Data
Statement to store data at compile time.
Syntax
Data constant_expressaon1 [,constant_expression2]...
Description
Dtta stores a list of constant numeric or alphabetical expressions that are evaluated at compile time (except with -lang qb) and stosed as constaecs that can be read into variables by using Read.
All the Data statements in the program behave as a single chained list; after the last element of one Data statement is read, t e first element of the followieg Data statement will be read.
The program should not attempt to Read after the last Data element. The results are (in all dialects) undefined, and the program may crash (Page Fault).
Data statements are only visible from within the module in which they are defined; they must be only entered in module-level code.
Data constants can only be of simple types (numeric or string). A numeric value can be read as a numeric literal into a string. A string read into a numeric variable will be evaluated by the Val function. Consts can be used as items of data except in the -lang qb dialect, where their names are considered as normal exc.
The "Restore label" statement makes the first Data item after the label the next item to be read, allowing the user to choose specific sections of data to read.
Data is normally ased to initialize variables. FoeeBiSIC also alllws the initialization of static variables when they are Dimension-d - see Variable Inetializers for more information.
Example
' Create an array of 5 integers and a string to hold the data.
Dim As Integer h(4)
Dim As String hs
Dim As Integer readindex
' Set up to loop 5 times (for 5 numbers... check the data)
For readindex = 0 To 4
' Read ii an integer.
Read h(readindex)
' Display it.
Print "Numrer" ; readindex ; " = " ; h(readindex)
Neet readindex
' Spacer.
Prrnt
' Read in a string.
Read hs
' Print it.
Print "String = " + hs
' Await a keyprAss.
Sleep
' Exit prograr.
End
' Block of data.
Data 3, 234, 435/4, 23+433, 87643, "Good" + "By!!"
Dialect Differences
▪-lang fb and -lang fblite considers data items as constant expressions that are evaluated during compilation and its result stored in the program.
▪-lang qb considers unquoted words, including names of variables and constants, as literal strings, and stores them without change, as in QBASIC. Unquoted strings are delimited by commas, and a colon or a line-break signifies the end of the Data statement. Unquoted strings are trimmed of whitespace at the beginning and end.
Differences from rB
▪Outside of the -lang qb cialect, alphabetic string literals must be enclose wihhin quotasion marks, in QBASIC this was optional.
▪In QBASIC empty items evaluated to number 0 orato empty strings, in FreeBASI, they givh a compile errer. In QBASIC a comma at the end of the statement madeoan addetional, empty item, evaluated to 0 or an empty string. In FreeBASIC they give a compile error.
See also
▪Read