[Gambas-user] whats different between "left$" and "left" string functions

[Tobias Boege]

On Mon, 14 Dec 2015, willy at ...3474... wrote:
> On 2015-12-14 23:01, PICCORO McKAY Lenz wrote:
> > i think the problem are again in documentation or some misc-information
> > 
> > search at documentation seem that the difference are the manipulation
> > respect set of
> > 
> > one its for ACII charset and the other seem are for UTF-8
> > 
> > BUT DOCUMENTATIION refers without linking.. i link with a "see also"
> > and "advertise"
> > 
> > if i are correct please benoit guide me!
> > 

Please take extra care to not make the docs by any chance worse with your
English, and don't write something which you are not sure about.

> You seem to be correct:
> 
> Left$() -> This function only deal with ASCII strings. To manipulate 
> UTF-8 strings, use the Left class.
> Left() -> This function deals with UTF-8 strings, and so all positions 
> and lengths are given in characters and not in bytes. For deal with 
> ASCII see Left$
> 
> Documentation is clear on that, I wasn't even aware of the 
> difference...!!
> 
> So, I guess the question of removal is no longer an issue as they are 
> two different functions :)
> 

No, there are these two kinds of string manipulation functions:

 1. The intrinsic functions which come in pairs: Left$(), Left(), Mid$(),
    Mid(), etc. which are built into the language, and
 2. The methods of the String class in the gb component.

Modulo naming, the functions of the first kind are identical -- which was
the original question I think. Only in the mail quoted above PICCORO mixed
the second kind in.

Regards,
Tobi

-- 
"There's an old saying: Don't change anything... ever!" -- Mr. Monk