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From: Richard Riehle <richard@adaworks.com>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Subject: Re: ATOI
Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 18:49:57 -0700
Organization: AdaWorks Software Engineering
Message-ID: <3F120C45.B85D86D9@adaworks.com>
References: <belta6$ghe$1@e3k.asi.ansaldo.it> <3F0F6B08.9050200@attbi.com>
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Date: 2003-07-14T01:48:23+00:00
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"Robert I. Eachus" wrote:

> Riccardo Fulcoli wrote:
> >
> > i.e. I'm looking for a function like the C "atoi".
> >
> Why would you want to do an Unchecked_Conversion.  See Ada.Text_IO, or
> Ada.Integer_Text_IO.  But if you have already read in a string you can
> use the attribute function Integer'Value(Some_String).  Note that the
> function will ignore leading and trailing spaces, but otherwise can
> raise an exception which may not be what you want.  See RM 3.5(52)

I recall a similar problem from a former client when someone decided
they had a need to convert the floating point of a VAX to the floating
point of a different mainframe.   A programmer was assigned to write
the algorithm to make this happen.  Those of you who know the VAX
will recall that the sign bit is in an unusual location.  The programmer
was going nuts trying to write this program until he was advised that
Text_IO.Float_IO (in Ada 83) already had a conversion routine that
would allow him to convert the floating point to scientific notation,
write it to tape, and read it with Text_IO.Float_IO on the target machine.

We so often do things the hard way when the utilities are right there
waiting to be used.

Richard Riehle