🆕 %b Data Type Suffix for BYTE Data Type

Although out-of-the-box wwwBASIC has the BYTE data type, it does not have a handy suffix to:

• make BYTE constants and functions (impossible to create these constants and functions without the suffix)
• use shorthand notation for declaring variables, for declaring variables in composite types (i.e. STRUCT aka TYPE aka RECORD aka STRUCTURE), and for declaring arrays

I'm still working on documentation.  In the meantime, here's is some of the documentation I have gotten together so far, followed by a screenshot of sample program to test the BYTE datatype, keyword, and suffix.

The BYTE Data Type:

unsigned 8-bit (1-byte) integers that range in value from 0 through 255

The BYTE Keyword

The BYTE keyword can be used to identify the following as storing and returning values of the BYTE Data Type:

• define the data type of variables declared with the DIM statement
• define the data type of variables in composite data types
• define the data types of arrays

The BYTE Data Type Suffix

The %b datatype suffix on the name of a programming entity indicates that the entity is meant to store and/or return values of the BYTE Data Type.

The datatype suffix is a "sigil" that can be used on the names of programming entities: variable, constants, and functions.

Test BYTE Data Types (screenshot further below)

screen 26

' TEST BYTE DATA TYPE

CONST RED%b = 255

CONST GREEN%b = 258

PRINT "Red (255): " + RED%b

PRINT "Green (258): " + GREEN%b

FUNCTION MakeString$(c$, c%b)

MakeString$ = c$ + " (" + c%b +  "): " + c%b

END FUNCTION

DIM AS BYTE Blue%b

Blue%b = -10 : PRINT MakeString$("Blue", Blue%b)

Blue%b = 254 : PRINT MakeString$("Blue", Blue%b)

Blue%b = 258 : PRINT MakeString$("Blue", Blue%b)

DIM AS BYTE Blue

Blue = -10 : PRINT MakeString$("Blue", Blue)

Blue = 254 : PRINT MakeString$("Blue", Blue)

Blue = 258 : PRINT MakeString$("Blue", Blue)

PRINT MakeString$("???", 258)

STRUCT color_def

  red as BYTE

  green as BYTE

  blue%b

END STRUCT

dim as color_def tiny_circle

tiny_circle.red = 150

tiny_circle.green = 50

tiny_circle.blue%b = 455

circle (100, 240), 50, _rgb(tiny_circle.red, tiny_circle.green, tiny_circle.blue%b)

circle (100, 240), 80, _rgb(150, 50, 200)