


PARAM(SFS3)       MISC. REFERENCE MANUAL PAGES        PARAM(SFS3)



NAME
     param, params - decode parameter definition out of string

SYNOPSIS
     double  param(string,parameter,default)
     char    *string;
     char    *parameter;
     double  default;

     char    *params(string,parameter,default)
     char    *string;
     char    *parameter;
     char    *default;


DESCRIPTION
     param provides a convenient mechanism for extracting parame-
     ters  from  item histories and parameter lists.  The routine
     is given the address of the string, the name of the  parame-
     ter and a default value.  If the routine finds the substring
     "<parameter>=" in "string"  then  it  returns  the  floating
     point  value  of  the following number.  If the substring is
     not found, the default value is returned.  If the  substring
     "<parameter>"  is  found,  the value 1.0 is returned.  Valid
     parameter names begin with an alphabetic  character.   Valid
     separator characters are: " ", ",", ";", "(", & ")".

     Example calls might be:
          sampfreq = param(item.history,"freq",12800.0);
     or
          linkflag = param(item.history,"linked",0.0);

     params operates in exactly the same way as param except: (i)
     if  the substring "<parameter>=" is found, the string delim-
     ited by the following separator is  returned;  (ii)  if  the
     substring  is  not  found,  the default value - a pointer to
     char - is returned; (iii) if the substring "<parameter>"  is
     found, that very substring is returned;(iv) valid separators
     do not include whitespace.

     An example call might be:
          match = params(item.history,"type",NULL);


VERSION/AUTHOR
     1.0 - Mark Huckvale

SOURCE
     /ptemp/mark/sfs/libsfs/param.c






SFS                     Last change: UCL                        1



