Post by Robert on Nov 19, 2023 10:06:30 GMT -5
Hi George,
As you know, I have been exploring the possibility of defining a new Picture code of * and tested this concept in the current version 23.313.
When a file is first opened, if you were to attempt a command like,
FIND *
it means to find the same string you found 'the last time'. But, for a newly opened file, there is no last time, and so you get the error,
No previous Find string available
Problem is, I am getting this same error when I try,
FIND P'*'
Because * is currently not a reserved Picture code, it should be treated as ordinary data, but that won't work unless I code it like this,
FIND P'\*'
Now, the plot thickens ...
If I use " double quotes or ` accent quotes, it correctly finds * characters without the \ used in the Picture.
Also, if I were to say FIND '*A' it works correctly, and will find a string of "*A" if one exists in the data.
Conclusion: The Picture Code logic is correctly realizing that * is not a special code. So, the problem must be somewhere in the command line parser. I would guess it is failing to handle the combination of P and the ' apostrophe, and somehow the * is getting yanked out as a token. You then see FIND * rather than FIND P'*' thus leading to the incorrect error message.
R
As you know, I have been exploring the possibility of defining a new Picture code of * and tested this concept in the current version 23.313.
When a file is first opened, if you were to attempt a command like,
FIND *
it means to find the same string you found 'the last time'. But, for a newly opened file, there is no last time, and so you get the error,
No previous Find string available
Problem is, I am getting this same error when I try,
FIND P'*'
Because * is currently not a reserved Picture code, it should be treated as ordinary data, but that won't work unless I code it like this,
FIND P'\*'
Now, the plot thickens ...
If I use " double quotes or ` accent quotes, it correctly finds * characters without the \ used in the Picture.
Also, if I were to say FIND '*A' it works correctly, and will find a string of "*A" if one exists in the data.
Conclusion: The Picture Code logic is correctly realizing that * is not a special code. So, the problem must be somewhere in the command line parser. I would guess it is failing to handle the combination of P and the ' apostrophe, and somehow the * is getting yanked out as a token. You then see FIND * rather than FIND P'*' thus leading to the incorrect error message.
R
