DIM ALL question

[Scott Slater]

And then there's this data point too. I create a Global variable a% . Then I create a local variable a!.

Local variables will be used instead of the globals when the names are the same and they are declared.

The safest bet is to use UNIQUE names, and to always use #DIM ALL

[Scott Slater]

You can't use the same name even with different identifiers when declaring them. With no DIM ALL statement you can simply use them and the compiler won't complain.

eg.

#Compile Exe

Function PBMain

   
   A$ = "Hello"
   A% = 5
   
   ? A$

End Function

[Gary Beene]

And then there's this data point too. I create a Global variable a% . Then I create a local variable a!.

If I try to use a% in the procedure where a! was defined, the compiler complains.

I guess the moral of the story is don't use variables with the same base name.

#Compile Exe
#Dim All
#Include "win32api.inc"

Global a%
Function PBMain() As Long
    a% = 10
    Local hDlg As Dword
    Dialog New Pixels, 0, "Button Test",300,300,200,200, %WS_OverlappedWindow To hDlg
    Control Add Button, hDlg, 100,"Push", 50,10,100,20
    Dialog Show Modal hDlg Call DlgProc
End Function

CallBack Function DlgProc() As Long
   If Cb.Msg = %WM_Command And Cb.Ctl = 100 And Cb.CtlMsg = %BN_Clicked Then
      Dim a!
      a% = 5
      MsgBox Str$(a)
   'test code
   End If
End Functio

[Gary Beene]

Well, that's a surprise because Help says:

Bear in mind that cat?, cat%, cat&, cat&&, cat!, cat#, cat##, [email protected], [email protected]@, and cat$ are ten separate variables. Although using cat over and over again to create different variables like this is legal, good programming practice suggests that you use somewhat different names for different variables.

But when I use

Dim a$, a%, a!

the compiler complains.

If it didn't, which a$, a%, a! would just plain old "a" be?

There's an inconsistency in here somewhere.

But you're right - with a single a% (or whatever type I give it), using plain old "a" compiles fine with #DIM ALL in it.

[Scott Slater]

That is correct. The $ told the compiler that it is a type of STRING (could also use AS STRING), so you don't need the identifier to refer to it again once it is declared.

[Gary Beene]

I DIM the variable temp$, but use temp in the code - yet the compiler doesn't complain. Is that the way it's supposed to be?

#Compile Exe
#Dim All
#Include "win32api.inc"

Function PBMain() As Long
    Local hDlg As Dword
    Dialog New Pixels, 0, "Button Test",300,300,200,200, %WS_OverlappedWindow To hDlg
    Control Add Button, hDlg, 100,"Push", 50,10,100,20
    Dialog Show Modal hDlg Call DlgProc
End Function

CallBack Function DlgProc() As Long
   Dim temp$
   temp = "s"
   If Cb.Msg = %WM_Command And Cb.Ctl = 100 And Cb.CtlMsg = %BN_Clicked Then
   'test code
   End If
End Function