[REBOL] Re: integers and sizes
From: sterling::rebol::com at: 18-Apr-2001 16:38
It all looks right.
The to- conversions are just that and do not transform a value into
another value. They are conversions which means that they return a
new value of the new type as long as the original type can be
converted into the target type.
To work with your examples:
a: 2000000001
b: 10000000005 / 5
type? a ;integer!
type? b ;decimal!
to-integer b ; 2000000001
type? b ;decimal!, wow, that is interesting
to-decimal a ;2000000001
but:
c: to-integer b ; 2000000001
type? c ; integer!
c: to-decimal a ;2000000001
type? c ; decimal!
The same thing works with series values that have extra storage
associated with them:
a: "foo"
type? a ; string!
b: to-issue a
type? a ; string! -- still
type? b ; issue! -- converted
insert a "bar-"
a
== "bar-foo"
b
== #foo
when b was converted from the string "foo" to the issue #foo it was
copied and therefore is a new value. If the old value is changed, the
new value is unaffected.
Sterling
