| Print # Statement |
Named Arguments
No
Syntax
Print #filenumber, [outputlist]
filenumber
Use: Required
Data Type: Integer
Any valid file number.
outputlist
Use: Optional
A list of expressions to output to a file.
The syntax of outputlist is:
[{Spc(n) | Tab[(n)]}] [expression] [charpos]Spc( n)
Use: Optional
Insert n space characters before expression.
Tab( n)
Use: Optional
Position the insertion point either at the next print zone (by omitting n) or at column number (n).
expression
Use: Optional
The data expression to output.
charpos
Use: Optional
Position of the insertion point for the first character of the next expression.
Description
Outputs formatted data to a disk file opened for append or output.
Rules at a Glance
You can delimit multiple expressions using either a space or a semicolon, both of which have the same effect. In fact, from version 5 of VB, the semi-colon is placed automatically in the line of code for you. For example:
Print #iFile, sName; sAge Print #iFile, sName sAge
The semicolon also denotes that the insertion point for the first character of the next expression is immediately after the last character of the current expression.
The Tab(n) argument doesn't actually insert any tab characters (Chr(9)); instead, it fills the space from the end of the last expression to column n (or to the start of the next print zone) with space characters.
Omitting charpos forces the next expression to be printed on a new line.
Using Print # followed by a list separator writes an empty line to the file. For example:
Print #iFile,
The Print # statement uses the locale settings of the current system to format dates, times, and numbers using the correct separators.
Programming Tips and Gotchas
You may find that sequential data files written using the Print # statement don't read back correctly using the Input statement. For heavily structured sequential data, it's recommended that you use the Write # statement, which ensures that all fields are correctly delimited.
Certain data types may not behave as you may expect. These are listed in the following table:
Output Data Type Formatted Output to File Boolean True or False Date Short Format Date based on system locale settings Error Error, followed by the corresponding error code Null (Variant) Null