The print command looks like this:
The easiest way to do print is to put * in place of a detailed format specification. In this case, the formatting is done automatically. Example:
A specific format can be added. A format specification is a string and the actual format is enclosed in parentheses. This example contains a11 as the format for the string literal 'My name is ' and a8 for the variable name:
The format specification is a string, so it starts and ends with quotes: '(...)'. The actual format is the part enclosed in parentheses, i.e. the ... part. In the example
'(a11,a8)' |
is the format specification |
a11,a8 |
is the format |
Different edit descriptors are used for different types of variables. The edit descriptor may be followed by a number that indicates the length of the output field. A short list of output descriptors is given here:
| Variable Type | Edit Descriptor | Example | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| string | a |
a11 |
A string is printed into an 11 character wide output field |
| string | a |
a |
The length of the output field is the length of the string |
| integer | i |
i4 |
An integer is printed into a 4 character wide output field |
| integer | i |
i |
INVALID! The length has to be specified |
| real | f |
f12.5 |
A real is printed into a 12 character wide output field. The 5 after the decimal point means that 5 decimal digits of the floating point number are to be printed. No exponent is used with this edit descriptor |
| real | e |
e12.5 |
A real is printed with an exponent |
| real | es |
es12.5 |
Same as e, but number does not start with a zero |
| logical | l |
l2 |
T (true) or F (false) is printed into a 2 character wide output field |
| whitespace | x |
x |
Add a blank character |
| whitespace | x |
4x |
Four whitespace characters are added |
Note that if a printed item is shorter than the length of its output field, it will be right justified within the field; if the printed item is longer, it will be truncated, or the field will be filled with stars (*). Similarly, the decimal parts of reals will be zero-padded or rounded to conform to the specified number of decimal places.