Re: Red-faced professor gets bitten in search for portability

[milo!chrisp@uunet.uu.net (The Sunset Kid)]

In article <1991Nov22.090650.28@v7.vitro.com> vaxs09@v7.vitro.com writes:
>
>	FUNCTION Trunc ( X : Float ) RETURN Integer IS
>		i : integer := integer ( x );
>		if x < float(i) then
>			return i - 1;
>		else
>			return i;
>		endif;
>	END Trunc;

This version will not work for negative numbers.  If X is less than zero,
then a proper truncation would leave X < Float (I), subsequently subtracting 1,
and returning -2 for a parameter of -1.25.

Of course, I rarely use negative numbers, so change all your INTEGERs
to NATURALs and you'll have a pretty efficient truncator for non-negative
integers.  By the way, putting ABS calls in this thing would turn it into a
real mess... anyone else got an easier way of handling negatives?

C.A. Piepenbring