defined by the THEN clause. If expression1
is not found in an element of the dynamic array, it executes the statements defined by the ELSE clause.

INTERNATIONAL MODE
When the LOCATE statement is used in International Mode, the statement will use the currently
configured locale to determine the rules by which each string is considered less than or greater than the
other will.

NOTES
See also: FIND, FINDSTR

EXAMPLES
221

Name = "Nelson"
LOCATE Name IN ForeNames BY "AL" SETTING Pos ELSE
INS Name BEFORE ForeNames
END

222

LOCK
The LOCK statement will attempt to set an execution lock thus preventing any other jBASE BASIC
program that respects that lock to wait until this program has released it.

COMMAND SYNTAX
LOCK expression {THEN|ELSE statements}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The expression should evaluate to a numeric value between 0 and 255 (63 in R83 import mode).
The statement will execute the THEN clause (if defined) providing the lock could be taken. If another
program holds the LOCK and an ELSE clause is provided then the statements defined by the ELSE
clause are executed. If no ELSE clause was provided with the statement then it will block (hang) until
the other program has released the lock.

NOTES
See also: UNLOCK.
If you used the environment variable JBASE BASICEMULATE set to r83, to compile the program the
number of execution locks is limited to 64. If an execution lock greater than this number is specified,
the actual lock taken is the specified number modulo 64.

EXAMPLES
LOCK 32 ELSE
CRT "This program is already executing!"
STOP
END

223

LOOP
The LOOP construct allows the programmer to specify loops with multiple exit conditions.

COMMAND SYNTAX
LOOP statements1 WHILE|UNTIL expression DO statements2 REPEAT

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
statements1 and statements2 consist of any number of standard statements include the LOOP
statement itself, thus allowing nested loops.
statements1 will always be executed at least once, after which the WHILE or UNTIL clause is
evaluated.
expression is tested for Boolean TRUE/FALSE by either the WHILE clause or the UNTIL clause.
When tested by the WHILE clause statements2 will only be executed if expression is Boolean TRUE.
When tested by the UNTIL clause, statements2 will only be executed if the expression evaluates to
Boolean FALSE.
REPEAT causes the loop to start again with the first statement following the LOOP statement.

NOTES
See also: BREAK, CONTINUE

EXAMPLES
LOOP WHILE B < Max DO
Var = B++ *6
REPEAT
LOOP
CRT "+":
WHILE READNEXT KEY FROM List DO
READ Record FROM FILE, KEY ELSE CONTINUE
Record<1> *= 6
REPEAT
CRT

224

LOWER
The LOWER function lowers system delimiters in a string to the next lowest delimiter.

COMMAND SYNTAX
LOWER(expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The expression is a string containing one or more delimiters, lowered as follows:

ASCIICharacter

Lowered To

255

254

254

253

253

252

252

251

251

250

250

249

249

248

EXAMPLE
ValuemarkDelimitedVariable = LOWER(AttributeDelimitedVariable)

225

MAKETIMESTAMP
Generate a timestamp using combination of internal date, time and timezone.

COMMAND SYNTAX
MAKETIMESTAMP(InternalDate, InternalTime, TimeZone)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Use the MAKETIMESTAMP function to generate a timestamp using a specified time zone. The
internal date and internal time values are combined together with the time zone specification to return a
UTC timestamp as decimal seconds.

226

MAT
Use the MAT command to either assign every element in a specified array to a single value or to assign
the entire contents of one array to another.

COMMAND SYNTAX
MAT Array = expression
MAT Array1 = MAT Array2

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Array, Array1 and Array2 are all pre-dimensioned arrays declared with the DIM statement.
Expression can evaluate to any data type.

NOTES
If any element of the array Array2 has not been assigned a value then a runtime error message will
occur. This can be avoided by coding the statement MAT Array2 = " after the DIM statement.

EXAMPLES
001 DIM A(45), G(45)
002 MAT G = "Array value"
003 MAT A = MAT G

227

MATBUILD
Use the MATBUILD statement to create a dynamic array out of a dimensioned array.

COMMAND SYNTAX
MATBUILD variable FROM array{, expression1{, expression2}} {USING expression3}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
variable is the jBASE BASIC variable into which the created dynamic array will be stored. Array is a
previously dimensioned and assigned matrix from which the dynamic array will be created.
expression1 and expression2 should evaluate to numeric integers. expression1 specifies which element
of the array the extraction will start with; expression2 specifies which element of the array the
extraction will end with (inclusive).
By default, each array element is separated in the dynamic array by a field mark. By specifying
expression3, the separator character can be changed. If expression3 evaluates to more than a single
character, only the first character of the string is used.

NOTES
When specifying starts and end positions with multi-dimensional arrays, it is necessary to expand the
matrix into its total number of variables to calculate the correct element number. See the information
about dimensioned arrays earlier in this chapter for detailed instructions on calculating element
numbers.

EXAMPLES
DIM A(40)
MATBUILD Dynamic FROM A,3,7 USING ":"
Builds a 5 element string separated by a : character.
MATBUILD Dynamic FROM A Builds a field mark separated dynamic array
from every element contained in the matrix A.

228

MATCHES
The MATCH or MATCHES function applies pattern matching to an expression.

INTERNATIONAL MODE
When using the MATCHES statement in International Mode, the statement will use the currently
configured locale to determine the properties according to the Unicode Standard for each character in
the expression. i.e., is the character alpha or numeric?

COMMAND SYNTAX
expression1 MATCHES expression2

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression1 may evaluate to any type. expression2 should evaluate to a valid pattern matching string
as described below.
expression1 is then matched to the pattern supplied and a value of Boolean TRUE is returned if the
pattern is matched. A value of Boolean FALSE is returned if the pattern is not matched.
expression2 can contain any number of patterns to match those separated by value marks. The value
mark implies a logical OR of the specified patterns and the match will evaluate to Boolean TRUE if
expression1 matches any of the specified patterns.

NOTES
The rule table shown below shows construction of pattern matching strings (n refers to any integer
number).

Pattern

Explanation

nN

this construct matches a sequence of n digits

nA

this construct matches a sequence of n alpha characters

nC

this construct matches a sequence of n alpha characters or digits

nX

this construct matches a sequence of any characters

"string"

This construct matches the character sequence string exactly.

Applies the pattern to all characters in expression1 and it must match all characters in the expression to
evaluate as Boolean TRUE.
Specify the integer value n as 0. This will cause the pattern to match any number of characters of the
specified type.

EXAMPLES
IF Var MATCHES "0N" THEN CRT "A match!"
Matches if all characters in Var are numeric or Var is a null string.
IF Var MATCHES "0N'.'2N"...

229

Matches if Var contains any number of numerics followed by the “.” character followed by 2 numeric
characters. e.g. 345.65 or 9.99
Pattern = "4X':'6N';'2A"
Matched = Serno MATCHES Pattern
Matches if the variable Serno consists of a string of 4 arbitrary characters followed by the ":" character
then 6 numerics then the ";" character and then 2 alphabetic characters. e.g. 1.2.:123456;AB or
17st:456789;FB

230

MATCHFIELD
COMMAND SYNTAX
MATCHFIELD (string, pattern, field)

DESCRIPTION
Use the MATCHFIELD function to check a string against a match pattern: See also: MATCH operator
for information about pattern matching.
field is an expression that evaluates to the portion of the match string to be returned.
If string matches pattern, the MATCHFIELD function returns the portion of string that matches the
specified field in pattern. If string does not match pattern, or if string or pattern evaluates to the null
value, the MATCHFIELD function returns an empty string. If field evaluates to the null value, the
MATCHFIELD function fails and the program terminates with a run-time error.
pattern must contain specifiers to cover all characters contained in string. For example, the following
statement returns an empty string because not all parts of string are specified in the pattern:
MATCHFIELD ("XYZ123AB", "3X3N", 1)
To achieve a positive pattern match on the string above, use the following statement:
MATCHFIELD ("XYZ123AB", "3X3N0X", 1)
This statement returns a value of "XYZ".

EXAMPLES
In the following example, the string does not match the pattern:
In the following example, the entire string does not match the pattern:

Source Lines Program Output
Q=MATCHFIELD("AA123BBB9","2A0N3A0N",3)
PRINT "Q= ",Q
Q= BBB
ADDR='20 GREEN ST. NATICK, MA.,01234'
ZIP=MATCHFIELD(ADDR,"0N0X5N",3)
PRINT "ZIP= ",ZIP
ZIP= 01234
INV='PART12345 BLUE AU'

231

COL=MATCHFIELD(INV,"10X4A3X",2)
PRINT "COL= ",COL
COL= BLUE
Source Lines Program Output
XYZ=MATCHFIELD('ABCDE1234',"2N3A4N",1)
PRINT "XYZ= ",XYZ
XYZ=
Source Lines Program Output
ABC=MATCHFIELD('1234AB',"4N1A",2)
PRINT "ABC= ",ABC
ABC=

232

MATPARSE
Use the MATPARSE statement to assign the elements of a matrix from the elements of a dynamic
array.

COMMAND SYNTAX
MATPARSE array{, expression1{, expression2}} FROM variable1 {USING expression3} SETTING
variable2

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
array is a previously dimensioned matrix, which will be assigned to from each element of the dynamic
array. variable1 is the jBASE BASIC variable from which the matrix array will be stored.
expression1 and expression2 should evaluate to numeric integers. expression1 specifies which element
of the array the assignment will start with; expression2 specifies which element of the array the
assignment will end with (inclusive).
By default, the dynamic array assumes the use of a field mark to separate each array element. By
specifying expression3, the separator character can be changed. If expression3 evaluates to more than a
single character, only the first character of the string is used.
As assignment will stop when the contents of the dynamic array have been exhausted, it can be useful
to determine the number of matrix elements that were actually assigned to. If the SETTING clause is
specified then variable2 will be set to the number of elements of the array that were assigned to.

NOTES
When specifying starts and end positions with multi-dimensional arrays, it is necessary to expand the
matrix into its total number of variables to calculate the correct element number. See the information
about dimensioned arrays earlier in this section for detailed instructions on calculating element
numbers.

EXAMPLE
DIM A(40)
MATPARSE A,3,7 FROM Dynamic

Assign 5 elements of the array starting at element 3.

233

MATREAD
The MATREAD statement allows a record stored in a jBASE file to be read and mapped directly into a
dimensioned array.

COMMAND SYNTAX
MATREAD array FROM {variable1,}expression {SETTING setvar} {ON ERROR statements}
{LOCKED statements} {THEN|ELSE statements}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
array should be a previously dimensioned array, which will be used to store the record to be read. If
specified, variable1 should be a jBASE BASIC variable that has previously been opened to a file using
the OPEN statement. If variable1 is not specified then the default file is assumed. The expression
should evaluate to a valid record key for the file.
If no record is found and can be read from the file then it is mapped into the array and executes the
THEN statements (if any). If the record cannot be read from the file then array is unchanged and
executes the ELSE statements (if any).
If the record could not be read because another process already had a lock on the record then one of
two actions is taken. If the LOCKED clause was specified in the statement then the statements
dependent on it are executed. If no LOCKED clause was specified then the statement blocks (hangs)
until the other process releases the lock. If a LOCKED clause is used and the read is successful, a lock
will be set.
If the SETTING clause is specified, setvar will be set to the number of fields in the record on a
successful read. If the read fails, setvar will be set to one of the following values:

INCREMENTAL FILE ERRORS
128

No such file or directory

4096

Network error

24576

Permission denied

32768

Physical I/O error or unknown error

If ON ERROR is specified, it executes the statements following the ON ERROR clause for any of the
above Incremental File Errors except error 128.

NOTES
The record is mapped into the array using a predefined algorithm. The record is expected to consist of a
number of Field separated records, which are then assigned one at a time to each successive element of
the matrix. See the notes on matrix organization earlier in this section for details of multi dimensional
arrays.

234

If there were more fields in the record than elements in the array, then the final element of the array
will be assigned all remaining fields. If there were fewer fields in the record than elements in the array
then remaining array elements will be assigned a null value.
Note that if multi-values are read into an array element they will then be referenced individually as:
Array(n)<1,m>
not
Array(n)

EXAMPLES
MATREAD Xref FROM CFile, "XREF" ELSE MAT Xref = "
MATREAD Ind FROM IFile, "INDEX" ELSE MAT Ind = 0
MATREAD record FROM filevar, id SETTING val ON ERROR
PRINT "Error number ":val:" occurred which prevented record from
being read."
STOP
END THEN
PRINT 'Record read successfully'
END ELSE
PRINT 'Record not on file'
END
PRINT "Number of attributes in record = ": val

235

MATREADU
The MATREADU statement allows a record stored in a jBASE file to be read and mapped directly into
a dimensioned array. The record will also be locked for update by the program.

COMMAND SYNTAX
MATREADU array FROM { variable1,}expression {SETTING setvar} {ON ERROR statements}
{LOCKED statements} {THEN|ELSE statements}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
array should be a previously dimensioned array, which will be used to store the record to be read. If
specified, variable1 should be a jBASE BASIC variable that has previously been opened to a file using
the OPEN statement. If variable1 is not specified then the default file is assumed. The expression
should evaluate to a valid record key for the file.
If found, the record can be read from the file then it is mapped into array and executes the THEN
statements (if any). If the record cannot be read from the file for some reason then array is unchanged
and executes the ELSE statements (if any).
If the record could not be read because another process already had a lock on the record then one of
two actions is taken. If the LOCKED clause was specified in the statement then the statements
dependent on it are executed. If no LOCKED clause was specified then the statement blocks (hangs)
until the other process releases the lock.
If the SETTING clause is specified, setvar will be set to the number of fields in the record on a
successful read. If the read fails, setvar will be set to one of the following values:

INCREMENTAL FILE ERRORS
128

No such file or directory

4096

Network error

24576

Permission denied

32768

Physical I/O error or unknown error

If ON ERROR is specified, the statements following the ON ERROR clause will be executed for any
of the above Incremental File Errors except error 128.

NOTES
The record is mapped into the array using a predefined algorithm. The record is expected to consist of a
number of Field separated records, which are then assigned one at a time to each successive element of
the matrix. See the notes on matrix organization earlier in this section for details of the layout of multi
dimensional arrays.
If there were more fields in the record than elements in the array, then the final element of the array
will be assigned all remaining fields. If there were fewer fields in the record than elements in the array
then remaining array elements will be assigned a null value.

236

NOTE: that if multi-values are read into an array element they will then be referenced individually as:
Array(n)<1,m>
not
Array(n)

EXAMPLES
MATREADU Xref FROM CFile, "XREF" ELSE MAT Xref = "
MATREADU Ind FROM IFile, "INDEX" LOCKED
GOSUBInformUserLock ;* Say it is locked
END THEN
GOSUB InformUserOk ;* Say we got it
END ELSE
MAT Ind = 0 ;* It was not there
END
MATREADU record FROM filevar, id SETTING val ON ERROR
PRINT "Error number ":val:" occurred which prevented record from
being read."
STOP
END LOCKED
PRINT "Record is locked"
END THEN
PRINT 'Record read successfully'
END ELSE
PRINT 'Record not on file'
END
PRINT "Number of attributes in record = ": val

237

MATWRITE
The MATWRITE statement transfers the entire contents of a dimensioned array to a specified record
on disc.

COMMAND SYNTAX
MATWRITE array ON { variable,}expression {SETTING setvar} {ON ERROR statements}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
array should be a previously dimensioned and initialized array. If specified, variable should be a
previously opened file variable (i.e. the subject of an OPEN statement). If variable is not specified the
default file variable is used. expression should evaluate to the name of the record in the file.
If the SETTING clause is specified and the write succeeds, setvar will be set to the number of attributes
read into array.
If the SETTING clause is specified and the write fails, setvar will be set to one of the following values:

INCREMENTAL FILE ERRORS
128

No such file or directory

4096

Network error

24576

Permission denied

32768

Physical I/O error or unknown error

If ON ERROR is specified, the statements following the ON ERROR clause will be executed for any
of the above Incremental File Errors except error 128.

NOTES
The compiler will check that the variable specified is a dimensioned array before its use in the
statement.

EXAMPLES
DIM A(8)
MAT A = 99
....
MATWRITE A ON "NewArray" SETTING ErrorCode ON ERROR
CRT "Error: ":ErrorCode:"

Record could not be written."

END
...
MATWRITE A ON RecFile, "OldArray"

238

MATWRITEU
The MATWRITEU statement transfers the entire contents of a dimensioned array to a specified record
on file, in the same manner as the MATWRITE statement. An existing record lock will be preserved.

COMMAND SYNTAX
MATWRITEU array ON { variable,}expression {SETTING setvar} {ON ERROR statements}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
array should be a previously dimensioned and initialized array. If specified, variable should be a
previously opened file variable (i.e. the subject of an OPEN statement). If variable is not specified the
default file variable is used.
expression should evaluate to the name of the record in the file.
If the SETTING clause is specified and the write succeeds, setvar will be set to the number of attributes
read into array.
If the SETTING clause is specified and the write fails, setvar will be set to one of the following values:

INCREMENTAL FILE ERRORS
128

No such file or directory

4096

Network error

24576

Permission denied

32768

Physical I/O error or unknown error

If ON ERROR is specified, the statements following the ON ERROR clause will be executed for any
of the above Incremental File Errors except error 128.

NOTES
The compiler will check that the variable specified is indeed a dimensioned array before its use in the
statement.

EXAMPLES
DIM A(8)
MAT A = 99
....
MATWRITEU A ON "NewArray"

239

MAXIMUM
The MAXIMUM function is used to return the element of a dynamic array with the highest numerical
value.

COMMAND SYNTAX
MAXIMUM(DynArr)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
DynArr should evaluate to a dynamic array.

NOTES
Null dynamic array elements are treat as zero.
Non-numeric dynamic array elements are ignored.
See also: MINIMUM.

EXAMPLE
If EResults is a variable containing the dynamic array:
1.45032:@AM:-3.60441:@VM:4.29445:@AM:2.00042:@SM:-3.90228
the code:
PRECISION 5
CRT = MAXIMUM(EResults)
displays 4.29445

240

MINIMUM
The MINIMUM function is used to return the element of a dynamic array with the lowest numerical
value.

COMMAND SYNTAX
MINIMUM(DynArr)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
DynArr should evaluate to a dynamic array.

NOTES
Null dynamic array elements are treat as zero.
Non-numeric dynamic array elements are ignored.
See also: MAXIMUM.

EXAMPLE
If EResults is a variable containing the dynamic array:
1.45032:@AM:-3.60851:@VM:4.29445:@AM:2.07042:@SVM:-3.90258
the code:
PRECISION 3
CRT = MINIMUM(EResults)
displays -3.903

241

MOD
The MOD function returns the arithmetic modulo of two numeric expressions.

COMMAND SYNTAX
MOD (expression1, expression2)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Both expression1 and expression2 should evaluate to numeric expressions or a runtime error will
occur.

NOTES
The remainder of expression1 divided by expression2 calculates the modulo. If expression2 evaluates
to 0, then the value of expression1 is returned.

EXAMPLES
FOR I = 1 TO 10000
IF MOD (I, 1000) = 0 THEN CRT "+":
NEXT I
displays a "+" on the screen every 1000 iterations

242

MODS
Use the MODS function to create a dynamic array of the remainder after the integer division of
corresponding elements of two dynamic arrays.

COMMAND SYNTAX
MODS (array1, array2)
The MODS function calculates each element according to the following formula:
XY.element = X ??(INT (X / Y) * Y)
X is an element of array1 and Y is the corresponding element of array2. The resulting element is
returned in the corresponding element of a new dynamic array. If an element of one dynamic array has
no corresponding element in the other dynamic array, 0 is returned. If an element of array2 is 0, 0 is
returned. If either of a corresponding pair of elements is null, null is returned for that element.

EXAMPLE
A=3:@VM:7
B=2:@SM:7:@VM:4
PRINT MODS (A,B)
The output of this program is: 1\0]3

243

MSLEEP
Allows the program to pause execution for a specified number of milliseconds

COMMAND SYNTAX
MSLEEP {milliseconds}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
milliseconds must be an integer, which, specifies the number of milliseconds to sleep.
When there are no parameters assumes a default time of 1 millisecond.

NOTES
If the debugger is invoked while a program is sleeping and then execution continued, the user will be
prompted:
Continue with SLEEP (Y/N) ?
If "N" is the response, the program will continue at the next statement after the MSLEEP
See also: SLEEP to sleep for a specified number of seconds or until a specified time.

EXAMPLES
Sleep for 1/10th of a second...
MSLEEP 100
*
* 40 winks...
MSLEEP 40000

244

MULS
See also: Floating point Operations
Use the MULS function to create a dynamic array of the element-by-element multiplication of two
dynamic arrays.

COMMAND SYNTAX
MULS (array1, array2)
Each element of array1 is multiplied by the corresponding element of array2 with the result being
returned in the corresponding element of a new dynamic array. If an element of one dynamic array has
no corresponding element in the other dynamic array, 0 is returned. If either of a corresponding pair of
elements is null, null is returned for that element.

EXAMPLE
A=1:@VM:2:@VM:3:@SM:4
B=4:@VM:5:@VM:6:@VM:9
PRINT MULS (A,B)
The output of this program is: 4]10]18\0]0

245

NEGS
Use the NEGS function to return the negative values of all the elements in a dynamic array.

COMMAND SYNTAX
NEGS (dynamic.array)
If the value of an element is negative, the returned value is positive. If dynamic.array evaluates to null,
null is returned. If any element is null, null is returned for that element.

246

NES
Use the NES function to determine whether elements of one dynamic array are equal to the elements of
another dynamic array.

COMMAND SYNTAX
NES (array1, array2)
Each element of array1 is compared with the corresponding element of array2. If the two elements are
equal, a 0 is returned in the corresponding element of a new dynamic array. If the two elements are not
equal, a 1 is returned. If an element of one dynamic array has no corresponding element in the other
dynamic array, a 1 is returned. If either of a corresponding pair of elements is null, null is returned for
that element.

247

NOBUF
Use the NOBUF statement to turn off buffering for a file previously opened for sequential processing.

COMMAND SYNTAX
NOBUF file.variable {THEN statements [ELSE statements] | ELSE statements}

DESCRIPTION
jBASE can buffer for sequential input and output operations. The NOBUF statement turns off this
behavior and causes all writes to the file to be performed immediately. The NOBUF statement should
be used in conjunction with a successful OPENSEQ statement and before any input or output is
performed on the record.
If the NOBUF operation is successful, it executes the THEN statements otherwise, executes the ELSE
statements. If file.variable is not a valid file descriptor then NOBUF statement fails and the program
enters the debugger.

EXAMPLE
In the following example, if RECORD in DIRFILE can be opened, output buffering is turned off:
OPENSEQ 'DIRFILE', 'RECORD' TO DATA THEN NOBUF DATA
ELSE ABORT

248

NOT
The NOT function is used to invert the Boolean value of an expression. It is useful for explicitly testing
for a false condition.

COMMAND SYNTAX
NOT (expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression may evaluate to any Boolean result.

NOTES
The NOT function will return Boolean TRUE if the expression returned a Boolean FALSE. It will
return Boolean FALSE of the expression returned a Boolean TRUE.
The NOT function is useful for explicitly testing for the false condition of some test and can clarify the
logic of such a test.

EXAMPLES
EQU Sunday TO NOT (MOD (DATE(), 7))
IF Sunday THEN
CRT "It is Sunday!"
END
In this example, the expression MOD (DATE(),7) will return 0 (FALSE) if the day is Sunday and 1 to
6 (TRUE) for the other days. To explicitly test for the day Sunday we need to invert the result of the
expression. BY using the NOT function we return a 1 (TRUE) if the day is Sunday and 0 (FALSE) for
all other values of the expression.

249

NOTS
Use the NOTS function to return a dynamic array of the logical complements of each element of
dynamic.array.

COMMAND SYNTAX
NOTS (dynamic.array)
If the value of the element is true, the NOTS function returns a value of false (0) in the corresponding
element of the returned array. If the value of the element is false, the NOTS function returns a value of
true (1) in the corresponding element of the returned array.
A numeric expression that evaluates to 0 has a logical value of false. A numeric expression that
evaluates to anything else, other than the null value, is a logical true.
An empty string is logically false. All other string expressions, including strings, which consist of an
empty string, spaces, or the number 0 and spaces, are logically true.
If any element in dynamic.array is null, it returns null for that element.

EXAMPLE
X=5; Y=5
PRINT NOTS X-Y:@VM:X+Y)
The output of this program is:
1]0

250

NULL
The NULL statement performs no function but can be useful in clarifying syntax and where the
language requires a statement but the programmer does not wish to perform any actions.

COMMAND SYNTAX
NULL

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
None

EXAMPLES
LOCATE A IN B SETTING C ELSE NULL

251

NUM
Use the NUM function to test arguments for numeric values.

COMMAND SYNTAX
NUM (expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression may evaluate to any data type.

NOTES
If found that every character in expression is numeric then NUM returns a value of Boolean TRUE If
any character in expression is found not to be numeric then a value of Boolean FALSE is returned.
Note that to execute user code migrated from older systems correctly, the NUM function will accept
both a null string and the single characters ".", "+", and "-" as being numeric.
NOTE: if running jBASE BASIC in ros emulation the "." , "+" and "-" characters would not be
considered numeric.

EXAMPLE
LOOP
INPUT Answer,1
IF NUM (Answer) THEN BREAK ;* Exit loop if numeric
REPEAT

252

NUMS
Use the NUMS function to determine whether the elements of a dynamic array are numeric or
nonnumeric strings.

COMMAND SYNTAX
NUMS (dynamic.array)
If an element is numeric, a numeric string, or an empty string, it evaluates to true, and returns a value
of 1 to the corresponding element in a new dynamic array. If the element is a nonnumeric string, it
evaluates to false, and returns a value of 0.
The NUMS of a numeric element with a decimal point ( . ) evaluates to true; the NUMS of a numeric
element with a comma ( , ) or dollar sign ( $ ) evaluates to false.
If dynamic.array evaluates to null, it returns null. If an element of dynamic.array is null, it returns null
for that element.

INTERNATIONAL MODE
When using the NUMS function in International Mode, the statement will use the Unicode Standard to
determine whether an expression is numeric.

253

OBJEXCALLBACK
jBASE OBjEX provides the facility to call a subroutine from a front-end program written in a tool that
supports OLE, such as Delphi or Visual Basic. The OBJEXCALLBACK statement allows
communication between the subroutine and the calling OBjEX program.

COMMAND SYNTAX
OBJEXCALLBACK expression1, expression2 THEN|ELSE statements

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression1 and expression2 can contain any data. They are returned to the OBjEX program where
they are defined as variants.
If the subroutine containing the OBJEXCALLBACK statement is not called from an OBjEX program
(using the Call Method) then the ELSE clause will be taken.

NOTES
The OBJEXCALLBACK statement is designed to allow jBASE BASIC subroutines to temporarily
return to the calling environment to handle exception conditions or prompt for additional information.
After servicing this event, the code should return control to the jBASE BASIC program to ensure that
the proper clean up operations are eventually made. The two parameters can be used to pass data
between the jBASE BASIC and OBjEX environments in both directions. They are defined as Variants
in the OBjEX environment and as normal variables in the jBASE BASIC environment.
See the OBjEX documentation for more information.

EXAMPLE
param1 = "SomeActionCode"
param2 = ProblemItem
OBJEXCALLBACK param1, param2 THEN
* this routine was called from ObjEX
END ELSE
* this routine was not called from ObjEX
END

254

OCONV
Use the OCONV statement to convert internal representations of data to their external form.

COMMAND SYNTAX
OCONV (expression1, expression2)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression1 may evaluate to any data type but must be relevant to the conversion code.
expression2 should evaluate to a conversion code from the list below. Alternatively, expression2 may
evaluate to a user exit known to the jBASE BASIC language or supplied by the user.

INTERNATIONAL MODE
Description of date, time, number and currency conversions when used in ICONV and International
Mode

NOTES
OCONV will return the result of the conversion of expression1 by expression2. Shown below are valid
conversion codes:

Conversion

Action

D{n{c}}

Converts an internal date to an external date format. The numeric argument n
specifies the field width allowed for the year and can be 0 to 4 (default 4). The
character c causes the date to be return in the form ddcmmcyyyy. If it is not
specified the month name is return in abbreviated form.

DI

Allow the conversion of an external date to the internal format even though an
output conversion is expected.

DD

Returns the day in the current month.

DM

Returns the number of the month in the year.

DMA

Returns the name of the current month.

DJ

Returns the number of the day in the year (0-366).

DQ

Returns the quarter of the year as a number 1 to 4

DW

Returns the day of the week as a number 1 to 7 (Monday is 1).

DWA

Returns the name of the day of the week.

DY{n}

Returns the year in a field of n characters.

F

Given a prospective filename for a command such as CREATE-FILE this
conversion will return a filename that is acceptable to the version of UNIX
jBASE is running on.

MCA

Removes all but alphabetic characters from the input string.

MC/A

Removes all but the NON-alphabetic characters in the input string.

MCN

Removes all but numeric characters in the input string

MC/N

Removes all but NON numeric characters in the input string

255

Conversion

Action

MCB

Returns just the alphabetic and numeric characters from the input string

MC/B

Remove the alphabetic and numeric characters from their input string.

MCC;s1;s2

Replaces all occurrences of string s1 with string s2

MCL

Converts all upper case characters in the string to lower case characters

MCU

Converts all lower case characters in the string to upper case characters.

MCT

Capitalizes each word in the input string; e.g. JIM converts to Jim

MCP{c}

Converts all non-printable characters to a period character "." in the input
string. When supplied use the character "c" in place of the period.

MCPN{n}

In the same manner as the MCP conversion, it replaces all non-printable
characters. The ASCII hexadecimal value follows the replacing character.

MCNP{n}

Performs the opposite conversion to MCPN. The ASCII hexadecimal value
following the tilde character converts to its original binary character value.

MCDX

Converts the decimal value in the input string to its hexadecimal equivalent.

MCXD

Converts the hexadecimal value in the input string to its decimal equivalent.

Gncx

Extracts x groups separated by character c skipping n groups, from the input
string.

MT{HS}

Performs time conversions.

MD

Converts the supplied integer value to a decimal value.

MP

Converts a packed decimal number to an integer value.

MX

Converts ASCII input to hexadecimal characters.

T

Performs file translations given a cross-reference table in a record in a file.

256

OCONVS
Use the OCONVS function to convert the elements of dynamic.array to a specified format for external
output.

COMMAND SYNTAX
OCONVS (dynamic.array, conversion)
Converts the elements to the external output format specified by conversion and returned in a dynamic
array conversion must evaluate to one or more conversion codes separated by value marks (ASCII
253).
If multiple codes are used, they are applied from left to right as follows: the left-most conversion code
is applied to the element, the next conversion code to the right is then applied to the result of the first
conversion, and so on.
If dynamic.array evaluates to null, it returns null. If any element of dynamic.array is null, it returns null
for that element. If conversion evaluates to null, the OCONVS function fails and the program
terminates with a run-time error message.
The STATUS function reflects the result of the conversion:
0 The conversion is successful.
1 Passes an invalid element to the OCONVS function; the original element is returned. If the invalid
element is null, it returns null for that element.
2 The conversion code is invalid.
For information about converting elements in a dynamic array to an internal format
See also: ICONVS function.

INTERNATIONAL MODE
Description of date, time, number and currency conversions when used in ICONV and International
Mode

257

ONGOTO
The ON...GOSUB and ON...GOTO statements are used to transfer program execution to a label based
upon a calculation.

COMMAND SYNTAX
ON expression GOTO label{, label...}
ON expression GOSUB label{, label...}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression should evaluate to an integer numeric value. Labels should be defined somewhere in the
current source file.
ON GOTO will transfer execution to the labeled source code line in the program.
ON GOSUB will transfer execution to the labeled subroutine within the source code.

NOTES
Use the value of expression as an index to the list of labels supplied. If the expression evaluates to 1
then the first label will be jumped to, 2 then the second label will be used and so on.
If the program was compiled when the emulation included the setting generic_pick = true, then no
validations are performed on the index to see if it is valid. Therefore, if the index is out of range this
instruction will take no action and report no error.
If the program was compiled for other emulations then the index will be range checked. If found that
the index is less than 1, it is assumed to be 1 and a warning message is issued If the index is found to be
too big, then the last label in the list will be used to transfer execution and a warning message issued.

EXAMPLE
INPUT Ans,1_
ON SEQ (Ans)-SEQ(A)+1 GOSUB RoutineA, RoutineB...

258

OPEN
Use the OPEN statement to open a file or device to a descriptor variable within jBASE BASIC.

COMMAND SYNTAX
OPEN {expression1,}expression2 TO {variable} {SETTING setvar} THEN|ELSE statements

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The combination of expression1 and expression2 should evaluate to a valid file name of a file type that
already installed on the jBASE system. If the file has a dictionary section to be opened by the statement
then specify by the literal string "DICT" being specified in expression1. If specified, the variable will
be used to hold the descriptor for the file. It should then be to access the file using READ and WRITE.
If no file descriptor variable is supplied, then the file will be opened to the default file descriptor.
Specific data sections of a multi level file may specified by separating the section name from the file
name by a "," char in expression2.
If the OPEN statement fails it will execute any statements associated with an ELSE clause. If the
OPEN is successful, it will execute any statements associated with a THEN clause. Note that the syntax
requires either one or both of the THEN and ELSE clauses.
If specifying the SETTING clause and the open fails, setvar will be set to one of the following values:

INCREMENTAL FILE ERRORS
128

No such file or directory

4096

Network error

24576

Permission denied

32768

Physical I/O error or unknown error

NOTES: The OPEN statement uses the environment variable JEDIFILEPATH to search for the named
file. If there is no defined named file, it will search the current working directory followed by the home
directory of the current process.
The file that is the subject of the OPEN statement can be of any type known to the jBASE system. Its
type will be determined and correctly opened transparently to the application, which need not be aware
of the file type.
A jBASE BASIC program can open an unlimited amount of files.

EXAMPLES
OPEN "DICT", "CUSTOMERS" TO F.Dict.Customers ELSE
ABORT 201, "DICT CUSTOMERS"
END

259

opens the dictionary section of file CUSTOMERS to its own file descriptor F.Dict.Customers.
OPEN "CUSTOMERS" ELSE ABORT 201, "CUSTOMERS"

opens the CUSTOMERS file to the default file variable.

260

OPENDEV
Opens a device (or file) for sequential writing and/or reading

COMMAND SYNTAX
OPENDEV Device TO FileVar { LOCKED statements } THEN | ELSE statements

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Device specifies the target device or file
FileVar contains the file descriptor of the file when the open was successful
Statements conditional jBASE BASIC statements

NOTES
If the device does not exist or cannot be opened it executes the ELSE clause. Once open it takes a lock
on the device. If the lock cannot be taken then the LOCKED clause is executed if it exists otherwise the
ELSE clause is executed. The specified device can be a regular file, pipe or special device file. Regular
file types only take locks. Once open the file pointer is set to the first line of sequential data.

EXAMPLE
OPENDEV "\\.\TAPE0" TO tape.drive ELSE STOP
Opens the Windows default tape drive and prepares it for sequential processing.
For more information on sequential processing, see READSEQ, WRITESEQ the sequential processing
example.

261

OPENINDEX
The OPENINDEX statement is used to open a particular index definition for a particular file. This
index file variable can later be used with the SELECT statement.

COMMAND SYNTAX
OPENINDEX filename,indexname TO indexvar {SETTING setvar} THEN|ELSE statements

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
filename should correspond to a valid file which has at least one index.
indexname should correspond to an index created for the filename.
indexvar is the variable that holds the descriptor for the index.
If the OPEN statement fails it will execute any statements associated with an ELSE clause. If the
OPEN is successful it will execute any statements associated with a THEN clause. Note that the syntax
requires either one or both of the THEN and ELSE clauses.
If the SETTING clause is specified and the open fails, setvar will be set to one of the following values:

EXAMPLES
OPENINDEX "CUSTOMER","IXLASTNAME" TO custlastname.ix SETTING errval ELSE
CRT "OPENINDEX failed for file CUSTOMER, index IXLASTNAME"
ABORT
END

262

OPENPATH
Use the OPENPATH statement to open a file (given an absolute or relative path) to a descriptor
variable within jBASE BASIC.
See also: the OPEN statement.

COMMAND SYNTAX
OPENPATH expression1 TO {variable} {SETTING setvar} THEN|ELSE statements

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Expression1 should be an absolute or relative path to the file including the name of the file to be
opened. If specified, variable will be used to hold the descriptor for the file. It should then be to access
the file using READ and WRITE. If no file descriptor variable is supplied, then the file will be opened
to the default file descriptor.
If the OPENPATH statement fails it will execute any statements associated with an ELSE clause. If
successful, the OPENPATH will execute any statements associated with a THEN clause. Note that the
syntax requires either one or both of the THEN and ELSE clauses.
If the SETTING clause is specified and the open fails, setvar will be set to one of the following values:

INCREMENTAL FILE ERRORS
128

No such file or directory

4096

Network error

24576

Permission denied

32768

Physical I/O error or unknown error

NOTES
The path specified may be either a relative or an absolute path and must include the name of the jBASE
file being opened.
The file that is the subject of the OPENPATH statement can be of any type known to the jBASE
system. Its type will be determined and correctly opened transparently to the application, which need
not be aware of the file type.
A jBASE BASIC program can open an unlimited amount of files.

EXAMPLES
OPENPATH "C:\Home\CUSTOMERS" TO F.Customers ELSE
ABORT 201, "CUSTOMERS"
END
opens the file CUSTOMERS (located in C:\Home) to its own file descriptor F.Customers
OPEN "F:\Users\data\CUSTOMERS" ELSE ABORT 201, "CUSTOMERS"

263

opens the CUSTOMERS file (located in F:\Users\data) to the default file variable.

264

OPENSEQ
Opens a file for sequential writing and/or reading

COMMAND SYNTAX
OPENSEQ Path{,File} {READONLY} TO FileVar { LOCKED statements } THEN | ELSE
statements

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Path specifies the relative or absolute path of the target directory or file
File specifies additional path information of the target file
FileVar contains the file descriptor of the file when the open was successful
Statements conditional jBASE BASIC statements

NOTES
If the file does not exist or cannot be opened it then executes the ELSE clause. However, if
JBASICEMULATE is set for Sequoia (use value "seq") emulation then OPENSEQ will create the file
if it does not exist. This behavior can also be achieved by specifying "openseq_creates = true" in
Config_EMULATE for the emulation being used. Once open a lock is taken on the file. If the lock
cannot be taken then the LOCKED clause is executed if it exists otherwise the ELSE clause is
executed. If specified the READONLY process takes a read lock on the file, otherwise it takes a write
lock. The specified file can be a regular, pipe or special device file. Locks are only taken on regular file
types. Once open the file pointer is set to the first line of sequential data.

SEQUENTIAL FILE PROCESSING EXAMPLES

EXAMPLE 1
This program uses sequential processing to create (write to)an ASCII
text file

* from a jBASE hashed file. It illustrates the use of the commands:
*

OPENSEQ, WRITESEQ, WEOFSEQ, CLOSESEQ

*
* First, let's set the destination directory and file path
Path = "d:\temp\textfile"
*
* Open the destination file path. If it does not exist it will be
created.

265

* Note that "openseq_creates=true" must be set for the emulation in
config_EMULATE
OPENSEQ Path TO MyPath THEN
CRT "The file already exists and we don't want to overwrite
it."
END ELSE
CRT "File is being created..."
END
*
* Open the jBASE file
OPEN "FileName" TO jBaseFile ELSE STOP
SELECT
jBaseFile

;* Process all records

*
* Now, let's loop thru each item and build the ASCII text file.
LOOP WHILE READNEXT
ID DO
READ
MyRec FROM jBaseFile, ID THEN
Line = ""
*
* Process MyRec and build the Line variable with the information to
be
* written to the ASCII text file. jBASE automatically takes care of
the
* end-of-line delimiters in this case a cr/lf is appended to the end
* of each line However, this can be changed with the IOCTL() function
.*
WRITESEQ Line TO MyPath ELSE
CRT "What happened to the file?"

266

STOP
END
END
REPEAT
*
* Wrapup
WEOFSEQ MyPath
CLOSESEQ MyPath

EXAMPLE 2
This program uses sequential processing to read from an ASCII text
file
* and write to a jBASE hashed file. It illustrates the use of the
commands:
*

OPENSEQ, READSEQ, CLOSESEQ

*
* First, let's define the path where the sequential file resides.
Path = "d:\temp\textfile"
*
* Open the file. If it does not exist an error will be produced.
OPENSEQ Path TO MyPath ELSE
CRT "Can't find the specified directory or file."
ABORT
END
*
* Open the jBASE hashed file
OPEN "FileName" TO jBaseFile ELSE STOP

*
* Now, let's read and process each line of the ASCII (sequential)
file.
LOOP
READSEQ Line FROM MyPath THEN
Initialize the record that will be written to the jBASE hashed file.

267

MyRec = ""
*
* Process the Line variable. This involves extracting the information
which
define the key and data of the record to be written to the base
hashed
* file. This will be left up to the application developer since a

"line"
could either be fixed length or delimited by some character such as a tab or a comma. We will assume
that Key & MyRec are assembled here.

*
* All that's left to do is to write to the jBASE-hashed file
.

WRITE MyRec on jBaseFile, Key
END
REPEAT

*
* Wrapup
CLOSESEQ MyPath

268

OPENSER
Use the OPENSER statement to handle the Serial IO. However, the OPENSER statement has also been
provided.
Serial IO to the COM ports on NT and to device files, achieves this on UNIX by using the sequential
file statements. In addition, you can perform certain control operations using the IOCTL function.

COMMAND SYNTAX
OPENSER Path,DevInfo| PIPE TO FileVar THEN | ELSE Statements

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Path is the pathname of the required device.
DevInfo consists of the following:
Baud

baud rate required

Flow

Parity

y

X-ON X-OFF flow control (default)

n

no flow control

i

input flow control

o

output flow control

e

7 bit even parity

o

7 bit odd parity

n

8 bit no parity, (Default)

s

8 bit no parity, strip top bit

PIPE specifies the file is to be opened to a PIPE for reading.

NOTES
The PIPE functionality allows a process to open a PIPE, once opened then the process can execute a
command via the WRITESEQ/SEND statement and then received the result back via the
GET/READSEQ statements.

EXAMPLE
FileName = "/dev/tty01s"
OPENSER FileName TO File ELSE STOP 201,FileName
WRITESEQ "ls -ail" ON File,"" ;* ONLY for PIPEs
LOOP
Terminator = CHAR (10)
WaitTime = 4
GET Input SETTING Count FROM File UNTIL Terminator RETURNING
TermChar

269

WAITING WaitTime THEN
CRT "Get Ok, Input ":Input:" Count ":Count:"TermChar
":TermChar
END ELSE
CRT "Get Timed out Input ":Input:" Count ":Count:" TermChar
":TermChar
END
WHILE Input NE "" DO
REPEAT

270

ORS
Use the ORS function to create a dynamic array of the logical OR of corresponding elements of two
dynamic arrays.

COMMAND SYNTAX
ORS (array1, array2)
Each element of the new dynamic array is the logical OR of the corresponding elements of array1 and
array2. If an element of one dynamic array has no corresponding element in the other dynamic array, it
assumes a false for the missing element.
If both corresponding elements of array1 and array2 are null, it returns null for those elements. If one
element is the null value and the other is 0 or an empty string, it returns null. If one element is the null
value and the other is any value other than 0 or an empty string, it returns true.

EXAMPLE
A="A":@SM:0:@VM:4:@SM:1
B=0:@SM:1-1:@VM:2
PRINT ORS (A,B)
The output of this program is: 1\0]1\1

271

OSBREAD
The OSBREAD command reads data from a file starting at a specified byte location for a certain length
of bytes, and assigns the data to a variable.

COMMAND SYNTAX
OSBREAD var FROM file.var [AT byte.expr] LENGTH length.expr [ON ERROR statements]
OSBREAD performs an operating system block read on a UNIX or Windows file.
REMINDER:
Before you use OSBREAD, you must open the file by using the OSOPEN or OPENSEQ command.
NOTE: jBASE uses the ASCII 0 character [CHAR (0)] as a string-end delimiter. Therefore, ASCII 0
cannot be used in any string variable within jBASE. OSBREAD converts CHAR(0) to CHAR(128)
when reading a block of data.

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
var specifies a variable to which to assign the data read.
FROM file.var specifies a file from which to read the data.
AT byte.expr specifies a location in the file from which to begin reading data. If byte.expr is 0, the read
begins at the beginning of the file.
LENGTH length.expr specifies a length of data to read from the file, starting at byte.expr. length.expr
cannot be longer than the maximum string length determined by your system configuration.
ON ERROR statements specifies statements to execute if a fatal error occurs (if the file is not open, or
if the file is a read-only file). If you do not specify the ON ERROR clause, the program terminates
under such fatal error conditions.
STATUS Function Return Values
After you execute OSBREAD, the STATUS function returns either 0 or a failure code.

EXAMPLES
In the following example, the program statement reads 10,000 bytes of the file MYPIPE starting from
the beginning of the file. The program assigns the data it reads to the variable TEST.
OSBREAD Data FROM MYPIPE AT 0 LENGTH 10000

272

OSBWRITE
The OSBWRITE command writes an expression to a sequential file starting at a specified byte
location.

COMMAND SYNTAX
OSBWRITE expr {ON | TO} file.var [AT byte.expr] [NODELAY] [ON ERROR statements]
OSBWRITE immediately writes a file segment out to the UNIX, Windows NT, or Windows 2000 file.
You do not have to specify a length expression because the number of bytes in expr is written to the
file.
REMINDER: Before you use OSBWRITE, you must open the file by using the OSOPEN or
OPENSEQ command.
NOTE: jBASE uses the ASCII 0 character [CHAR (0)] as a string-end delimiter. Therefore, ASCII 0
cannot be used in any string variable within jBASE. If jBASE reads a string that contains CHAR(0)
characters by using OSBREAD, those characters are converted to CHAR(128).
OSBWRITE converts CHAR (128) back to CHAR(0) when writing a block of characters.

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expr specifies the expression to write to the file.
ON | TO file.var specifies the file on which to write the expression
AT byte.expr If byte.expr is 0, the write begins at the beginning of the file.
NODELAY forces an immediate write.
ON ERROR statements specifies statements to execute if the OSBWRITE statement fails with a fatal
error because the file is not open, an I/O error occurs, or jBASE cannot find the file. If you do not
specify the ON ERROR clause and a fatal error occurs, the program terminates.
STATUS Function Return Values
After you execute OSBWRITE, the STATUS function returns either 0 or a failure code.
0

The write was successful.

1

The write failed.

EXAMPLE
In the following example, the program statement writes the data in MYPIPE to the opened file starting
from the beginning of the file:
OSBWRITE Data ON MYPIPE AT 0

273

OSCLOSE
The OSCLOSE command closes a sequential file that you opened with the OSOPEN or OPENSEQ
command.

COMMAND SYNTAX
OSCLOSE file.var [ON ERROR statements]

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
file.var Specifies the file to close.
ON ERROR statements Specifies statements to execute if the OSCLOSE statement fails with a fatal
error because the file is not open, an I/O error occurs, or jBASE cannot find the file.
If you do not specify the ON ERROR clause and a fatal error occurs, the program will enter the
debugger.

STATUS Function Return Values
After you execute OSCLOSE, the STATUS function returns either 0 or a failure code.
0

it closes the file successfully.

1

Close failed.

EXAMPLE
In the following example, the program statement closes the file opened to MYPIPE file variable.
OSCLOSE MYPIPE

274

OSDELETE
The OSDELETE command deletes a NT or UNIX file.

COMMAND SYNTAX
OSDELETE filename [ON ERROR statements]

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
filename Specifies the file to delete. filename must include the file path. If you do not specify a path,
jBASE searches the current directory.
ON ERROR statements Specifies statements to execute if the OSDELETE statement fails with a fatal
error because the file is not open, an I/O error occurs, or jBASE cannot find the file.
If you do not specify the ON ERROR clause and a fatal error occurs, the program terminates.

STATUS Function Return Values
After you execute OSDELETE, the STATUS function returns either 0 or a failure code.
0 It deletes the file
1 Delete failed.

EXAMPLES
In the following example, the program statement deletes the file ‘MYPIPE’ in the current directory:
OSDELETE "MYPIPE"

275

OSOPEN
The OSOPEN command opens a sequential file that does not use CHAR (10) as the line delimiter.

COMMAND SYNTAX
OSOPEN filename TO file.var
[ON ERROR statements] {THEN | ELSE} statements [END]
Read/write access mode is the default. Specify this access mode by omitting READONLY and
WRITEONLY.
TIP: After opening a sequential file with OSOPEN, use OSBREAD to read a block of data from the
file, or OSBWRITE to write a block of data to the file. You also can use READSEQ to read a record
from the file, or WRITESEQ or WRITESEQF to write a record to the file, if the file is not a named
pipe. (READSEQ, WRITESEQ, WRITESEQF are line-oriented commands that use CHAR (10) as the
line delimiter.)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
filename Specifies the file to open. filename must include the entire path name unless the file resides in
the current directory.
TO file.var Specifies a variable to contain a pointer to the file.
ON ERROR statements specifies statements to execute if the OSOPEN statement fails with a fatal
error because the file is not open, an I/O error occurs, or JBASE cannot find the file. If you do not
specify the ON ERROR clause and a fatal error occurs, the program enters the debugger.
THEN statements Executes if the read is successful.
ELSE statements Executes if the read is not successful or the record (or ID) does not exist

EXAMPLE
In the following example, the program statement opens the file ‘MYSLIPPERS’ as SLIPPERS.
OSOPEN 'MYSLIPPERS' TO SLIPPERS ELSE STOP

276

OSREAD
Reads an OS file.

COMMAND SYNTAX
OSREAD Variable FROM expression {ON ERROR Statements} {THEN | ELSE} Statements {END}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Variable - Specifies the variable to contain the data from the read.
Expression - Specifies the full file path. If the file resides in the JEDIFILEPATH then just the file
name is required.
ON ERROR Statements - Conditional jBASE BASIC statements to execute if the OSREAD statement
fails with a fatal error because the file is not open, an I/O error occurs, or jBASE cannot find the file. If
you do not specify the ON ERROR clause and a fatal error occurs, the program terminates.
THEN | ELSE If the OSREAD statement fails it will execute any statements associated with an ELSE
clause. If the OSREAD is successful, it will execute any statements associated with a THEN clause.
Note that the syntax requires either one or both of the THEN and ELSE clauses.

WARNING
Do not use OSREAD on large files. The jBASE BASIC OSREAD command reads an entire sequential
file and assigns the contents of the file to a variable. If the file is too large for the program memory, the
program aborts and generates a runtime error message. On large files, use OSBREAD or READSEQ.
jBASE uses the ASCII 0 character (CHAR (0)) as a string-end delimiter. ASCII 0 is not useable within
string variable in jBASE BASIC. This command converts CHAR(0) to CHAR(128) when reading a
block of data.
OSREAD MyFile FROM "C:\MyDirectory\MyFile" ELSE PRINT "FILE NOT FOUND"

277

OSWRITE
The OSWRITE command writes the contents of an expression to a sequential file.

COMMAND SYNTAX
OSWRITE expr {ON | TO} filename [ON ERROR statements]

NOTE:
JBASE uses the ASCII 0 character [CHAR(0)] as a string-end delimiter. For this reason, you cannot
use ASCII 0 in any string variable in jBASE. If jBASE reads a string with a CHAR(0) character, and
then the character is converted to CHAR(128), OSWRITE converts CHAR(128) to CHAR(0) when
writing a block of characters.

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expr Specifies the expression to write to filename.
ON | TO filename specifies the name of a sequential file to which to write.
ON ERROR statements Specifies statements to execute if the OSWRITE statement fails with a fatal
error because the file is not open, an I/O error occurs, or jBASE cannot find the file. If you do not
specify the ON ERROR clause and a fatal error occurs, the program enters the debugger.

EXAMPLE
In the following example, the program segment writes the contents of FOOTWEAR to the file called
"PINK" in the directory ‘/usr/local/myslippers’
OSWRITE FOOTWEAR ON "/usr/local/myslippers"

278

OUT
The OUT statement is used to send raw characters to the current output device (normally the terminal).

COMMAND SYNTAX
OUT expression

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression should evaluate to a numeric integer in the range 0 to 255, being the entire range of ASCII
characters.

NOTES
The numeric expression is first converted to the raw ASCII character specified and then sent directly to
the output advice.

EXAMPLES
EQUATE BELL TO OUT 7
BELL ;* Sound terminal bell
FOR I = 32 TO 127; OUT I; NEXT I ;* Printable chars
BELL

279

PAGE
Prints any FOOTING statement, throws a PAGE and prints any heading statement on the current
output device.

COMMAND SYNTAX
PAGE {expression}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
If expression is specified it should evaluate to a numeric integer, which will cause the page number
after the page throw to be set to this value.

EXAMPLES
HEADING "10 PAGE REPORT"
FOR I = 1 TO 10
PAGE
GOSUB PrintPage
NEXT I

280

PAUSE
The PAUSE statement allows processing to be suspended until an external event triggered by a WAKE
statement from another process or a timeout occurs.

COMMAND SYNTAX
PAUSE {expression}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression may evaluate to a timeout value, which is the maximum number of seconds to suspend the
process. If expression is omitted then the PAUSE statement will cause the process to suspend until
woken by the WAKE statement.
I f a timeout value is specified and the suspended process is not woken by a WAKE statement then the
process will continue once the timeout period has expired.
If executing a WAKE statement for the process before the process executes the PAUSE statement then
the PAUSE will be ignored and processing will continue until a subsequent PAUSE statement.

281

PCPERFORM
PCPERFORM is synonymous with and PERFORM.

PERFORM
PERFORM is synonymous with and PERFORM.

282

PRECISION
The PRECISION statement informs jBASE as to the number of digits of precision it uses after the
decimal point in numbers.

COMMAND SYNTAX
PRECISION integer

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
integer should be in the range 0 to 9.

NOTES
A PRECISION statement can be specified any number of times in a source file. Only the most recently
defined precision will be active at any one time.
Calling programs and external subroutines do not have to be compiled at the same degree of precision,
however, any changes to precision in a subroutine will not persist when control returns to the calling
program.
jBASE uses the maximum degree of precision allowed on the host machine in all mathematical
calculations to ensure maximum accuracy. It then uses the defined precision to format the number.

EXAMPLES
PRECISION 6
CRT 2/3
will print the value 0.666666 (note: truncation not rounding!).

283

PRINT
The PRINT statement sends data directly to the current output device, which will be either the terminal
or the printer.

COMMAND SYNTAX
PRINT expression {, expression...} {:}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
An expression can evaluate to any data type. The PRINT statement will convert the result to a string
type for printing. Expressions separated by commas will be sent to the output device separated by a tab
character.
The PRINT statement will append a newline sequence to the final expression unless it is terminated
with a colon ":" character.

NOTES
As the expression can be any valid expression, it may have output formatting applied to it.
If a PRINTER ON statement is currently active then output will be sent to the currently assigned
printer form queue.
See also: SP-ASSIGN command and CRT.

EXAMPLES
PRINT A "L#5"

PRINT @ (8,20):"Patrick":

284

PRINTER
Use the PRINTER statement to control the destination of output from the PRINT statement.

COMMAND SYNTAX
PRINTER ON|OFF|CLOSE

NOTES
PRINTER ON redirects all subsequent output from the PRINT statement to the print spooler.
PRINTER OFF redirects all subsequent output from the PRINT statement to the terminal device.
PRINTER CLOSE will act as PRINTER OFF but in addition closes the currently active spool job
created by the active PRINTER ON statement.

EXAMPLES
PRINTER ON;* Open a spool job
FOR I =1 TO 60
PRINT "Line ":I ;* Send to printer
PRINTER OFF
PRINT "+": ;* Send to terminal
PRINTER ON ;* Back to printer
NEXT I
PRINTER CLOSE ;* Allow spooler to print it

285

PRINTERR
Use PRINTERR to print standard jBASE error messages

COMMAND SYNTAX
PRINTERR expression

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Field 1 of the expression should evaluate to the numeric or string name of a valid error message in the
jBASE error message file. If the error message requires parameters then these can be passed to the
message as subsequent fields of the expression.

INTERNATIONAL MODE
When the PRINTERR statement is used in International Mode, the error message file to be used, i.e.
the default “jBASICmessages” or other as configured via the error message environment variable, will
be suffixed with the current locale. For example, if the currently configured locale is “fr_FR” then the
statement will attempt to find the specified error message record id in the “jBASICmessages_fr_FR”
error message file. If the file cannot be found then the country code will be discarded and just the
language code used. i.e. the file “jBASICmessages_fr” will be used. If this file is also not found then
the error message file “jBASICmessages” will be used.

NOTES
The PRINTERR statement is most useful for user-defined messages that have been added to the
standard set.
You should be very careful when typing this statement it is very similar to the PRINTER statement.
Although this is not ideal, the PRINTERR statement must be supported for compatibility with older
systems.

EXAMPLES
PRINTERR 201:CHAR (254):"CUSTOMERS"

286

PROCREAD
Use PROCREAD to retrieve data passed to programs from a jCL program.

COMMAND SYNTAX
PROCREAD variable THEN|ELSE statements

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
variable is a valid jBASE BASIC identifier, which will be used to store the contents of the primary
input buffer of the last jCL program called.
If a jCL program did not initiate the program the PROCREAD will fail and executes any statements
associated with an ELSE clause. If the program was initiated by a jCL program then the PROCREAD
will succeed, the jCL primary input buffer will be assigned to variable and any statements associated
with a THEN clause will be executed.

NOTES
It is recommended that the use of jCL and therefore the PROCREAD statement should be not be
expanded within your application and gradually replaced with more sophisticated methods such as
UNIX scripts or jBASE BASIC programs.

EXAMPLE
PROCREAD Primary ELSE
CRT "Unable to read the jCL buffer"
STOP
END

287

PROCWRITE
Use PROCWRITE to pass data back to the primary input buffer of a calling jCL program.

COMMAND SYNTAX
PROCWRITE expression

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression may evaluate to any valid data type.

NOTES
See also: PROCREAD

EXAMPLES
PROCWRITE "Success":CHAR (254):"0"

288

PROGRAM
PROGRAM performs no function other than to document the source code

COMMAND SYNTAX
PROGRAM progname

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Progname can be any string of characters.

EXAMPLES
PROGRAM HelpUser
!
! Start of program

289

PROMPT
Used to change the PROMPT character used by terminal input commands

COMMAND SYNTAX
PROMPT expression

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression can evaluate to any printable string.

NOTES
The entire string is used as the prompt.
The default prompt character is the question mark "?" character.

EXAMPLE
PROMPT "Next answer : "

INPUT Answer

290

PUTENV
Use PUTENV to set environment variables for the current process.

COMMAND SYNTAX
PUTENV (expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression should evaluate to a string of the form:
EnvVarName=value
where
EnvVarName is the name of a valid environment variable and value is any string that makes sense to
variable being set.
If PUTENV function succeeds it returns a Boolean TRUE value, if it fails it will return a Boolean
FALSE value.

NOTES
PUTENV only sets environment variables for the current process and processes spawned (say by
EXECUTE) by this process. These variables are known as export only variables.
See also: GETENV

EXAMPLE
IF PUTENV("JBASICLOGNAME=":UserName) THEN
CRT "Environment configured"
END

291

PWR
The PWR function raises a number to the n'th power.

COMMAND SYNTAX
PWR (expression1, expression2)
or
expression1 ^ expression2

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Both expression1 and expression2 should evaluate to numeric arguments. The function will return the
value of expression1 raised to the value of expression2.

NOTES
If expression1 is negative and expression2 is not an integer then a maths library error is displayed and
the function returns the value 0. The error message displayed is:
pow: DOMAIN error
All calculations are performed at the maximum precision supported on the host machine and truncated
to the compiled precision on completion.

EXAMPLES
A = 2
B = 31
CRT "2 GB is ":A^B
or
CRT "2 GB is": PWR (A, B)

292

QUOTE / DQUOTE / SQUOTE
These three functions will put a single or double quotation mark and the beginning and end of a string.

COMMAND SYNTAX
QUOTE(expression)
DQUOTE(expression)
SQUOTE(expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression may be any expression that is valid in the JBASE BASIC language.

NOTES
The QUOTE and DQUOTE functions will enclose the value in double quotation marks. The SQUOTE
function will enclose the value in single quotation marks.

293

RAISE
The RAISE function raises system delimiters in a string to the next highest delimiter.

COMMAND SYNTAX
RAISE (expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The expression is a string containing one or more delimiters, which are raised as follows:

ASCII Character

Raised To

248

249

249

250

250

251

251

252

252

253

253

254

254

255

EXAMPLE
AttributeDelimitedVariable = RAISE(ValuemarkDelimitedVariable)

294

READ
The READ statement allows a program to read a record from a previously opened file into a variable.

COMMAND SYNTAX
READ variable1 FROM { variable2,} expression {SETTING setvar} {ON ERROR statements}
THEN|ELSE statements

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
variable1 is the identifier into which the record will be read.
variable2, if specified, should be a jBASE BASIC variable that has previously been opened to a file
using the OPEN statement. If variable2 is not specified then the default file is assumed.
The expression should evaluate to a valid record key for the file.
If the SETTING clause is specified and the read fails, setvar will be set to one of the following values:

INCREMENTAL FILE ERRORS
128

No such file or directory

4096

Network error

24576

Permission denied

32768

Physical I/O error or unknown error

If ON ERROR is specified, the statements following the ON ERROR clause will be executed for any
of the above Incremental File Errors except error 128.

NOTES
If you wish to set a lock on a record, you should do so explicitly with the READU statement.

EXAMPLE 1
OPEN "Customers" ELSE ABORT 201, "Customers"
OPEN "DICT Customers" TO DCusts ELSE
ABORT 201, "DICT Customers"
END
READ Rec FROM DCusts, "Xref" THEN
READ DataRec FROM Rec<7> ELSE
ABORT 202, Rec<7>
END
END ELSE

295

ABORT 202, "Xref"
END

EXAMPLE 2
READ record FROM filevar, id SETTING errorNumber ON ERROR

PRINT errorNumber
END THEN
PRINT 'Record read successfully'
END ELSE
PRINT 'Record not on file'
END

296

READBLK
Use the READBLK statement to read a block of data of a specified length from a file opened for
sequential processing and assigns it to a variable.

COMMAND SYNTAX
READBLK variable FROM file.variable, blocksize
{ THEN statements [ELSE statements] | ELSE statements }
The READBLK statement reads a block of data beginning at the current position in the file and
continuing for blocksize bytes and assigns it to variable. The current position is reset to just beyond the
last readable byte.
file.variable specifies a file previously opened for sequential processing.
If the data can be read from the file, the THEN statements are executed; any ELSE statements are
ignored. If the file is not readable or if the end of file is encountered, the ELSE statements are executed
and the THEN statements are ignored. If the ELSE statements are executed, variable is set to an empty
string. If either file.variable or blocksize evaluates to null, the READBLK statement fails and the
program enters the debugger.
NOTE: A new line in UNIX files is one byte long, whereas in Windows NT it is two bytes long. This
means that for a file with newlines, the same READBLK statement may return a different set of data
depending on the operating system the file is stored under.
The difference between the READSEQ statement and the READBLK statement is that the READBLK
statement reads a block of data of a specified length, whereas the READSEQ statement reads a single
line of data.

EXAMPLE
OPENSEQ 'MYSLIPPERS', 'PINK' TO FILE ELSE ABORT
READBLK VAR1 FROM FILE, 50 THEN PRINT VAR1
PRINT
READBLK VAR2 FROM FILE, 100 THEN PRINT VAR2

INTERNATIONAL MODE
When using the READBLK statement in International Mode, care must be taken to ensure that the
input variable is handled properly subsequent to the READBLK statement. The READBLK statement
requires that a “bytecount” be specified, however when manipulating variables in International Mode
character length rather than byte lengths are usually used and hence possible confusion or program
malfunction can occur.
If requiring character data convert the input variable from ‘binary/latin1’ to UTF-8 byte sequence via
the UTF8 function.

297

It is recommended that the READBLK/WRITEBLK statements not be used when executing in
International Mode. Similar functionality can be obtained via the READSEQ/WRITESEQ statement,
which can be used to read/writecharacters a line at a time from a file.

298

READL
The READL statement allows a process to read a record from a previously opened file into a variable
and takes a read-only shared lock on the record. It respects all records locked with the READU
statement but allows other processes using READL to share the same lock.

COMMAND SYNTAX
READL variable1 FROM {variable2,} expression {SETTING setvar} {ON ERROR statements}
{LOCKED statements} THEN|ELSE statements

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
variable1 is the identifier into which the record will be read.
variable2, if specified, should be a jBASE BASIC variable that has previously been opened to a file
using the OPEN statement if variable2 is not specified then the default file is assumed.
The expression should evaluate to a valid record key for the file.
If the SETTING clause is specified and the read fails, setvar will be set to one of the following values:

INCREMENTAL FILE ERRORS
128

No such file or directory

4096

Network error

24576

Permission denied

32768

Physical I/O error or unknown error

If ON ERROR is specified, the statements following the ON ERROR clause will be executed for any
of the above Incremental File Errors except error 128.

NOTES
READL takes a read-only shared record lock whereas READU takes an exclusive lock. This means
that any record, which is read using READL, can also be read by another process using a READL. In
other words, the lock on the record is 'shared' in that no READU lock against the same record can be
taken. Similarly, if a READU takes a lock then READL will respect that lock. By comparison, a
READU takes an exclusive lock in that the one process retains control over the record.
The usage of READU is already well documented and understood. The usage of READL allows for an
application to present a record to one or more users such that its integrity is ensured, i.e. the user(s)
viewing the record can be assured that wysiwyg and that no updates to that record have been made
whilst viewing the record.
While it is permissible to WRITE a record that has a READL lock, the intent of READL is to permit a
'read-only' shared lock and the act of WRITEing this record would not be considered good
programming practice.

299

READ takes no lock at all and does not respect any lock taken with READU or READL. In other
words, a READ can be performed at any time and on any record regardless of any existing locks.
Due to limitations on Windows platforms, the READL statement behaves the same as the READU
statement, in other words they both take exclusive locks.
If the record could not be read because another process already had a READU lock on the record then
one of two actions is taken. If the LOCKED clause was specified in the statement then the statements
dependent on it are executed. If no LOCKED clause was specified then the statement blocks (hangs)
until the other process releases the lock. The SYSTEM (43) function can be used to determine which
port has the lock.
If the statement fails to read the record then any statements associated with the ELSE clause will be
executed. If the statement successfully reads the record then the statements associated with any THEN
clause are executed. Either or both of THEN and ELSE clauses must be specified with the statement.
The lock taken by the READL statement will be released by any of the following events however, be
aware that the record will not be fully released until all shared locks have been released:
The same program with WRITE, WRITEV or MATWRITE statements writes to the record.
The same program with the DELETE statement deletes the record.
The record lock is released explicitly using the RELEASE statement.
The program stops normally or abnormally.
When a file is OPENed to a local file variable in a subroutine then the file is closed when the
subroutine RETURNS so all locks taken on that file are released, including locks taken in a calling
program. Files that are opened to COMMON variables are not closed so the locks remain intact.
See also: WRITE, WRITEU, MATWRITE, MATWRITEU, RELEASE, and DELETE

300

READLIST
READLIST allows the program to retrieve a previously stored list (perhaps created with the SAVELIST command), into a jBASE BASIC variable.

COMMAND SYNTAX
READLIST variable1 FROM expression {SETTING variable2} THEN|ELSE statements

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
variable1 is the variable into which the list will be read.
expression should evaluate to the name of a previously stored list to retrieve. If specified, variable2
will be set to the number of elements in the list.
If the statement succeeds in retrieving the list, then the statements associated with any THEN clause
will be executed. If the statement fails to find the list, then the statements associated with any ELSE
clause will be executed.

NOTES
The READLIST statement is identical in function to the GETLIST statement.
See also: DELETELIST, FORMLIST, WRITELIST

EXAMPLES
Find the list first
READLIST MyList FROM "MyList" ELSE STOP
LOOP
* Loop until there are no more elements
WHILE READNEXT Key FROM MyList DO
......
REPEAT

301

READNEXT
READNEXT retrieves the next element in a list variable.

COMMAND SYNTAX
READNEXT variable1, variable2 {FROM variable3} {SETTING setvar} {THEN|ELSE statements}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
variable1 is the variable into which the next element of the list will be read.
variable2 is used when the list has been retrieved externally from a SSELECT or similar jBASE
command that has used an exploding sort directive. When specified, this variable will be set to the
multi-value reference of the current element. For example, if the SSELECT used a BY-EXP directive
on field 3 of the records in a file, the list will contain each record key in the file as many times as there
are multi-values in the field. Each READNEXT instance will set variable2 to the multi-value in field 3
to which the element refers. This allows the multi-values in field 3 to be retrieved in sorted order.
If variable3 is specified with the FROM clause, the READNEXT operates on the list contained in
variable3. If variable3 is not specified, the default select list variable will be assumed.
If the SETTING clause is specified and the read (to build the next portion of the list) fails, setvar will
be set to one of the following values:

INCREMENTAL FILE ERRORS
128

No such file or directory

4096

Network error

24576

Permission denied

32768

Physical I/O error or unknown error

NOTES
READNEXT can be used as an expression returning a Boolean TRUE or FALSE value. If an element
is successfully read from the list, TRUE is returned. If the list was empty, FALSE is returned.
See also: SELECT, extensions for secondary indexes.

EXAMPLE
LOOP
WHILE READNEXT Key FROM RecordList DO
......
REPEAT

302

READPREV
This statement is syntactically similar to the READNEXT but it works in reverse order. There are some
considerations when the direction is changed from a forward search to a backward search or vice-versa.
When a SELECT statement is first executed a forward direction is assumed. Therefore if a SELECT is
immediately followed by a READPREV, then a change of direction is assumed.
During the READNEXT or READPREV sequence a next-key pointer is kept up to date. This is the
record key, or index key to use should a READNEXT be executed.
During a change of direction from forward (READNEXT) to backward (READPREV) then the next
record key or index key read in by the READPREV will be the one preceding the next-key pointer.
When the select list is exhausted it will either point one before the start of the select list (if
READPREVs have been executed) or one past the end of the select list (if READNEXTs have been
executed). Thus in the event of a change of direction the very first or very last index key or record key
will be used.

EXAMPLE
Consider the following jBASE BASIC code
list = "DAVE" : : "GREG" : : "JIM"
SELECT list
The following table shows what happens if you do READNEXTs and READPREVs on the above code
and the reasons for it.

Statement executed

Result of operation

Comment

READNEXT key ELSE

key becomes "DAVE"

First key in list

READNEXT key ELSE

key becomes "GREG"

Second key in list

READPREV key ELSE

key becomes "DAVE"

Reversed so take preceding key

READPREV key ELSE

Take ELSE clause

The next key ptr exhausted at start.

READNEXT key ELSE

key becomes "DAVE"

First key in list

READNEXT key ELSE

key becomes "GREG"

Second key in list

READNEXT key ELSE

key becomes "JIM"

Final key. Next key ptr exhausted.

READPREV key ELSE

key becomes "JIM"

Reversed but list exhausted.

READPREV key ELSE

key becomes "GREG"

Second key in list

303

READPREV key ELSE

key becomes "DAVE"

First key in list

304

READSELECT
See also:READLIST.

305

READSEQ
Read from a file opened for sequential access.

COMMAND SYNTAX
READSEQ Variable FROM FileVar THEN | ELSE statements

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Variable specifies the variable to contain next record from sequential file.
FileVar specifies the file descriptor of the file opened for sequential access.
Statements Conditional jBASE BASIC statements

NOTES
Each READSEQ reads a line of data from the sequentially opened file. After each READSEQ, the file
pointer moves forward to the next line of data. The variable contains the line of data less the new line
character from the sequential file.
The default buffer size for a READSEQ is 1024 bytes. This can be changed using the IOCTL ()
function with the JIOCTL_COMMAND_SEQ_CHANGE_RECORDSIZE Sequential File Extensions.

EXAMPLES
See also: Sequential File Examples

306

READT
The READT statement is used to read a range of tape devices 0-9.

COMMAND SYNTAX
READT variable {FROM expression} THEN|ELSE statements

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
variable is the variable that will receive any data read from the tape device.
expression should evaluate to an integer value in the range 0-9 and specifies from which tape channel
to read data. If the FROM clause is not specified the READT will assume channel 0.
If the READT fails then the statements associated with any ELSE clause will be executed. SYSTEM
(0) will return the reason for the failure as follows:
1

There is no media attached to the channel

2

An end of file mark was found.

NOTES
A "tape" does not only refer to magnetic tape devices, but also any device that has been described to
jBASE. Writing device descriptors for jBASE is beyond the scope of this manual.
If no tape device has been assigned to the specified channel the jBASE debugger is entered with an
appropriate message.
Each instance of the READT statement will read the next record available on the device. The record
size is not limited to a single tape block and the entire record will be returned whatever block size has
been allocated by the T-ATT command.

EXAMPLE
LOOP
READT TapeRec FROM 5 ELSE
Reason = SYSTEM(0)
IF Reason = 2 THEN BREAK ;* done
CRT "ERROR"; STOP
END
REPEAT

307

READU
The READU statement allows a program to read a record from a previously opened file into a variable.
It respects record locking and locks the specified record for update.

COMMAND SYNTAX
READU variable1 FROM {variable2,} expression {SETTING setvar} {ON ERROR statements}
{LOCKED statements} THEN|ELSE statements

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Variable1 is the identifier into which the record will be read.
variable2 if specified, should be a jBASE BASIC variable that has previously been opened to a file
using the OPEN statement. If variable2 is not specified then the default file is assumed.
The expression should evaluate to a valid record key for the file.
If the SETTING clause is specified and the read fails, setvar will be set to one of the following values:

INCREMENTAL FILE ERRORS
128

No such file or directory

4096

Network error

24576

Permission denied

32768

Physical I/O error or unknown error

If ON ERROR is specified, the statements following the ON ERROR clause will be executed for any
of the above Incremental File Errors except error 128.

NOTES
If the record could not be read because another process already had a lock on the record then one of
two actions is taken. If the LOCKED clause was specified in the statement then the statements
dependent on it are executed. If no LOCKED clause was specified then the statement blocks (hangs)
until the other process releases the lock. Use the SYSTEM (43) function to determine which port has
the lock.
If the statement fails to read the record then any statements associated with the ELSE clause will be
executed. If the statement successfully reads the record then the statements associated with any THEN
clause are executed. Either or both of THEN and ELSE clauses must be specified with the statement.
The lock taken by the READU statement will be released by any of the following events:
The same program with WRITE, WRITEV or MATWRITE statements writes to the record.
The same program with the DELETE statement deletes the record.
The record lock is released explicitly using the RELEASE statement.
The program stops normally or abnormally.

308

When a file is OPENed to a local file variable in a subroutine then the file is closed when the
subroutine RETURNS so all locks taken on that file are released, including locks taken in a calling
program. Files that are opened to COMMON variables are not closed so the locks remain intact.
See also: WRITE, WRITEU, MATWRITE, MATWRITEU, RELEASE, and DELETE

EXAMPLES
OPEN "Customers" ELSE ABORT 201, "Customers"
OPEN "DICT Customers" TO DCusts ELSE
ABORT 201, "DICT Customers"
END
LOOP
READU Rec FROM DCusts, "Xref" LOCKED
CRT "Xref locked by port ":SYSTEM(43):" - retrying"
SLEEP 1; CONTINUE ;* Restart LOOP
END THEN
READ DataRec FROM Rec ELSE
ABORT 202, Rec
END
BREAK ;* Leave the LOOP
END ELSE
ABORT 202, "Xref"
END
REPEAT

309

READV
The READV statement allows a program to read a specific field from a record in a previously opened
file into a variable.

COMMAND SYNTAX
READV variable1 FROM { variable2,} expression1, expression2 {SETTING setvar} {ON ERROR
statements} THEN|ELSE statements

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
variable1 is the identifier into which the record will be read.
variable2 if specified, should be a jBASE BASIC variable that has previously been opened to a file
using the OPEN statement. If variable2 is not specified, the default file is assumed.
expression1 should evaluate to a valid record key for the file.
expression2 should evaluate to a positive integer. If the number is invalid or greater than the number of
fields in the record, a NULL string will be assigned to variable1. If the number is 0, then the readv0
emulation setting controls the value returned in variable1. If a non-numeric argument is evaluated, a
run time error will occur.
If the SETTING clause is specified and the read fails, setvar will be set to one of the following values:

INCREMENTAL FILE ERRORS
128

No such file or directory

4096

Network error

24576

Permission denied

32768

Physical I/O error or unknown error

If ON ERROR is specified, the statements following the ON ERROR clause will be executed for any
of the above Incremental File Errors except error 128.

NOTES
If you wish to set a lock on a record, do so explicitly with the READU or READVU statement. To read
a field from a previously opened file into a variable and take a read-only shared lock on the field, use
READVL.

EXAMPLE
OPEN "Customers" ELSE ABORT 201, "Customers"
OPEN "DICT Customers" TO DCusts ELSE
ABORT 201, "DICT Customers"

310

END
READV Rec FROM DCusts, "Xref",7 THEN
READ DataRec FROM Rec<7> ELSE
ABORT 202, Rec<7>
END
END ELSE
ABORT 202, "Xref"
END

311

READVL
Use the READVL statement to acquire a shared record lock and then read a field from the record.
The READVL statement conforms to all the specifications of the READL and READV statements.

312

READVU
The READVU statement allows a program to read a specific field in a record in a previously opened
file into a variable. It also respects record locking and locks the specified record for update.

COMMAND SYNTAX
READVU variable1 FROM { variable2,} expression1, expression2 {SETTING setvar} {ON ERROR
statements} {LOCKED statements} THEN|ELSE statements

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
variable1 is the identifier into which the record will be read.
variable2 if specified, should be a jBASE BASIC variable that has previously been opened to a file
using the OPEN statement. If variable2 is not specified then the default file is assumed.
expression1 should evaluate to a valid record key for the file.
expression2 should evaluate to a positive integer number. If the number is invalid or greater than the
number of fields in the record, then a NULL string will be assigned to variable1. If the number is 0,
then the readv0 emulation setting controls the value returned in variable1. If a non-numeric argument is
evaluated a run time error will occur.
If the SETTING clause is specified and the read fails, setvar will be set to one of the following values:

INCREMENTAL FILE ERRORS
128

No such file or directory

4096

Network error

24576

Permission denied

32768

Physical I/O error or unknown error

If ON ERROR is specified, the statements following the ON ERROR clause will be executed for any
of the above Incremental File Errors except error 128.

NOTES
If the record could not be read because another process already had a lock on the record then one of
two actions is taken. If the LOCKED clause was specified in the statement then the statements
dependent on it are executed. If no LOCKED clause was specified then the statement blocks (hangs)
until the other process releases the lock.
If the statement fails to read the record then any statements associated with the ELSE clause are
executed. If the statement successfully reads the record then the statements associated with any THEN
clause are executed. Either or both of the THEN and ELSE clauses must be specified with the
statement.
The lock taken by the READVU statement will be released by any of the following events:
The same program with WRITE, WRITEV, MATWRITE or DELETE statements writes to the record.
The record lock is released explicitly using the RELEASE statement.

313

The program stops normally or abnormally.
When a file is OPENed to a local file variable in a subroutine then the file is closed when the
subroutine RETURNS so all locks taken on that file are released, including locks taken in a calling
program. Files that are opened to COMMON variables are not closed so the locks remain intact.
See also: WRITE, WRITEU, MATWRITE, MATWRITEU, RELEASE, and DELETE

EXAMPLE
OPEN "Customers" ELSE ABORT 201, "Customers"
OPEN "DICT Customers" TO DCusts ELSE
ABORT 201, "DICT Customers"
END
LOOP
READVU Rec FROM DCusts, "Xref",7 LOCKED
CRT "Locked - retrying"
SLEEP 1; CONTINUE ;* Restart LOOP
END THEN
READ DataRec FROM Rec ELSE
ABORT 202, Rec
END
BREAK ;*leave the LOOP
END ELSE
ABORT 202, "Xref"
END
REPEAT

314

READXML
READXML rec FROM file, id ELSE STOP 202,id
Reads a record from a file using the style sheet held in DICT->@READXML to transform the data into
xml format

EXAMPLE
READ rec FROM file,id THEN
CRT rec
END
READXML xml FROM file,id THEN
CRT xml
END

Screen output

CLIVE^PIPENSLIPPERS^999 LETSBE AVENUE
…


CLIVE
PIPENSLIPPERS
999 LETSBE AVENUE

315

RECORDLOCKED
Call the RECORDLOCKED function to ascertain the status of a record lock.

COMMAND SYNTAX
RECORDLOCKED (filevar, recordkey)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
filevar is a file variable from a previously executed OPEN statement.
recordkey is an expression for the record id that will be checked.

NOTES
RECORDLOCKED returns an integer value to indicate the record lock status of the specified record id.

3

Locked by this process by a FILELOCK

2

Locked by this process by a READU

1

Locked by this process by a READL

0

Not locked

-1

Locked by another process by a READL

-2

Locked by another process by a READU

-3

Locked by another process by a FILELOCK

If the return value is negative, then the SYSTEM(43) and STATUS function calls can be used to
determine the port number of the program that holds the lock. If -1 is returned, more than 1 port could
hold the lock and so the port number returned will be the first port number found.]

EXAMPLE
OPEN "INVENTORY" TO invFvar ELSE ABORT 201,"Cannot open the INVENTORY
file"
...
...
IF RECORDLOCKED (invFvar,invId) = -2 THEN
CRT "Inventory record ":invId:" is locked by port ":SYSTEM(43)
END

316

REGEXP
The REGEXP function is a powerful function that allows pattern matching using UNIX regular
expressions. REGEXP is not supported on Windows.

COMMAND SYNTAX
REGEXP(variable, expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
variable can be any type of jBASE BASIC variable and is the variable upon which pattern matching
will be performed.
expression should evaluate to a standard UNIX regular expression as defined in the UNIX
documentation.

NOTES
The function returns a numeric integer value being the first character in variable that failed to match the
specified regular expression. If a match is not found or the regular expression was invalid then the
function returns 0.

EXAMPLE
String = "jBASE Software Inc."
CRT REGEXP(String, "S[^t]*")
displays the value 4 being the position of the character "t" in the word Software

317

RELEASE
The RELEASE statement enables a program to explicitly release record locks without updating the
records using WRITE.

COMMAND SYNTAX
RELEASE {{variable,} expression}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
If variable is specified it should be a valid file descriptor variable (i.e. It should have been the subject
of an OPEN statement)
If an expression is supplied it should evaluate to the record key of a record whose lock the program
wishes to free. If variable was specified the record lock in the file described by it is released. If variable
was not specified the record lock in it releases the file described by the default file variable
If RELEASE is issued without arguments then all record locks in all files that were set by the current
program will be released.

NOTES
Where possible the program should avoid the use of RELEASE without arguments; this is less efficient
and can be dangerous - especially in subroutines.

EXAMPLE
READU Rec FROM File, "Record" ELSE ABORT 203, "Record"
IF Rec<1> = "X" THEN
RELEASE File, "Record"
END
......

318

REMOVE
REMOVE will successively extract delimited strings from a dynamic array.

COMMAND SYNTAX
REMOVE variable FROM array SETTING setvar

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
variable is the variable, which is to receive the extracted string.
array is the dynamic array from which the string is to be extracted.
setvar is set by the system during the extraction to indicate the type of delimiter found:

0

end of the array

1

xFF ASCII 255

2

xFE ASCII 254

Field marker

3

xFD ASCII 253

Value marker

4

xFC ASCII 252

Subvalue marker

5

xFB ASCII 251

6

xFA ASCII 250

7

xF9 ASCII 249

NOTES
The first time the REMOVE statement is used with a particular array, it will extract the first delimited
string it and set the special "remove pointer" to the start of the next string (if any). The next time
REMOVE is used on the same array, the pointer will be used to retrieve the next string and so on. The
array is not altered.
The variable named in the SETTING clause is used to record the type of delimiter that was found - so
that you can tell whether the REMOVE statement extracted a field, a value or a subvalue for example.
Delimiters are defined as characters between xF9 and xFF only. Once the end of the array has been
reached, the string variable will not be updated and the SETTING clause will always return 0. You can
reset the "remove pointer" by assigning the variable to itself - for example REC = REC.

EXAMPLE
EQU FM TO CHAR (254), VM to CHAR(253), SVM to CHAR(252)
REC = "Field 1":FM:"Value 1":VM:" Value 2":FM:"Field 3"

319

REMOVE EXSTRING FROM REC SETTING DELIM
REMOVE EXSTRING FROM REC SETTING DELIM

The first time REMOVE is used, EXSTRING will contain "Field 1" and DELIM will contain xFE. The
second time REMOVE is used, EXSTRING will contain "Value 1" and DELIM will contain xFD.

320

REPLACE
REPLACE is an obsolete way to assign to dynamic arrays via a function.

COMMAND SYNTAX
REPLACE (var, expression1{, expression2{, expression3}}; expression4)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
var is the dynamic array that the REPLACE function will use to assign expression4. Unless the same
var is assigned the result of the function remains unchanged.
expression1 specifies into which field assignment will be made and should evaluate to a numeric.
expression2 is only specified when multi-value assignment is to be done and should evaluate to a
numeric.
expression3 is only specified when sub-value assignment is to be done and should evaluate to a
numeric.
expression4 can evaluate to any data type and is the actual data that will be assigned to the array.

NOTES
The function returns a copy of var with the specified replacement carried out. This value may be
assigned to the original var in which case the jBASE BASIC compiler will optimize the assignment.

EXAMPLES
X = "JBASE":MV:"is Great"
X = REPLACE (X,1,1;"jBASE")

321

RETURN
The RETURN statement transfers program execution to the caller of a subroutine/function or to a
specific label in the program.

COMMAND SYNTAX
RETURN {TO label}
or
RETURN (expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
label must reference an existing label within the source of the program.
expression evaluates to the value that is returned by a user-written function.

NOTES
The RETURN statement will transfer program execution to the statement after the GOSUB that called
the current internal subroutine.
If the RETURN statement is executed in an external SUBROUTINE and there are no outstanding
GOSUBs, then the program will transfer execution back to the program that called it via CALL.
The program will enter the debugger with an appropriate message should a RETURN be executed with
no GOSUB or CALL outstanding.
The second form of the RETURN statement is used to return a value from a user-written function. This
form can only be used in a user-written function.

322

REWIND
The REWIND statement will issue a rewind command to the device attached to the specified channel.

COMMAND SYNTAX
REWIND {ON expression} THEN|ELSE statements

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression, if specified, should evaluate to an integer in the range 0 to 9. Default is 0.

NOTES
If the statement fails to issue the rewind then any statements associated with the ELSE clause are
executed. If the statement successfully issues the rewind command then the statements associated with
any THEN clause are executed. Either or both of the THEN and ELSE clauses must be specified with
the statement.
If the statement fails then the reason for failure can be determined via the value of SYSTEM(0) as
follows:

Value

Meaning

1

there is no media attached to the channel

2

an end of file mark was found

323

RIGHT
The RIGHT function returns a sub-string composed of the last n characters of a specified string.

COMMAND SYNTAX
RIGHT (expression, length)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression evaluates to the string from, which the sub string is extracted.
length is the number of characters that are extracted. If length is less than 1, RIGHT () returns null.

NOTES
The RIGHT () function is equivalent to sub-string extraction for the last n characters, i.e. expression[n]
See also: LEFT().

EXAMPLE
S = "The world is my lobster"

CRT DQUOTE (RIGHT (S,7))
CRT DQUOTE(RIGHT(S,99))
CRT DQUOTE(RIGHT(S,0))
This code displays:
"lobster"
"The world is my lobster"
""

324

RND
The RND function allows the generation of random numbers by a program.

COMMAND SYNTAX
RND (expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression should evaluate to a numeric integer value or a runtime error will occur. The absolute value
of expression is used by the function. The highest number expression can be on Windows is
PWR(2,15) - 1. The highest number on UNIX is PWR(2,31) - 1.
See also:ABS

NOTES
The function will return a random integer number between 0 and the value of expression-1.

EXAMPLE
FOR I=1 TO 20
CRT RND (100):", ":
NEXT I
prints 20 random numbers in the inclusive range 0 to 99.

325

RQM
RQM is synonymous with SLEEP.

326

RTNDATA
The RTNDATA statement allows a jBASE BASIC program to return specific data to the RTNDATA
clause of another program's EXECUTE statement.

COMMAND SYNTAX
RTNDATA expression

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression may evaluate to any data type.

NOTES
When a jBASE BASIC program executes another jBASE BASIC program using the EXECUTE
statement it may specify a variable to pick up data in using the RTNDATA clause. The data picked up
will be that specified by the executed program using the RTNDATA statement.
The data will be discarded if the program is not executed by an EXECUTE statement in another
program.

327

SADD
See also: Floating point Operations
The SADD function performs string addition of two base 10-string numbers.

COMMAND SYNTAX
SADD (expr1, expr2)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expr1 and expr2 are strings consisting of numeric characters, optionally including a decimal part.

NOTES
The SADD function can be used with numbers that may exceed a valid range with standard arithmetic
operators.
The PRECISION declaration has no effect on the value returned by SADD.

EXAMPLE
A = 4000000000000000000000000000000
B = 7
CRT SADD (A,B)
Displays 4000000000000000000000000000007 to the screen
CRT SADD (4.33333333333333333,1.8)
Displays 6.13333333333333333 to the screen

328

SDIV
See also: Floating point Operations
The SDIV function performs a string division of two base 10-string numbers and rounds the result to
14 decimal places.

COMMAND SYNTAX
SDIV (expr1, expr2)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expr1 and expr2 are strings consisting of numeric characters, with either optionally including a decimal
part.

NOTES
Use the SDIV function with numbers that may exceed a valid range with standard arithmetic operators.
The PRECISION declaration has no effect on the value returned by SDIV.

EXAMPLE
A = 2
B = 3
CRT SDIV (A,B)
Displays 0.66666666666666 to the screen
CRT SDIV (355,113)
Displays 3.14159292035398 to the screen

329

SEEK
Use the SEEK statement to move the file pointer by an offset specified in bytes, relative to the current
position, the beginning of the file, or the end of the file.

COMMAND SYNTAX
SEEK file.variable [ , offset [ , relto] ]
{THEN statements [ELSE statements] | ELSE statements}
file.variable specifies a file previously opened for sequential access.
offset is the number of bytes before or after the reference position. A negative offset results in the
pointer being moved before the position specified by relto. If offset is not specified, 0 is assumed.
NOTE: On Windows NT systems, line endings in files are denoted by the character sequence
RETURN + LINEFEED rather than the single LINEFEED used in UNIX files. The value of offset
should take into account this extra byte on each line in Windows NT file systems.
The permissible values of relto and their meanings follow:
0

Relative to the beginning of the file

1

Relative to the current position

2

Relative to the end of the file

If relto is not specified, 0 is assumed.
If the pointer is moved, the THEN statements are executed and the ELSE statements are ignored. If the
THEN statements are not specified, program execution continues with the next statement.
If the file cannot be accessed or does not exist the ELSE statements are executed; any THEN
statements are ignored.
If file.variable, offset, or relto evaluates to null, the SEEK statement fails and the program terminates
with a run-time error message.
Note: On Windows NT systems, if you use the OPENDEV statement to open a 1/4-inch cartridge tape
(60 MB or 150 MB) for sequential processing, you can move the file pointer only to the beginning or
the end of the data. For diskette drives, you can move the file pointer only to the start of the data.
Seeking beyond the end of the file and then writing creates a gap, or hole, in the file. This hole
occupies no physical space, and reads from this part of the file return as ASCII CHAR 0 (neither the
number nor the character 0).
For more information about sequential file processing, See also: OPENSEQ, READSEQ, and
WRITESEQ statements.

EXAMPLE

330

The following example reads and prints the first line of RECORD4. Then the SEEK statement moves
the pointer five bytes from the front of the file, then reads and prints the rest of the current line.
OPENSEQ '.', 'MYSEQFILE' TO FILE ELSE ABORT
READSEQ B FROM FILE THEN PRINT B
SEEK FILE,5, 0 THEN
READSEQ A FROM FILE THEN PRINT A ELSE ABORT
END
The output of this program is:
FIRST LINE

LINE

331

SELECT
The SELECT statement creates a select list of elements in a specified variable.

COMMAND SYNTAX
SELECT {variable1} {TO variable2 | listnum} {SETTING setvar}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
variable1 can be an OPENed file descriptor, in which case the record keys in the specified file will be
selected, or an ordinary variable in which case each field in the variable will become a list element.
variable1 may also be an existing list in which case the elements in the list will be selected.
If variable1 is not specified in the statement then it assumes the default file variable.
If variable2 is specified then the newly created list will be placed in the variable. Alternatively, specify
a select list number in the range 0 to 10 with listnum. If neither variable2 nor listnum is specified then
it assumes the default list variable.
If specifying the SETTING clause and the select fails, it sets setvar to one of the following values:
128

no such file or directory

4096

network error

24576

permission denied

32768

physical I/O error or unknown error

NOTES
When constructing a list from record keys in a file, it does so by extracting only the first few keys,
which when removed from the list obtains the next few keys and so on. Therefore, the creation of the
list is not immediate. This means that the list could contain records, written to the file after starting the
SELECT command.
Consider the situation where you open a file, SELECT it and then, because of the keys obtained, write
new records to the same file. It would be easy to assume that these new keys would not show up in the
list because you created the list before the new records existed. This is not the case. Any records
written beyond the current position in the file will eventually show up in the list. In situations where
this might cause a problem, or to ensure that you obtain a complete, qualified list of keys, you should
use a slower external command like jQL SELECT or SSELECT and then READNEXT to parse the
file.
If using a variable to hold the select list, then it should be unassigned or null before the SELECT. If it
contains a number in the range 0 to 10 then it will use the corresponding select list number to hold the
list, although you can still reference the list with the variable name. This "feature" is for compatibility
with older platforms. See also example 3.
Lists can be selected as many times as required.
See also: the extensions for secondary indexes.

332

EXAMPLE 1
OPEN "Customers" ELSE ABORT 201, "Customers"
SELECT TO CustList1
SELECT TO CustList2

EXAMPLE 2
OPEN "Customers" TO CustFvar ELSE ABORT 201, "Customers"
SELECT CustFvar TO 2
DONE = 0
LOOP
READNEXT CustId FROM 2 ELSE Done = 1
UNTIL DONE DO
GOSUB ProcessCust
REPEAT

EXAMPLE 3
CLEAR
OPEN "Customers" TO CustFvar ELSE ABORT 201, "Customers"
OPEN "Products" TO ProdFvar ELSE ABORT 201, "Products"
SELECT CustFvar TO Listvar1
SELECT ProdFvar TO Listvar2

This example demonstrates a coding error. The CLEAR statement is used to initialize all variables to
zero. Since Listvar1 has the value 0, select list number 0 is used to hold the list. However, the CLEAR
statement also initializes Listvar2 to zero, so the second SELECT overwrites the first list.

333

SEND
The SEND statement sends a block of data directly to a device.

COMMAND SYNTAX
SEND output {:} TO FileVar THEN | ELSE statements

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The output is an expression evaluating to a string that will be sent to the output device (specified by
FileVar). It is expected that the device has already been opened with OPENSER or OPENSEQ.
The SEND statement will append a newline sequence to the final output expression unless it is
terminated with a colon ":" character.

NOTES
As the expression can be any valid expression, it may have output formatting applied to it.
The SEND syntax requires you specify either a THEN or ELSE clause, or both. It executes the THEN
clause if the data is without error. Else executes, the ELSE clause if the data cannot be sent.
See also: SENDX

EXAMPLES
See also: Sequential File Processing.

334

SENDX
The SENDX statement sends a block of data (in hexidecimal) directly to a device.

COMMAND SYNTAX
SENDX output {:} TO FileVar THEN | ELSE statements

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The output is an expression evaluating to a string that will be sent to the output device (specified by
FileVar). It is expected that OPENSER or OPENSEQ has already opened the device .
The SENDX statement will append a newline sequence to the final output expression unless it is
terminated with a colon ":" character.

NOTES
As the expression can be any valid expression, it may have output formatting applied to it.
The SENDX syntax requires a specified THEN or ELSE clause, or both. If the data is send without
error, it executes the THEN clause. If the data cannot be sent, it executes the ELSE clause.
See also: SEND

EXAMPLES
See also: Sequential File Processing Examples.

335

SENTENCE
The SENTENCE function allows a program to locate the command used to invoke it and the arguments
it was given.

COMMAND SYNTAX
SENTENCE ({expression})

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
If expression is specified it should evaluate to a positive integer value. A negative value will return a
null string. A value of null will return the entire command line.
An integer value of expression will return a specific element of the command line with the command
itself being returned by SENTENCE (0), the first parameter being returned by SENTENCE(1) and so
on.

NOTES
It is assumed the command line arguments are space separated and when returning the entire command
line they are returned as such. The SYSTEM(1000) function will return the command line attribute
mark delimited.

EXAMPLES
DIM Parm(4)
ProgName = SENTENCE (0) ;* program is?
FOR I = 1 TO 4
Parm(I) = SENTENCE(I) ;* get parameters
NEXT I

336

SEQ
The SEQ function returns numeric ASCII value of a character.

COMMAND SYNTAX
SEQ (expression)

INTERNATIONAL MODE
The SEQ function will return numeric values beyond 255 for UTF-8 byte sequences representing any
Unicode values above 0x000000ff.

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression may evaluate to any data type. However, the SEQ function will convert the expression to a
string and operate on the first character of that string.

NOTES
SEQ operates on any character in the integer range 0 to 255

EXAMPLES
EQU ENQ TO 5
* Get next comms code
* Time-out after 20 seconds
INPUT A, 1 FOR 200 ELSE BREAK
IF SEQ (A) = ENQ THEN
* Respond to ENQ char

337

SEQS
Use the SEQS function to convert a dynamic array of ASCII characters to their numeric string
equivalents.

COMMAND SYNTAX
SEQS (dynamic.array)
dynamic.array specifies the ASCII characters to be converted. If dynamic.array evaluates to null, it
returns null. If any element of dynamic.array is null, it returns null for that element.
If you use the subroutine syntax, the resulting dynamic array is returned as return.array.
By using the SEQS function to convert a character outside its range results in a run-time message, and
the return of an empty string.

EXAMPLE
G="T":@VM:"G"
A=SEQS (G)
PRINT A
PRINT SEQS("G")
The output of this program is: 84]71 71

INTERNATIONAL MODE
The SEQ function will return numeric values beyond 255 for UTF-8 byte sequences representing any
Unicode values above 0x000000ff.

338

SIN
The SIN function returns the mathematical sine value of a numeric expression.

COMMAND SYNTAX
SIN (expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression should evaluate to a numeric value and is interpreted as a number of degrees between 0 and
360.

NOTES
The function will calculate the sine of the angle specified by the expression as accurately as the host
system will allow. It will then truncate the value according to the PRECISION of the program.

EXAMPLE
CRT @ (-1):
FOR I = 0 TO 79
CRT @ (I,12+INT(SIN (360/80*(I+1))*10)):"*":
NEXT I

339

SLEEP
Sleep allows the program to pause execution for a specified period.

COMMAND SYNTAX
SLEEP {expression}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression may evaluate to one of two forms:
Numeric in which case the statement will sleep for the specified number of seconds or fractions of a
second
"nn:nn{:nn}" in which case the statement will sleep until the time specified.
If expression is not supplied then a default period of 1 second is assumed.

NOTES
Sleeping until a specified time works by calculating the time between the current time and the time
supplied and sleeping for that many seconds. If in the meantime the host clock is changed the program
will not wake up at the desired time;
If invoking the debugger while a program is sleeping and the execution continued, the user will be
prompted:
Continue with SLEEP (Y/N)?
If "N" is the response, the program will continue at the next statement after the SLEEP.
See also: MSLEEP to sleep for a specified number of milliseconds.

EXAMPLES
Sleep until the end of the working day for anyone who doesn't program
computers
SLEEP "17:30”
* 40 winks...
SLEEP 40
* Sleep for two and a half seconds...
SLEEP 2.5

340

SMUL
See also: Floating Point Operations
The SMUL function performs string multiplication of two base 10-string numbers.

COMMAND SYNTAX
SMUL (expr1, expr2)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expr1 and expr2 are strings consisting of numeric characters, with either optionally including a
decimal part.

NOTES
Use the SMUL function with numbers that may exceed a valid range with standard arithmetic
operators.
The PRECISION declaration does not affect the value returned by SMUL.

EXAMPLES
A = 243603310027840922
B = 3760
CRT SMUL (A,B)
Displays 915948445704681866720 to the screen
CRT SMUL (0.0000000000000475,3.61)
Displays 0.0000000000001714 to the screen

341

SORT
See also: Floating point Operations
The SORT function sorts all elements of a dynamic array in ascending left-justified order.

COMMAND SYNTAX
SORT (expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression may evaluate to any data type but will only be useful if it evaluates to a dynamic array.

NOTES
The dynamic array can contain any number and combination of system delimiters.
The SORT () function will return an attribute-delimited array of the sorted elements.
Note: that all system delimiters in expression will be converted to an attribute mark '0xFE' in the sorted
result. For example, the following code
MyArray = 'GEORGE':@VM:'FRED':@AM:'JOHN':@SVM:'ANDY'
CRT SORT (MyArray)
will return
ANDY^FRED^GEORGE^JOHN
where '^' is an attribute mark, '0xFE'. MyArray remains unchanged.
The SORT is achieved by the quick sort algorithm, which sorts in situ and is very fast.

EXAMPLE
Read a list, sort it and write it back
*READ List FROM "Unsorted" ELSE List = "
List = SORT (List)
WRITE List ON "Sorted"

INTERNATIONAL MODE
When using the SORT function in International Mode, the function will use the currently configured
locale to determine the rules by which each string is considered less than or greater than the other for
sort purposes.

342

SOUNDEX
The SOUNDEX function allows phonetic conversions of strings.

COMMAND SYNTAX
SOUNDEX (expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression may evaluate to any data type but the function will only give meaningful results for English
words.

NOTES
The phonetic equivalent of a string is calculated as the first alphabetic character in the string followed
by a 1 to 3-digit representation of the rest of the word.
The digit string is calculated from the following table:

Characters

Value code

BFPV

1

CGJKQSXZ

2

DT

3

L

4

MN

5

R

6

All characters not contained in the above table are ignored. The function is case insensitive and
identical sequences of a character are interpreted as a single instance of the character.
The idea is to provide a crude method of identifying words such as last names even if they are not spelt
correctly. The function is not foolproof should not be the sole method of identifying a word.

EXAMPLE
INPUT Lastname
Lastname = SOUNDEX (Lastname)
search the databases

343

SPACE
The SPACE function generates a specific number of ASCII space characters.

COMMAND SYNTAX
SPACE (expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression should evaluate to a positive integer value.

NOTES
The SPACE function will return the specified number of ASCII space characters and is useful for
padding strings. It should not be used to position output on the terminal screen as this is inefficient,
accomplish this by using the @( ) function.

EXAMPLES
TenSpaces = SPACE (10)

344

SPACES
Use the SPACES function to return a dynamic array with elements composed of blank spaces.

COMMAND SYNTAX
SPACES (dynamic.array)
dynamic.array specifies the number of spaces in each element. If dynamic.array or any element of
dynamic.array evaluates to null, the SPACES function will enter the debugger.

345

SPLICE
Use the SPLICE function to create a dynamic array of the element-by-element concatenation of two
dynamic arrays, separating concatenated elements by the value of expression.

COMMAND SYNTAX
SPLICE (array1, expression, array2)
Each element of array1 is concatenated with expression and with the corresponding element of array2.
The result is returned in the corresponding element of a new dynamic array. If an element of one
dynamic array has no corresponding element in the other dynamic array, the element is returned
properly concatenated with expression. If either element of a corresponding pair is null, null is returned
for that element. If expression evaluates to null, null is returned for the entire dynamic array.

EXAMPLE
A="A":@VM:"B":@SM:"C"
B="D":@SM:"E":@VM:"F"
C='-'
PRINT SPLICE (A,C,B)
The output of this program is:
A-D\-E]B-F\C-

346

SPOOLER
The SPOOLER function returns information from the jBASE spooler.

COMMAND SYNTAX
SPOOLER (n{, Port|User})

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
n

Description

1

returns formqueue information

2

returns job information

3

formqueue assignment

4

returns status information

Port limits the information returned to the specified port
User limits the information returned to the specified user.

NOTES
SPOOLER(1) returns information about formqueues. The information is returned in a dynamic array,
which contains an attribute for each formqueue. Each formqueue is structured as follows:

MultiValue

Description

1

Formqueue name

2

Form type

3

Device

4

Device type

5

Status

6

Number of jobs on the formqueue

7

Page skip

SPOOLER(2) returns information about print jobs. The information is returned in a dynamic array,
which contains an attribute for each print job.

MultiValue

Description

1

Formqueue name

2

Print job number

3

Effective user id

4

Port number job was generated on

5

Creation date in internal format

6

Creation time in internal format

7

Job Status

347

MultiValue

Description

8

Options

9

Print job size (pages)

10

Copies

11

Reserved

12

Reserved

13

Reserved

14

Effective user id

15

Real user id

16

Application id as set by @APPLICATION.ID

17

JBASICLOGNAME id

SPOOLER(3) returns information about current formqueue assignments. The information is returned in
a dynamic array, which contains an attribute for each assignment. Each attribute is structured as
follows:

MultiValue

Description

1

Report (channel) number

2

Formqueue name

3

Options

4

Copies

SPOOLER(4) returns information about current print jobs. The information is returned in a dynamic
array, which contains an attribute for each job being generated. Each attribute is structured as follows:

MultiValue

Description

1

Report (channel) number

2

Print job number

3

Print job size (pages)

4

Creation date in internal format

5

Creation time in internal format

6

Job Status

7

Effective User id

8

Real user id

9

JBASICLOGNAME id

10

Banner test from SETPTR BANNER text command

The values for Job Status are:

Status

Description

1

Queued

348

2

Printing

3

Finished

4

Open

5

Hold

6

Edited

349

SQRT
See also: Floating point Operations
The SQRT function returns the mathematical square root of a value.

COMMAND SYNTAX
SQRT (expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The expression should evaluate to a positive numeric value as the authors do not want to introduce a
complex number type within the language. Negative values will cause a math error.

NOTES
The function calculates the result at the highest precision available and then truncates the answer to the
required PRECISION.

EXAMPLE
FOR I = 1 TO 1000000
J=SQRT (I)
NEXT I

350

SSELECT
Use the SSELECT statement to create:
A numbered select list of record IDs in sorted order from a jBASE hashed file
A numbered select list of record IDs from a dynamic array
A select list of record IDs from a dynamic array is not in sorted order.
You can then access this select list by a subsequent READNEXT statement, which removes one record
ID at a time from the list.

COMMAND SYNTAX
SSELECT [variable] [TO list.number] [ON ERROR statements]
SSELECTN [variable] [TO list.number] [ON ERROR statements]
SSELECTV [variable] TO list.variable [ON ERROR statements]
variable can specify a dynamic array or a file variable. If it specifies a dynamic array, the record IDs
must be separated by field marks (ASCII 254). If variable specifies a file variable, the file variable
must have previously been opened. If variable is not specified, the default file is assumed. If the file is
neither accessible nor open, or if variable evaluates to null, the SSELECT statement fails and the
program enters the debugger with a run-time error message.
The TO clause specifies the select list that is to be used. list.number is an integer from 0 through 10. If
no list.number is specified, select list 0 is used.
The record IDs of all the records in the file forms the list. The record IDs are listed in ascending order.
Each record ID is one entry in the list.
Use the SSELECTV statement to store the select list in a named list variable instead of to a numbered
select list. list.variable is an expression that evaluates to a valid variable name.
The ON ERROR Clause
The ON ERROR clause is optional in SSELECT statements. The ON ERROR clause lets you specify
an alternative for program termination when a fatal error is encountered during processing of a
SSELECT statement.

EXAMPLE
The following example opens the file SLIPPERS to the file variable DSCB, then creates an active
sorted select list of record IDs. The READNEXT statement assigns the first record ID in the select list
to the variable @ID, then prints it.

OPEN '','SLIPPERS' ELSE PRINT "NOT OPEN"

351

SSELECT
READNEXT @ID THEN PRINT @ID
The output of this program is:
0001

INTERNATIONAL MODE
When using the SSELECT statement in International Mode, the statement will use the currently
configured locale to determine the rules by which each string is considered less than or greater than the
other for sort purposes.

352

SSELECTN
See also: SSELECT.

SSELECTV
See also: SSELECT.

353

SSUB
See also: Floating Point Operations
The SSUB function performs string subtraction of two base 10-string numbers.

COMMAND SYNTAX
SSUB (expr1, expr2)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expr1 and expr2 are strings consisting of numeric characters, optionally including a decimal part.

NOTES
Use the SSUB function with numbers that may exceed a valid range with standard arithmetic operators.
The PRECISION declaration has no effect on the value returned by SSUB.

EXAMPLE
A = 2.3000000123456789
B = 5.0000000000000001
CRT SSUB (A,B)
Displays -2.6999999876543212 to the screen

354

STATUS Function
Use the STATUS function after an OPENPATH statement to find the cause of a file open failure (that
is, for an tatement in which the ELSE clause is used). The following values can be returned if the
statement is unsuccessful:
For File access commands
READ, WRITE, OPEN
Previous Operation
Value = 0 if successful
Value = Operating System error code if previous command failed
13 – permission denied on UNIX systems

OCONV Conversions
0 = successful
1 = invalid conversion requested
3 = conversion of possible invalid date

355

STATUS function
COMMAND SYNTAX
STATUS ( )

DESCRIPTION
Arguments are required for the STATUS function.
Values of STATUS after CLOSE, DELETE, MATREAD, MATWRITE, OPEN, READ and WRITE
After a DELETE statement: After a DELETE statement with an ON ERROR clause, the value returned
is the error number.
Returns 0 if successful else returns ERROR number

356

STATUS function
After an OPEN, OPENPATH, or OPENSEQ statement: The file type is returned if the file is opened
successfully. If the file is not opened successfully, the following values may return:
After a READ statement: If the file is a distributed file, the STATUS function returns the following:

STATUS function
After a READL, READU, READVL, or READVU statement: If the statement includes the LOCKED
clause, the returned value is the terminal number, as returned by the WHO command, of the user who
set the lock.
After a READSEQ statement:
After a READT, REWIND, WEOF, or WRITET statement: The returned value is hardware-dependent
(that is, it varies according to the characteristics of the specific tape drive unit). Consult the
documentation that accompanied your tape drive unit for information about interpreting the values
returned by the STATUS function.

357

STATUS statement
SYNTAX ELEMENTS
STATUS array FROM variable
THEN statements ELSE statements•ELSE statements

DESCRIPTION
Use the STATUS statement to determine the status of an open file. The STATUS statement returns the
file status as a dynamic array and assigns it to an array.
The STATUS statement returns the following values in the following attributes:
STATUS Statement Values
Attribute Description
1 Current position in the file Offset in bytes from beginning of file
2 End of file reached 1 if EOF, 0 if not.
3 Error accessing file 1 if error, 0 if not.
4 Number of bytes available to read
5 File mode Permissions (in octal) 6 File size in bytes.
7 Number of hard links 0 if no links. Where applicable else 0
8 O/S User ID. ID based on the user name and domain of the user a jBASE pseudo user.
9 O/S Group ID.

STATUS statement
10 I-node number; Unique ID of file on file system
11 Device on which i-node resides Number of device. The value is an internally calculated value on
Windows NT.
12 Device for special character or block Number of device.
13 Time of last access in internal format
14 Date of last access in internal format.
15 Time of last modification in internal format
16 Date of last modification in internal format.
17 Time and date of last status change in internal format.
18 Date of last status change in internal format.
19 Number of bytes left in output queue (applicable to terminals only)
20 { }
21 jBASE File types j3, j4, jPLUS
22 jBASE File types j3, j4, jPLUS

358

23 jBASE File types j3, j4, jPLUS
24 Part numbers of part files belonging to a distributed file multivalued list

STATUS statement
variable specifies an open file. If variable evaluates to the null value, the STATUS statement fails and
the program terminates with a run-time error message.
If the STATUS array is assigned to an array, the THEN statements are executed and the ELSE
statements are ignored. If no THEN statements are present, program execution continues with the next
statement. If the attempt to assign the array fails, the ELSE statements are executed; any THEN
statements are ignored.

EXAMPLE
OPENSEQ '/Fred' TO test THEN PRINT "File Opened" ELSE STOP
STATUS info FROM filevar
filename= stat<20>
inode= info<10>

359

STOP
The STOP statement is virtually identical in function to the ABORT statement except that it does not
terminate a calling jCL program.

360

STR
The STR function allows the duplication of a string a number of times.

COMMAND SYNTAX
STR (expression1, expression2)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression1 will evaluate to the string to duplicate and may be of any length.
expression2 should evaluate to a numeric integer, which specifies the number of times the string will
be duplicated.

EXAMPLE
LongString = STR ("long string ", 999)

361

STRS
Use the STRS function to produce a dynamic array containing the specified number of repetitions of
each element of dynamic.array.

COMMAND SYNTAX
STRS (dynamic.array, repeat)
dynamic.array is an expression that evaluates to the strings to be generated.
repeat is an expression that evaluates to the number of times the elements are to be repeated. If it does
not evaluate to a value that can be truncated to a positive integer, an empty string is returned for
dynamic.array.
If dynamic.array evaluates to null, it returns null. If any element of dynamic.array is null, null is
returned for that element. If repeat evaluates to null, the STRS function fails and the program enters the
debugger.

EXAMPLE
ABC="A":@VM:"B":@VM:"C"
PRINT STRS (ABC,3)
The output of this program is:
AAA]BBB]CCC

362

SUBROUTINE
The SUBROUTINE statement is used at the start of any program that will be called externally by the
CALL statement. It also declares any parameters to the compiler.

COMMAND SYNTAX
SUB{ROUTINE} Name {({MAT} variable{,{MAT} variable...})}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Name is the identifier by which the subroutine will be known to the compilation process. It should
always be present as this name (not the source file name), will be used to call it by. However, if the
name is left out, the compiler will name subroutine as the source file name (without suffixes). Default
naming is not encouraged as it can cause problems if source files are renamed.
Each comma separated variable in the optional parenthesized list is used to identify parameters to the
compiler. These variables will be assigned the values passed to the subroutine by a CALL statement.

NOTES
The SUBROUTINE statement must be the first code line in a subroutine.
A subroutine will inherit all the variables declared using the COMMON statement providing an
equivalent COMMON area is declared within the SUBROUTINE source file. The program will fail to
compile if the number of common variables used in each common area exceeds the number defined in
the equivalent area in the main program.
Subroutines can only be called via the jBASE BASIC CALL statement
A subroutine can redefine PRECISION but the new precision will not persist when the subroutine
returns to the calling program.
A subroutine will return to the CALLing program if it reaches the logical end of the program or a
RETURN is executed with no outstanding GOSUB statement.
A SUBROUTINE will not return to the calling program if a STOP or ABORT statement is executed.
See also: CALL, CATALOG, COMMON, RETURN

EXAMPLES
SUBROUTINE DialUp(Number, MAT Results)
DIM Results(8)
....

363

SUBS
The SUBS function returns a dynamic array, the content of which is derived by subtracting each
element of the second dynamic array argument from the corresponding element of the first dynamic
array argument.

COMMAND SYNTAX
SUBS(DynArr1, DynArr2)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
DynArr1 and DynArr2 represent dynamic arrays.

NOTES
Null elements of argument arrays are treated as zero. Otherwise, a non-numeric element in an argument
array will cause a run-time error.

EXAMPLE
X = 1 : @VM : @VM : 5 : @VM : 8 : @SVM : 27 : @VM : 4
Y = 1 : @VM : 5 : @VM : 8 : @VM : 70: @VM : 19
S = SUBS(X, Y)
The variable S is assigned the value:
0 : @VM : -5 : @VM : -3 : @VM : -62 : @SVM : 27 : @VM : -15

364

SUBSTRINGS
The SUBSTRINGS function returns a dynamic array of elements, which are sub-strings of the
corresponding elements in a supplied dynamic array.

COMMAND SYNTAX
SUBSTRINGS (DynArr, Start, Length)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
DynArr should evaluate to a dynamic array.
Start specifies the position from which characters are extracted from each array element. It should
evaluate to an integer greater than zero.
Length specifies the number of characters to extract from each dynamic array element. If the length
specified exceeds the number of characters remaining in an array element then all characters from the
Start position are extracted.

INTERNATIONAL MODE
When using the SUBSTRINGS function in International Mode, the function will use the ‘start’ and
length’ parameters to the function as character count values, rather than bytecount

EXAMPLES
The following program shows how each element of a dynamic array can be changed with the FIELDS
function.
t = ""
t<1> = "AAAAA"
t<2> = "BBBBB" : @VM: "CCCCC" : @SVM: "DDDDD"
t<3> = "EEEEE":@VM:@SVM
r1 = SUBSTRINGS (t,3,2)
r2 = SUBSTRINGS(t,4,20)
r3 = SUBSTRINGS(t,0,1)

The above program creates 3 dynamic arrays. v represents a value mark. s represents a sub-value mark.
r1

<1>AA
<2>BB v CC s DD
<3>EE v s

r2

<1>AA
<2>BB v CC s DD

365

<3>EE v s
r3

<1>A
<2>B v C s D
<3>E v s

366

SUM
The SUM function sums numeric elements in a dynamic array.

COMMAND SYNTAX
SUM (expr)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expr is a dynamic array.

NOTES
Non-numeric sub-values, values and attributes are ignored.

EXAMPLES
s = CHAR (252)
v = CHAR(253)
a = CHAR(254)
a0 = 1:s:2:v:3:a:4:s:5:v:6:a:7:s:8:v:'NINE'
a1 = SUM (A)
a2 = SUM(a1)
a3 = SUM(a2)
CRT a0
CRT a1
CRT a2
CRT a3
The above code displays:
12²345²678²NINE
3²39²615²0
61515
36

367

SWAP
The SWAP function operates on a variable and replaces all occurrences of one string with another.

COMMAND SYNTAX
SWAP ( variable, expression1, expression2 )

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression1 may evaluate to any result and is the string of characters that will be replaced.
expression2 may also evaluate to any result and is the string of characters that will replace
expression1. The variable may be any previously assigned variable in the program.
NOTES: Either string can be of any length and is not required to be the same length. This function is
provided for compatibility with older systems.
See also: CHANGE function.

EXAMPLE
String1 = "Jim"
String2 = "James"
Variable = "Pick up the tab Jim"
CRT SWAP ( Variable, String1, String2)
CRT SWAP( Variable, "tab", "check")

368

System Functions
The following system functions are supported by jBASE:
SYSTEM(0)

Return the last error code

SYSTEM(1)

Return 1 if output directed to printer

SYSTEM(2)

Return page width

SYSTEM(3)

Return page depth

SYSTEM(4)

Return no of lines to print in current page. (HEADING statement)

SYSTEM(5)

Return current page number (HEADING statement)

SYSTEM(6)

Return current line number (HEADING statement)

SYSTEM(7)

Return terminal type

SYSTEM(8)

Return record length for tape channel 0

SYSTEM(9)

Return CPU milliseconds

SYSTEM(10)

Return 1 if stacked input available

SYSTEM(11)

Returns the number of items in an active select list or 0 if no list is active

SYSTEM(12)

Return 1/1000, ( or 1/10 for ROS), seconds past midnight

SYSTEM(13)

Release time slice

SYSTEM(14)

Returns the number of characters available in input buffer. Invoking SYSTEM(14)
can cause a slight delay in program execution.

SYSTEM(15)

Return bracket options used to invoke command

SYSTEM(16)

Return current PERFORM/EXECUTE level

SYSTEM(17)

Return stop code of child process

SYSTEM(18)

Return port number or JBCPORTNO

SYSTEM(19)

Return login name or JBASICLOGNAME. If the system_19_timedate emulation
option is set then returns the number of seconds since midnight December 31, 1967.

SYSTEM(20)

Returns last spooler file number created

SYSTEM(21)

Returns port number or JBCPORTNO

SYSTEM(22)

Reserved

SYSTEM(23)

Returns status of the break key
Enabled
0 Enabled
1 Disabled by BASIC
2 Disabled by Command
3 Disabled by Command and BASIC

SYSTEM(24)

Returns 1 if echo enabled, 0 if echo disabled

SYSTEM(25)

Returns 1 if background process

SYSTEM(26)

Returns current prompt character

SYSTEM(27)

Returns 1 if executed by PROC

SYSTEM(28)

Reserved.

SYSTEM(29)

Reserved.

369

SYSTEM(30)

Returns 1 if paging is in effect (HEADING statement)

SYSTEM(31)

Reserved

SYSTEM(32)

Reserved

SYSTEM(33)

Reserved

SYSTEM(34)

Reserved

SYSTEM(35)

Returns language in use as a name or number (ROS)

SYSTEM(36)

Reserved

SYSTEM(37)

Returns thousands separator

SYSTEM(38)

Returns decimal separator

SYSTEM(39)

Returns money symbol

SYSTEM(40)

Returns program name

SYSTEM(41)

Returns release number

SYSTEM(42)

Reserved

SYSTEM(43)

Returns port number of item lock

SYSTEM(44)

Returns 99 for jBASE system type

SYSTEM(45)

Reserved

SYSTEM(46)

Reserved

SYSTEM(47)

Returns 1 if currently in a transaction

SYSTEM(48)

Reserved

SYSTEM(49)

Returns PLID environment variable

SYSTEM(50)

Returns login user id

SYSTEM(51)

Reserved

SYSTEM(52)

Returns system node name

SYSTEM(53)

Reserved

SYSTEM(100)

Returns program create information

SYSTEM(101)

Returns port number or JBCPORTNO

SYSTEM(102)

Reserved

SYSTEM(1000)

Returns command line separated by attribute marks

SYSTEM(1001)

Returns command line and options

SYSTEM(1002)

Returns temporary scratch file name

SYSTEM(1003)

Returns terminfo Binary definitions

SYSTEM(1004)

Returns terminfo Integer definitions

SYSTEM(1005)

Returns terminfo String definitions

SYSTEM(1006)

Reserved

SYSTEM(1007)

Returns system time

SYSTEM(1008)

Returns SYSTEM file path

SYSTEM(1009)

Returns MD file path

SYSTEM(1010)

Returns Print Report information

SYSTEM(1011)

Returns jBASE release directory path. JBASICRELEASEDIR

370

SYSTEM(1012)

Returns jBASE global directory path. JBASICGLOBALDIR

SYSTEM(1013)

Returns memory usage (UNIX only):
<1> Free memory small blocks
<2> Free memory large blocks
<3> Used memory small blocks
<4> Used memory large blocks

SYSTEM(1014)

Returns relative PROC level

SYSTEM(1015)

Returns effective user name. LOGNAME

SYSTEM(1016)

Returns tape assignment information

SYSTEM(1017)

Returns platform. UNIX, WINNT or WIN95

SYSTEM(1018)

Returns configured processors

SYSTEM(1019)

Returns system information (uname -a)

SYSTEM(1020)

Returns login user name

SYSTEM(1021)

JBASE release information:
<1> Major release number
<2> Minor release number
<3> Patch level
<4> Copyright information

SYSTEM(1022)

SYSTEM (1023)
SYSTEM(1024)
SYSTEM(1025)
SYSTEM(1026)

371

Returns the status of jBASE profiling:
0

no profiling is active

1

full profiling is active

2

short profiling is active

3

jCOVER profiling is active

Used by STATUS() function
Retrieves details about last signals
Returns value of International mode for thread
Total amount of memory in use formatted with commas

SYSTEM(1027)

Returns directory PROC; Used by WHERE, LISTU
Information about running processes can be obtained via the PROC jedi....
This JEDI enables retrieval of information from executing processes and is the
interface now used by the WHERE command...

OPEN SYSTEM(1027) TO PROC ELSE STOP 201, "PROC"
SELECT PROC TO Sel
LOOP
WHILE READNEXT key FROM Sel DO
READ ProcessRecord FROM PROC, key ELSE CRT "Read
Error"; STOP
REPEAT

Info for current user can be returned from the @USERSTATS variable.
Attribute descriptions for Process Records returned from the PROC Jedi READ
interface.
<1> Port number
<2> Number of programs running
<3> Connect time
<4> Process ID
<5> Account name
<6> User name
<7> Terminal name in jBASE format
<8> Terminal name in UNIX format
<9> Database name
<10> Name of the tty device
<11> Language name
<12> Time listening thread executed
<13> Mallinfo memory free
<14> Mallinfo memory used
<15>Type of thread as a number
<16> Type of thread as a string WHERE
thread_type_string = "Normal" =1
thread_type_string = "javaOBjEX" = 2
thread_type_string = "vbOBjEX" = 3
thread_type_string = "jrfs" = 4
thread_type_string = "Compiler" = 5

372

<17> Number of instructions executed and licenses allocated to work around a bug
in Windows. Need to build the buffer in separate sprintf's
<18> Number of OPEN's
<19> Number of READ's
<20> Number of WRITE's
<21> Number of DELETE's
<22> Number of CLEARFILE's
<23> Number of EXECUTE's
<24> Number of INPUT's
<25> UNUSED
<26> Number of files the application thinks is open
<27> Number of files that in reality are opened by the OS
<28> Application data set by @USER.ROOT
<29> Text String to identify process
<41> Command line arguments < threadnext >
<42> Current Line Number < threadnext >
<43> Name of source 
<44> Status as a text string < threadnext >
status = "Program running normally"
status = "Program is SLEEPING"
status = "Program in DEBUGGER"
status = "Program at keyboard INPUT"
status = "Program blocked on record LOCK"

status = "Program performing EXECUTE/PERFORM"
status = "Error!! Status unknown"
<47> Status as an integer 
<48> User CPU time 
<49> System CPU time 
<50> Child User CPU time 
<51> Child System CPU time 
<52> User defined thread data 
SYSTEM(1028)

373

Logged in database name

SYSTEM(1029)

Shows the CALL stack history so that in error conditions the application, such as

database I/O statistics, programs being performed and so on. Can be used with
@USERDATA.
SYSTEM(1030)

This new entry into the SYSTEM() function returns the current perform level in the

range 1 to 32. This is similar to SYSTEM(16), which returns the nested execute
level. The difference is that SYSTEM(16) does not include any procs, paragraphs or
shells and returns the relative application program level. SYSTEM(1030) returns

the relative program level including all the proc interpreters, paragraph interpreters
and shells.
SYSTEM(1031)
SYSTEM(1032)

Number of free bytes on the current file system
Returns default frame size

SYSTEM(1034)

Returns handle of the current thread

SYSTEM(1035)

Returns the product ID of the license currently in use by this process;
1.

Enterprise

13. Server
Entries above 2000 are for system use only.

374

TAN
The TAN function returns the mathematical tangent of an angle.

COMMAND SYNTAX
TAN (expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression should evaluate to a numeric type.

NOTES
The function calculates the result at the highest precision available on the host system; it truncates the
result to the current PRECISION after calculation.

EXAMPLES
Adjacent = 42
Angle = 34
CRT "Opposite length = ":TAN (Angle)*Adjacent

375

TIME
The TIME() function returns the current system time.

COMMAND SYNTAX
TIME ()

NOTES
Returns the time as the number of seconds past midnight

EXAMPLES
CRT "Time is ":OCONV(TIME(), "MTS")

376

TIMEDATE
The TIMEDATE() function returns the current time and date as a printable string.

COMMAND SYNTAX
TIMEDATE ()

NOTES
The function returns a string of the form: hh:mm:ss dd mmm yyyy or in the appropriate format for your
international date setting.

EXAMPLES
CRT "The time and date is ":TIMEDATE ()

377

TIMEDIFF
Returns the interval between two timestamp values as a dynamic array

COMMAND SYNTAX
Time Diff(Timestamp1, Timestamp2,Mask)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The TIMEDIFF function returns the interval between two timestamp values by subtracting the value of
Timestamp2 from Timestamp1. The interval is returned as an attribute delimited array of the time
difference.
The Mask is an integer from 0 to 7 and selects one of the following output formats:

Mask

Array

0

-

Days^Hours^Minutes^Seconds^Milliseconds (Default)

1

-

Weeks^Days^Hours^Minutes^Seconds^Milliseconds

2

-

Months^Days^Hours^Minutes^Seconds^Milliseconds

3

-

Months^Weeks^Days^Hours^Minutes^Seconds^Milliseconds

4

-

Years^Days^Hours^Minutes^Seconds^Milliseconds

5

-

Years^Weeks^Days^Hours^Minutes^Seconds^Milliseconds

6

-

Years^Months^Days^Hours^Minutes^Seconds^Milliseconds

7

-

Years^Months^Weeks^Days^Hours^Minutes^Seconds^Milliseconds

378

TIMEOUT
If no data is read in the specified time, use the TIMEOUT statement to terminate a READSEQ or
READBLK statement.

COMMAND SYNTAX
TIMEOUT file.variable, time
file.variable specifies a file opened for sequential access.
Time: is an expression that evaluates to the number of seconds the program should wait before
terminating the
READSEQ statement.
TIMEOUT causes subsequent READSEQ and READBLK statements to terminate and execute ELSE
statements if the number of seconds specified by time elapses while waiting for data.
If either file.variable or time evaluates to null, the TIMEOUT statement fails and the program enters
the debugger.

EXAMPLES
TIMEOUT SLIPPERS, 10
READBLK VAR1 FROM SLIPPERS, 15 THEN PRINT VAR1 ELSE
PRINT "TIMEOUT OCCURRED"
END

379

TIMESTAMP
Returns a UTC timestamp value as decimal seconds

COMMAND SYNTAX
TIMESTAMP ()

SYNTAX ELEMENTS

The TIMESTAMP function returns a Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) value as decimal seconds,
i.e. Seconds with tenths and hundredths specified after the decimal point.
"The value is returned as a variable with as many decimal places as the current precision allows.
However, successive calls may return the same value many times before the operating system updates
the underlying timer. For example, Windows updates the low level timer every 1/50 second even
though it stores the time in billionths of a second."

380

TRANS
The TRANS function will return the data value of a field, given the name of the file, the record key, the
field number, and an action code.

COMMAND SYNTAX
TRANS ([DICT] filename, key, field#, action.code)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
DICT is the literal string to be placed before the file name in the event it is desired to open the
dictionary portion of the file, rather than the data portion.
filename is a string containing the name of the file to be accessed. Note that it is the actual name of the
file, and not a file unit variable. This function requires the file name, regardless of whether or not the
file has been opened to a file unit variable.
key is an expression that evaluates to the record key, or item ID, of the record from which data is to be
accessed.
field# is the field number to be retrieved from the record.
action.code indicates what should happen if the field is null, or the if record is not found. This is a
literal. The valid codes are:
X

Returns a null string. This is the default action

V

Prints an error message.

C

Returns the value of key

NOTES
If the field being accessed is a dynamic array, TRANS will return the array with the delimiter
characters lowered by 1. For example, multivalue marks (ASCII-253) are returned as subvalue marks
(ASCII-252), and subvalue marks are returned as text marks (ASCII-251).
If you supply -1 for field#, the entire record will be returned.
The TRANS function is the same as the XLATE function.

EXAMPLES
Retrieval of a simple field: Given a file called "VENDORS" containing a record with the record key of
"12345" and which contains the value of "ABC Company" in field 1,

VENDOR.ID = "12345"
VENDOR.NAME = TRANS ("VENDORS",VENDOR.ID,1,"X")
CRT VENDOR.NAME

381

will display: ABC Company
Retrieval of an array: Suppose field 6 of the VENDORS file contains a multivalued list of purchase
order numbers, such as
10011]10062]10079
use the TRANS function to retrieve it:
PO.LIST = TRANS ("VENDORS",VENDOR.ID,6,"X")
CRT PO.LIST
will display: 10011\10062\10079
Notice that the backslashes (\) were substituted for brackets (]), indicating that the delimiter is now
CHAR(252).
Retrieval of an entire dictionary item: Given a dictionary item called "VENDOR.NAME" with the
following content
001 A
002 1
003 Vendor Name
004
005
006
007
008
009 L
010 30
these statements
DICT.ID = "VENDOR.NAME"
DICT.REC = TRANS ("DICT VENDORS",VENDOR.ID,-1,"C")
PRINT DICT.REC
will display
A]1]Vendor Name]]]]]L]30

382

TRANSABORT
The TRANSABORT statement is used to abort the current transaction and reverse any updates to the
database.

COMMAND SYNTAX
TRANSABORT {abort-text} [THEN statement | ELSE statement]

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
abort-text specifies an optional text string to save in the transaction abort record.
A THEN or ELSE (or both) statement is required. The THEN clause will be executed if the
transaction is successfully aborted. The ELSE clause will be executed if the transaction abort fails for
any reason.

NOTES
Any record locks set during the transaction will be released upon successful completion.

383

TRANSQUERY
The TRANSQUERY function is used to detect whether or not a transaction is active on the current
process.

COMMAND SYNTAX
TRANSQUERY()

NOTES
TRANSQUERY will return 1 (true) if the process is within a transaction boundary, and 0 (false) if it is
not. In other words, TRANSQUERY will return true if the TRANSTART statement has been issued
but a TRANSEND or TRANSABORT statement has not yet been processed.
By default, all hashed files are marked for inclusion in a transaction however this can be modified by
the jchmod utility.

384

TRANSTART
In transaction processing, the TRANSTART statement is used to mark the beginning of a transaction.

COMMAND SYNTAX
TRANSTART {SYNC}{start-text} [THEN statement | ELSE statement]

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
SYNC is an option to force the updates to be flushed at transaction end or abort. start-text specifies an
optional text string to save with the transaction start record.
A THEN or ELSE (or both) statement is required. The THEN clause will be executed if the
transaction is successfully started. The ELSE clause will be executed if the transaction start fails for
any reason.

NOTES
Record locks set during the transaction will not be released until a TRANSEND or TRANSABORT
statement is processed.
A program (or series of programs) can only have one active transaction at one time. If another
TRANSTART statement is encountered whilst a transaction is active, a run-time error will be
generated.

385

TRANSEND
The TRANSEND statement is used to mark the end of a successfully completed transaction.

COMMAND SYNTAX
TRANSEND {end-text} [THEN statement | ELSE statement]

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
end-text specifies an optional text string to save with the transaction end record.
A THEN or ELSE (or both) statement is required. The THEN clause will be executed if the
transaction is successfully ended. The ELSE clause will be executed if the transaction end fails for any
reason.

NOTES
Any record locks set during the transaction will be released upon successful completion.

386

TRIM
The TRIM statement allows characters to be removed from a string in a number of ways.

COMMAND SYNTAX
TRIM (expression1 {, expression2{, expression3}})

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression1 specifies the string from which to trim characters.
expression2 may optionally specify the character to remove from the string. If not specified then the
space character is assumed.
expression3 evaluates to a single character specifies the type of trim to perform.

NOTES
The trim types available for expression3 are:

Type

Operation

L

removes leading characters only

T

removes trailing characters only

B

removes leading and trailing characters

A

removes all occurrences of the character

R

removes leading, trailing and redundant characters

F

removes leading spaces and tabs

E

removes trailing spaces and tabs

D

removes leading, trailing and redundant spaces and tabs.

EXAMPLE
INPUT Answer
* Remove spaces and tabs (second parameter ignored)
Answer = TRIM (Answer, ", "D")
INPUT Joker
* Remove all dots
Thief = TRIM(Joker, ".", "A")

387

TRIMB
The TRIMB() function is equivalent to TRIM(expression, " ", "T")

388

TRIMBS
Use the TRIMBS function to remove all trailing spaces and tabs from each element of dynamic.array.

COMMAND SYNTAX
TRIMBS (dynamic.array)
TRIMBS removes all trailing spaces and tabs from each element and reduces multiple occurrences of
spaces and tabs to a single space or tab.
If dynamic.array evaluates to null, null is returned. If any element of dynamic.array is null, null is
returned for that value.

389

TRIMF
The TRIMF() function is equivalent to TRIM(expression, " ", "L")

390

TRIMFS
Use the TRIMFS function to remove all leading spaces and tabs from each element of dynamic.array.

COMMAND SYNTAX
TRIMFS (dynamic.array)
TRIMFS removes all leading spaces and tabs from each element and reduces multiple occurrences of
spaces and tabs to a single space or tab.
If dynamic.array evaluates to null, it returns null. If any element of dynamic.array is null, it returns null
for that value.

391

UNASSIGNED
The UNASSIGNED function allows a program to determine whether a variable has been assigned a
value.

COMMAND SYNTAX
UNASSIGNED (variable)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
variable is the name of variable used elsewhere in the program.

NOTES
The function returns Boolean TRUE if variable has not yet been assigned a value. The function returns
Boolean FALSE if variable has already been assigned a value.
See also: ASSIGNED

EXAMPLES
IF UNASSIGNED(Var1) THEN

Var1 = "Assigned now!"

END

392

UNIQUEKEY
Returns a unique 16-byte character key

COMMAND SYNTAX
UNIQUEKEY ()

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The UNIQUEKEY() function will generate a unique 16-byte character key on each call to the function.
The key contains characters from the set A-Z a-z 0-9 + and / (base64)
Based on the current UTC time and the process number, the key is unique on a single computer system
providing that the system clock is not turned back.
If the system administrator adjusts the system clock backwards, then there is a slight possibility of
generating duplicate keys during the period until the clock has caught back up to time that the
adjustment was made.
Any process that continues to execute throughout this period will continue to produce unique keys.
A process that starts up during this period and is given the process ID of a process that terminated
during the period, may possibly generate a duplicate key until the period ends.

393

UNLOCK
The UNLOCK statement releases a previously LOCKed execution lock.

COMMAND SYNTAX
UNLOCK {expression}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
If specifying expression it should evaluate to the number of a held execution lock, for release.
If omitting expression then it releases all execution locks held by the current program

NOTES
There is no action if the program attempts to release an execution lock that it had not taken.
See also: LOCK.

EXAMPLE
LOCK 23 ; LOCK 32
......
UNLOCK

394

UDTEXECUTE
See also:EXECUTE.

UPCASE
See also:DOWNCASE/UPCASE.

395

UTF8
The UTF8 function converts a latin1or binary string into the UTF-8 equivalent byte sequence.

COMMAND SYNTAX
UTF8 (expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
The expression is expected to be a binary/latin1code page string, which converts the binary string into
a UTF-8 encoded byte sequence, used to represent the Unicode values for each byte in the expression.

NOTES
This function is useful for converting binary or latin1 code page data into internal format when in
International Mode.

396

WAKE
Use the WAKE statement to wake a suspended process, which has executed a PAUSE statement.

COMMAND SYNTAX
WAKE PortNumber

SYNTAX ELEMENTS

PortNumber is a reference to awaken the target port. The WAKE statement has no effect on processes,
which do not execute the PAUSE statement.

397

WEOF
The WEOF statement allows the program to write an EOF mark on an attached tape device.

COMMAND SYNTAX
WEOF {ON expression}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression specifies the device channel to use. Should evaluate to a numeric integer argument in the
range 0-9, the default value is zero.
NOTES
If the WEOF fails it then executes the statements associated with any ELSE clause. SYSTEM(0) will
return the reason for the failure as follows:
1

there is no media attached to the channel

2

end of media found

NOTES
A "tape" does not refer to magnetic tape devices only but to any device described previously to jBASE.
If the specified channel has no assigned tape device, it enters the jBASE debugger with an appropriate
message.

EXAMPLE
WEOF ON 5 ELSE
CRT "No tape device exists for channel 5"
END

398

WEOFSEQ
Write end of file on file opened for sequential access.

COMMAND SYNTAX
WEOFSEQ FileVar { THEN | ELSE Statements}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
FileVar specifies the file descriptor of the file opened for sequential access.
Statements conditional jBASE BASIC statements

NOTES
WEOFSEQ forces truncation of the file at the current file pointer nothing is actually 'written' to the
sequential file.

EXAMPLES
See also: Sequential File Examples

399

WRITE
The WRITE statement allows a program to write a record into a previously opened file.

COMMAND SYNTAX
WRITE variable1 ON|TO { variable2,} expression {SETTING setvar} {ON ERROR statements}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
variable1 is the identifier containing the record to write.
variable2, if specified, should be a previous opened jBASE BASIC variable to a file using the OPEN
statement. If not specifying variable2 then it assumes the default file.
The expression should evaluate to a valid record key for the file.
If specifying the SETTING clause and the write fails, it sets setvar to one of the following values:

INCREMENTAL FILE ERRORS
128

No such file or directory

4096

Network error

24576

Permission denied

32768

Physical I/O error or unknown error

NOTES
If holding a lock on the record by this process, it is released by the WRITE.
If you wish to retain a lock on a record, you should do so explicitly with the WRITEU statement.

EXAMPLE
OPEN "DICT Customers" TO DCusts ELSE
ABORT 201, "DICT Customers"
END
WRITE Rec ON DCusts, "Xref" ON ERROR
CRT "Xref not written to DICT Customers"
END

400

WRITEBLK
Use the WRITEBLK statement to write a block of data to a file opened for sequential processing.

COMMAND SYNTAX
WRITEBLK expression ON file.variable
{THEN statements [ELSE statements] | ELSE statements}
Each WRITEBLK statement writes the value of expression starting at the current position in the file.
The current position is incremented to beyond the last byte written. WRITEBLK does not add a new
line at the end of the data.
file.variable specifies a file opened for sequential processing.
The value of expression is written to the file, and the THEN statements are executed. If no THEN
statements are specified, program execution continues with the next statement. If the file is neither
accessible or does not exist, it executes the ELSE statements; and ignores any THEN statements.
If either expression or file.variable evaluates to null, the WRITEBLK statement fails and the program
enters the debugger with a run-time error message.

INTERNATIONAL MODE
When using the WRITEBLK statement in International Mode, care must be taken to ensure that the
write variable is handled properly before the WRITEBLK statement. The WRITEBLK statement
expects the output variable to be in “bytes”, however when manipulating variables in International
Mode character length rather than byte lengths are usually used and hence possible confusion or
program malfunction can occur. If requiring byte count data the output variable can be converted from
the UTF-8 byte sequence to ‘binary/latin1’ via the LATIN1 function.
It is not recommended that you use the READBLK/WRITEBLK statements when executing in
International Mode. You can obtain similar functionality via the READSEQ/WRITESEQ statement,
which can be used to read/write, characters a line at a time from a file.

401

WRITELIST
WRITELIST allows the program to store a list held in a jBASE BASIC variable to the global list file.

COMMAND SYNTAX
WRITELIST variable ON|TO expression {SETTING setvar} {ON ERROR statements}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
variable is the variable in which the list is held.
expression should evaluate to the required list name. If expression is null, it writes the list to the
default external list.
If the SETTING clause is specified and the write fails, it sets setvar to one of the following values:

INCREMENTAL FILE ERRORS
128

No such file or directory

4096

Network error

24576

Permission denied

32768

Physical I/O error or unknown error

NOTE
See also: DELETELIST, READLIST, FORMLIST

EXAMPLE
* Create the list first
WRITELIST MyList ON "MyList"

402

WRITESEQ
Write to a file opened for sequential access.

COMMAND SYNTAX
WRITESEQ Expression {APPEND} ON|TO FileVar THEN | ELSE statements
or
WRITESEQF Expression {APPEND} TO FileVar THEN | ELSE statements

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Variable specifies the variable to contain next record from sequential file.
FileVar specifies the file descriptor of the file opened for sequential access.
Statements conditional jBASE BASIC statements

NOTES
Each WRITESEQ writes the data on a line of the sequentially opened file. Each data is suffixed with a
new line character. After each WRITESEQ, the file pointer moves forward to the end of line. The
WRITESEQF statement forces each data line to be flushed to the file when it is written. The APPEND
option forces each WRITESEQ to advance to the end of the file before writing the next data line.

EXAMPLES
See also: Sequential File Examples

403

WRITESEQF
SYNTAX
WRITESEQF expression {ON | TO} file.variable [ON ERROR statements]
{THEN statements [ELSE statements] | ELSE statements}

DESCRIPTION
Use the WRITESEQF statement to write new lines to a file opened for sequential processing, and to
ensure that data is physically written to disk (that is, not buffered) before the next statement in the
program is executed. The sequential file must be open, and the end-of-file marker must be reached
before you can write to the file. You can use the FILEINFO function to determine the number of the
line about to be written.
Normally, when you write a record using the WRITESEQ statement, the record is moved to a buffer
that is periodically written to disk. If a system failure occurs, you could lose all the updated records in
the buffer. The WRITESEQF statement forces the buffer contents to be written to disk; the program
does not execute the statement following the WRITESEQF statement until the buffer is successfully
written to disk.
A WRITESEQF statement following several WRITESEQ statements ensures that all buffered records
are written to disk. WRITESEQF is intended for logging applications and should not be used for
general programming. It increases the disk I/O of your program and therefore degrades performance.
file.variable specifies a file opened for sequential access.
The value of expression is written to the file as the next line, and the THEN statements are executed. If
THEN statements are not specified, program execution continues with the next statement; if the
specified file cannot be accessed or does not exist, the ELSE statements are executed; any THEN
statements are ignored.
If expression or file.variable evaluates to the null value, the WRITESEQF statement fails and the
program terminates with a run-time error message.

The ON ERROR Clause
The ON ERROR clause is optional in the WRITESEQF statement. Its syntax is the same as that of the
ELSE clause. The ON ERROR clause lets you specify an alternative for program termination when a
fatal error is encountered while the WRITESEQF statement is being processed.

404

WRITET
The WRITET statement enables data to be written to a range of tape devices between 0-9.

COMMAND SYNTAX
WRITET variable {ON|TO expression} THEN|ELSE statements

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
variable is the variable that holds the data for writing to the tape device.
expression should evaluate to an integer value in the range 0-9 and specifies from which tape channel
to read the data. If the ON clause is not specified the WRITET will assume channel 0.
If the WRITET fails then the statements associated with any ELSE clause will be executed.
SYSTEM(0) will return the reason for the failure as follows:

1

there is no media attached to the channel

2

end of media found

NOTES
A "tape" does not refer to magnetic tape devices only but any device that has been described to jBASE.
Writing device descriptors for jBASE is beyond the scope of this documentation.
If no tape device has been assigned to the specified channel the jBASE debugger is entered with an
appropriate message.
Where possible the record size is not limited to a single tape block and the entire record will be written
blocked to whatever block size has been allocated by the T-ATT command. However, certain devices
do not allow jBASE to accomplish this (SCSI tape devices for instance).

EXAMPLE
LOOP
WRITET TapeRec ON 5 ELSE
Reason = SYSTEM(0)
IF Reason = 2 THEN BREAK ;* done
CRT "ERROR"; STOP
END
REPEAT

405

WRITEU
The WRITEU statement allows a program to write a record into a previously opened file. An existing
record lock will be preserved.

COMMAND SYNTAX
WRITEU variable1 ON|TO { variable2,} expression {SETTING setvar} {ON ERROR statements}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
variable1 is the identifier holding the record to be written.
variable2, if specified, should be a jBASE BASIC variable that has previously been opened to a file
using the OPEN statement. If variable2 is not specified then the default file is assumed.
The expression should evaluate to a valid record key for the file.
If the SETTING clause is specified and the write fails, setvar will be set to one of the following values:

INCREMENTAL FILE ERRORS
128

No such file or directory

4096

Network error

24576

Permission denied

32768

Physical I/O error or unknown error

NOTES
If the statement fails to write the record then any statements associated with the ON ERROR clause is
executed.
The lock maintained by the WRITEU statement will be released by any of the following events:
the same program with WRITE, WRITEV or MATWRITE statements writes to the record.
the record lock is released explicitly using the RELEASE statement.
the program stops normally or abnormally.
See also: READU, MATREADU, RELEASE

EXAMPLES
OPEN "Customers" ELSE ABORT 201, "Customers"
OPEN "DICT Customers" TO DCusts ELSE
ABORT 201, "DICT Customers"

406

END
WRITEU Rec FROM DCusts, "Xref" Setting Err ON ERROR
CRT "I/O Error[":Err:"]"
ABORT
END

407

WRITEV
The WRITEV statement allows a program to write a specific field of a record in a previously opened
file.

COMMAND SYNTAX
WRITEV variable1 ON|TO {variable2,} expression1, expression2 {SETTING setvar} {ON ERROR
statements}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
variable1 is the identifier holding the record to be written.
variable2, if specified, should be a jBASE BASIC variable that has previously been opened to a file
using the OPEN statement. If variable2 is not specified then it assumes the default file.
expression1 should evaluate to a valid record key for the file.
expression2 should evaluate to a positive integer number. If the number is greater than the number of
fields in the record, it will add null fields to variable1. If expression2 evaluates to a non-numeric
argument, it will generate a run time error.
If the SETTING clause is specified and the write fails, it sets setvar to one of the following values:

INCREMENTAL FILE ERRORS
128

No such file or directory

4096

Network error

24576

Permission denied

32768

Physical I/O error or unknown error

NOTES
The WRITEV statement will cause the release of any lock held on the record by this program. If you
wish to retain a lock on the record, do so explicitly with the WRITEVU statement.

EXAMPLE
OPEN "Customers" ELSE ABORT 201, "Customers"
OPEN "DICT Customers" TO DCusts ELSE
ABORT 201, "DICT Customers"
END
WRITEV Rec ON DCusts, "Xref",7 Setting Err ON ERROR
CRT "I/O Error[":Err:"]"

408

ABORT
END

409

WRITEXML
WRITEXML rec ON file,id ELSE STOP 210,id
Write a dynamic array in xml format using a style sheet from the DICT
Use WRITEXML to write an XML record to a hash file
Transforms the XML into a dynamic array before being written to the file
The transform takes place using the style sheet in DICT->@WRITEXML

EXAMPLE
WRITEXML rec ON file,id ON ERROR CRT "Broken! " : rec

410

WRITEVU
The WRITEVU statement allows a program to write a specific field on a record in a previously opened
file. An existing record lock will be preserved.

COMMAND SYNTAX
WRITEVU variable1 ON|TO { variable2,} expression1, expression2 {SETTING setvar} {ON ERROR
statements}

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
variable1 is the identifier holding the record to be written.
variable2, if specified, should be a jBASE BASIC variable that has previously been opened to a file
using the OPEN statement. If variable2 is not specified then the default file is assumed.
expression1 should evaluate to a valid record key for the file.
expression2 should evaluate to a positive integer number; if the number is greater than the number of
fields in the record, null fields will be added to variable1. If expression2 evaluates to a non-numeric
argument, a run time error will be generated.
If the SETTING clause is specified and the write fails, it sets setvar to one of the following values:

INCREMENTAL FILE ERRORS
128

No such file or directory

4096

Network error

24576

Permission denied

32768

Physical I/O error or unknown error

NOTES
If the statement fails to write the record, it executes any statements associated with the ON ERROR
clause.
Any of the following events will release the lock taken by the WRITEVU statement:
The same program with WRITE, WRITEV or MATWRITE statements writes to the record.
By explicitly using the RELEASE statement, it releases the record lock.
The program stops normally or abnormally.
See also: MATWRITEU, RELEASE, WRITE, WRITEU.

EXAMPLE
OPEN "Customers" ELSE ABORT 201, "Customers"
OPEN "DICT Customers" TO DCusts ELSE

411

ABORT 201, "DICT Customers"
END
WRITEVU Rec ON DCusts, "Xref",1 SETTING Err ON ERROR
CRT "I/O Error[":Err:"]
ABORT
END

412

XLATE
The XLATE function will return the data value of a field, given the name of the file, the record key, the
field number, and an action code.

COMMAND SYNTAX
XLATE ([DICT] filename, key, field#, action.code)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
DICT is the literal string to be placed before the file name in the event it is desired to open the
dictionary portion of the file, rather than the data portion.
filename is a string containing the name of the file to be accessed. Note that it is the actual name of the
file, and not a file unit variable. This function requires the file name, regardless of whether or not the
file has been opened to a file unit variable.
key is an expression that evaluates to the record key, or item ID, of the record from which data is to be
accessed.
field# is the field number to be retrieved from the record.
action.code indicates the procedure if the field is null, or cannot find the if record. This is a literal.
The valid codes are:
X

Returns a null string. This is the default action

V

Prints an error message.

C

Returns the value of key

NOTES
If the field being accessed is a dynamic array, XLATE will return the array with the delimiter
characters lowered by 1. For example, multivalue marks (ASCII-253) are returned as subvalue marks
(ASCII-252), and subvalue marks are returned as text marks (ASCII-251).
If you supply -1 for field#, it returns the entire record.
The XLATE function is the same as the TRANS function.

EXAMPLE
1. Retrieval of a simple field: Given a file called "VENDORS" containing a record with the record key
of "12345" and which contains the value of "ABC Company" in field 1,
VENDOR.ID = "12345"
VENDOR.NAME = XLATE("VENDORS",VENDOR.ID,1,"X")
CRT VENDOR.NAME
will display: ABC Company
2. Retrieval of an array: Suppose field 6 of the VENDORS file contains a multivalued list of purchase
order numbers, such as

413

10011]10062]10079
use the XLATE function to retrieve it:

PO.LIST = XLATE("VENDORS",VENDOR.ID,6,"X")
CRT PO.LIST
will display: 10011\10062\10079
Notice that the backslashes (\) were substituted for brackets (]), indicating that the delimiter is now
CHAR(252).
3. Retrieval of an entire dictionary item: Given a dictionary item called "VENDOR.NAME" with the
following content
001 A
002 1
003 Vendor Name
004
005
006
007
008
009 L

010 30
these statements
DICT.ID = "VENDOR.NAME"
DICT.REC = XLATE("DICT VENDORS",VENDOR.ID,-1,"C")

PRINT DICT.REC
will display
A]1]Vendor Name]]]]]L]30

414

XMLTODYN
COMMAND SYNTAX
XMLTODYN(XML,XSL,result)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Converts the XML to a dynamic array using the optional XSL to transform
Array = XMLTODYN(XML,XSL,result)
If result = 0 Array will contain a dynamic array built from the xml / xsl
If result <> 0, Array will contain an error message
There is no requirement for xsl if you are reconverting from generic xml to dynarray

a = "Tom"
xml
b =
CRT

: @AM : "Dick" : @AM : "Harry"
= DYNTOXML(a,"",result)
XMLTODYN(xml,"",result
CHANGE(b
,@AM," ")

SCREEN OUTPUT
Tom Dick Harry
If passing a stylesheet in the second parameter, it performs a transform to give a different format of the
array.
XML CONTENTS


Tom
Dick
Harry


EXAMPLE
a = XMLTODYN(xml,xsl,rc)
CRT CHANGE(a,@AM," ")

XSL CONTENTS




415





1



1



Etc

416

XMLTOXML
COMMAND SYNTAX
XMLTOXML(xml,xsl,result

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
Transform the XML using the XSL
If result=0, newxml will contain a transformed version of xml using xsl
If result=1, newxml will hold an error message
XSL CONTENTS






XML CONTENTS


Bob


Amy



EXAMPLE
newxml = XMLTOXML(xml,xsl,rc)
CRT newxml
SCREEN OUTPUT
Bob
Amy

417

XTD
The XTD() function converts hexadecimal numbers into its decimal equivalent.

COMMAND SYNTAX
XTD(expression)

SYNTAX ELEMENTS
expression should evaluate to a valid hexadecimal string.

NOTES
The conversion process will halt at the first character that is not a valid base 16 character in the set [09, A-F or a-f].
See also: DTX.

EXAMPLES
A = "FF"
CRT XTD(A)

418

Embedded SQL for jBASE BASIC
The name "SQL" is an abbreviation for "Structured Query Language". The SQL language enables the
defining, manipulating and controlling of data in a relational database. A relational database is a
database that appears to the user as a collection of tables. A table is defined to be an unordered
collection of rows. Finally the SQL terminology tends to refer to records as rows and fields within a
record as a columns within a row.
Embedded SQL is a version of SQL designed for direct incorporation into hosts programs or
specifically in the case of jBASE, into jBASE BASIC programs.
An Embedded SQL jBASE BASIC program contains normal jBASE BASIC code statements plus an
Embedded SQL declare section, zero or more embedded cursor definitions, zero or more embedded
exception declarations and one or more Embedded SQL statements.
Embedded SQL declarations, definitions and statements are prefixed by the reserved words EXEC
SQL. This part of the Embedded SQL standard also enables the jBASE BASIC preprocessor to
recognize and distinguish SQL statements from the normal jBASE BASIC code statements. The
Embedded SQL statements are terminated by a semicolon.
Embedded SQL statements can include references to jBASE BASIC variables. The jBASE BASIC
variables must be prefixed with a colon to distinguish them from SQL column names. The jBASE
BASIC variables cannot be qualified or subscripted and must refer to scalars, i.e. character strings or
numbers, not arrays or expressions.
All jBASE BASIC variables that will be referenced in Embedded SQL statements must be defined
within an Embedded SQL declare section, the jBASE BASIC variable definitions are limited to simple
forms. i.e. no expressions or arrays.
An Embedded SQL cursor must not appear in an Embedded SQL statement before it has been defined
by an Embedded SQL cursor definition.
Any jBASE BASIC variables that will be referenced in Embedded SQL statements must have a data
type that is compatible with the SQL data type of the column with which they are to be compared or
assigned. However this requirement does not prevent jBASE BASIC variables from using the same
name as Embedded SQL column references.
Embedded SQL statement exceptions can be handled either by utilizing the SYSTEM(0) function or
predetermined by the SQL WHENEVER statement.
The following jBASE BASIC code provides an example of using Embedded SQL for Oracle.
PartEntry.b listing (Oracle)
*
* Declare jBASE BASIC vars to use in Embedded SQL statements ( A )
*
EXEC SQL BEGIN DECLARE SECTION;
INT PartNo;
STRING(20) PartName;
STRING(16) User;

419

STRING(16) Passwd;
EXEC SQL END DECLARE SECTION;
*
* Predetermine action on SQLERROR ( B )
*
EXEC SQL WHENEVER SQLERROR DO SQL_ERROR() ;
*
* Connect to database supplying user and password ( C )
*
User = "demo" ; Passwd = "demo99"
EXEC SQL CONNECT :User IDENTIFIED BY :Passwd;
*
* Create Parts table ( D )
*
EXEC SQL CREATE TABLE Parts
(
PartNo INTEGER NOT NULL PRIMARY KEY,
PartName CHAR(20)
);
*
* Loop until no more PartNos
*
LOOP
*
* Prompt for PartNo
*
CRT "Part Number :":
INPUT PartNo
WHILE PartNo NE '' DO
*
* Prompt for PartName
*
CRT "Part Name :":
INPUT PartName
*
* Add PartNo and PartName into Parts table ( E )
*
EXEC SQL INSERT INTO Parts VALUES (:PartNo, :PartName );
REPEAT
*
* Commit updates to database ( F )
*

420

EXEC SQL COMMIT ;

( A ) Declare jBASE BASIC variables to use within Embedded SQL statements
This section declares jBASE BASIC variables so that they can be used within Embedded SQL
statements. All references to jBASE BASIC within the Embedded SQL statement must be prefixed by
a colon. This feature of the Embedded SQL standard is used by the jBASE BASIC preprocessor to
identify jBASE BASIC variables when parsing the Embedded SQL statement. The jBASE BASIC
variables must be the same data type as the source or target Embedded SQL columns.
( B ) Predetermine action on SQLERROR
This section configures the action to take on detecting an error with the previous executed Embedded
SQL statement. Every SQL statement should in principle be followed by a test of the returned
SQLCODE value. This can be achieved by utilizing the SYSTEM(0) function, which returns the result
of the last SQL statement, or alternatively using the Embedded SQL WHENEVER statement to
predetermine the action for all subsequent Embedded SQL statements. The SYSTEM(0) function will
return three different possible values.
<0

Embedded SQL statement failed.

0

Embedded SQL statement successful.

100

NOT FOUND. No rows where found.

The format of the Embedded SQL WHENEVER statement is as follows:
EXEC SQL WHENEVER Condition Action ;
where
Condition

NOT FOUND
SQLERROR
DO Function - Oracle implementation.

Action

CALL Function - Ingres and Informix implementations.
GOTO proglab_Label – IBM DB2 and Microsoft SQL Server implementations.
CONTINUE
User defined function.

Function

SQLERROR() - Display Embedded SQL error then return to program.
SQLABORT() - Display Embedded SQL error then exit program.
Label in executing program:

Label

DOSQLERR:
DEFC INT SQL_ERROR
CALL SQL_ERROR
STOP

( C ) Connect to database supplying user and password
This section connects the specified user and or passwd combination to the SQL database. This

421

command can be Embedded SQL implementation dependent. The user must be correctly configured for
the target database.
( D ) Create Parts table.
This section creates an SQL table called Parts. The table has two constituent data types, these are
defined as an integer value PartNo and a character string PartName. The PartNo is defined as a non null
unique value and is defined as the primary key. This definition provides a close match to the usual
format of a record and id. The only data type that is truly common to all hosts and their languages is
fixed length character strings, the integer value used here is for demonstration purposes and is not
recommended.
( E ) Add PartNo and PartName into table Parts.
This Embedded SQL statement inserts the values entered for PartNo and PartName into the SQL table
Parts. PartNo is inserted as the first column whereas PartName is inserted as the second column of each
row. Effectively PartNo is the record id and PartName is the first field in the record PartNo. The
jBASE BASIC pre-processor parses the Embedded SQL statements and provides code to convert any
specified jBASE BASIC variables to the format required by the Embedded SQL implementation. Any
returned parameters are then converted back into jBASE BASIC variables.
( F ) Commit updates to database.
This Embedded SQL statement makes all updates by Embedded SQL statements since the last SQL
commit statement visible to other users or programs on the database. If a program executes an
Embedded SQL statement and no transaction is currently active then one is automatically started. Each
subsequent SQL statement update by the same program without an intervening commit or rollback, is
considered part of the same transaction. A transaction terminates by either an Embedded SQL
COMMIT, normal termination, or an Embedded SQL ROLLBACK statement, abnormal termination.
An abnormal termination does not change the database with respect to any of the Embedded SQL
updates executed since the last commit or rollback. Database updates made by a given transaction do
not become visible to any other distinct transaction until and unless the given transaction completes
with a normal termination. i.e. an Embedded SQL COMMIT statement.

EMBEDDED SQL COMPILER OPTION
In order to compile jBASE BASIC programs containing Embedded SQL statements the jBASE
compiler option "Jq" must be invoked with the jBASE BASIC compiler command. The "Jq" option
also expects an SQL implementation specifier, as described below.
-Jq

RDBMS

d

IBM DB2

m

Microsoft SQL Server (Windows only)

o

Oracle

422

i

Ingres

s

Sybase

x

Informix

e.g. To compile the jBASE BASIC example program PartEntry.b for an Oracle SQL implementation
database.
jcompile -Jqo PartEntry.b
In this example the SQL specifier is "o" for Oracle. Other specifiers are added as and when Embedded
SQL implementations are required. e.g. The "i" option informs the jBASE compiler to invoke
mechanisms for the Ingres Embedded SQL implementation. Although the Embedded SQL standard is
the same, each SQL provider requires different manipulative techniques in order to compile and
connect to the database.
The jcompile compiler pre-processes the jBASE BASIC program parsing the normal jBASE BASIC
and Embedded SQL statements to produce an intermediate C program. The SQL implementation
dependent pre-processor is then invoked to convert the Embedded SQL statements to the
implementation defined internal functions. The resulting program is then is then compiled and linked.
The jBASE BASIC compilation should be executed in a user account which has been enabled for the
required Embedded SQL implementation. Attempting to compile in an account not enabled for the
required SQL implementation may cause compilation failure as certain environment variables for the
implementation may not have been modified for the correct directory paths, etc.

TROUBLESHOOTING
When attempting to compile a program with Embedded SQL and you get an error along the lines of...
Command failed: nsqlprep PartEntry.sqc
SQL Pre Processor error -1
...this is an indication that either you have not loaded the Embedded SQL Kit and do not have the
'nsqlprep' command, or the 'nsqlprep' command does exist but it is not visible to the PATH
environment variable.

423

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424



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