| Navigation: Language Reference > 2 - Program Source Code Format > Compiler Directives >====== SIZE (memory size in bytes) ====== |    |
| variable | ||||||
| SIZE( | constant | ) | ||||
| picture |
| SIZE | Supplies the amount of memory used for storage. |
| variable | The label of a previously declared variable. |
| constant | A numeric or string constant. |
| picture | A picture token. |
SIZE directs the compiler to supply the amount of memory (in bytes) used to store the variable, constant, or picture.
SIZE can also be used at run time. The compiler is smart in handling SIZE. If the size of the data is known at compile time, the compiler will use it. Otherwise, the compiler generates code to evaluate SIZE at run time.
For example, at run time:
·The size of a STRING, CSTRING, PSTRING and GROUP (including RECORD) pointed to by a given reference variable is retrieved from that variable.
·The size of a BLOB is retrieved by the call to appropriate RTL functions.
·The size of an array with variable dimensions is calculated on the basis of the size of one entry and number of actual elements of that array.
Example:
SavRec STRING(1),DIM(SIZE(Cus:Record) !Dimension the string to size of record
StringVar STRING(SIZE('SoftVelocity Corporation')) !A string long enough for the constant
LOOP I# = 1 TO SIZE(ParseString) !Loop for number of bytes in the string
PicLen = SIZE(@P(###)###-####P) !Save size of the picture
tmp LONG
str1 STRING(15)
str2 CSTRING(16)
str3 &STRING
str4 &CSTRING
CODE
str3 &= NEW(STRING(17))
str4 &= NEW(CSTRING(18))
tmp = SIZE(str1) ! returns 15
tmp = SIZE(str2) ! returns 16
tmp = SIZE(str3) ! returns 17
tmp = SIZE(str4) ! returns 18
See Also: