| Navigation: Language Reference > 3 - Variable Declarations > Data Types >====== BFLOAT8 (eight-byte signed floating point) ====== |    |
| label BFLOAT8([initial value]) [,DIM( )] [,OVER( )] [,NAME( )] [,EXTERNAL] [,DLL] [,STATIC] | |
| [,THREAD] [,AUTO] [,PRIVATE] [,PROTECTED] | |
| BFLOAT8 | An eight-byte floating point number. |
Format: exponent ± significand
| ……….. | . | ………………… |
Bits: 63 55 54 0
Range: 0, ± 5.877471754e-39 .. ± 1.7014118346e+38 (15 significant digits)
| initial value | A numeric constant. If omitted, the initial value is zero, unless the AUTO attribute is present. |
| DIM | Dimension the variable as an array. |
| OVER | Share a memory location with another variable. |
| NAME | Specify an alternate, “external” name for the field. |
| EXTERNAL | Specify the variable is defined, and its memory is allocated, in an external library. Not valid within FILE, QUEUE, or GROUP declarations. |
| DLL | Specify the variable is defined in a .DLL. This is required in addition to the EXTERNAL attribute. |
| STATIC | Specify the variable's memory is permanently allocated. |
| THREAD | Specify memory for the variable is allocated once for each execution thread. Also implicitly adds the STATIC attribute on Procedure Local data. |
| AUTO | Specify the variable has no initial value. |
| PRIVATE | Specify the variable is not visible outside the module containing the CLASS methods. Valid only in a CLASS. |
| PROTECTED | Specify the variable is not visible outside base CLASS and derived CLASS methods. Valid only in a CLASS. |
BFLOAT8 declares an eight-byte floating point signed numeric variable, using the Microsoft BASIC (double precision) format. This data type is normally used for compatibility with existing data since it is internally converted to a REAL before all arithmetic operations.
Example:
Count1 BFLOAT8 !Declare eight-byte signed floating point
Count2 BFLOAT8,OVER(Count1) !Declare OVER
Count3 BFLOAT8,DIM(4) !Declare it an array of 4 reals
Count4 BFLOAT8(5) !Declare with initial value
Count5 BFLOAT8,EXTERNAL !Declare as external
Count6 BFLOAT8,EXTERNAL,DLL !Declare as external in a .DLL
Count7 BFLOAT8,NAME('SixCount') !Declare with external name
ExampleFile FILE,DRIVER('Btrieve') !Declare a file
Record RECORD
Count8 BFLOAT8,NAME('Counter') !Declare with external name
END
END