constant
Constants are symbols used as descriptive replacements for literal values.  They represent fixed numeric or string values that do not change as programs run. Attempts to redefine constants cause compile time errors.  The data type of constants is determined by the data type of the literal or constant assigned to it.  Type suffixes are not valid on constants, except for $ on string constants.  Only literals, constants, and bitfield specs can be assigned to constants.

local constant
Local constants are distinguished by $ prefixes, as in $SIZE and $SHAPE.   They are declared, defined, and typed within functions when values are assigned to them.  Local constants are visible only within the function that defines them.

shared constant
Shared constants have $$ prefixes, as in $$YES and $$NO.  They are declared, defined, and typed when values are assigned to them.  Shared constants must be defined in the prolog after all function and shared data declarations.  Shared constants that are "exported" by a library become defined in a program when it "imports" the library.

system constants
System constants are shared constants predefined for all programs.  The only ones currently defined are $$FALSE and $$TRUE.

variable
Variables are symbols representing values, or groups of values, that can change as a program executes.  Simple variables, often just called variables, are single numeric values in one of several data types.  String variables, or strings, are elastic series of unsigned bytes.  Array variables, or arrays are one or more dimensional arrays of any type of data.  Composite variables, or composites are fixed-size collections of simple variables, fixed-size arrays, fixed-length strings, and other composites.

Variables, strings, arrays, and composites are all are called variables.  When distinction between the various kinds are important, the individual names are used.

simple variable
Simple variables are analogous to algebraic variables and represent single numeric values.   Simple variables range from 1 byte (SBYTE , UBYTE) to 8 bytes (GIANT , DOUBLE).

Signed integers, unsigned integers, and floating point numbers are simple data types.   The built-in simple data types include:

  SBYTE     8-bit     signed integer
  UBYTE     8-bit     unsigned integer
  SSHORT    16-bit    signed integer
  USHORT    16-bit    unsigned integer
  SLONG     32-bit    signed integer
  ULONG     32-bit    unsigned integer
  XLONG     32/64     bit generic integer
  GOADDR    32/64     bit address integer
  SUBADDR   32/64     bit address integer
  FUNCADDR  32/64     bit address integer
  GIANT     64-bit    signed integer
  SINGLE    32-bit    floating point
  DOUBLE    64-bit    floating point

bit field
Bit fields are arbitrary length fields of bits in integer variables. Bit field operations work with 1 - 32 bit wide fields starting at any bit position from 0 (LSb) to 31 (MSb).

bitfield intrinsics
  CLR()     clear arbitrary bit field to zeros
  SET()     set arbitrary bit field to ones
  MAKE()    make an arbitrarily bit field
  EXTS()    extract arbitrary bit field signed
  EXTU()    extract arbitrary bit field unsigned

brace notation for bitfields
Brace notation can be used to extract signed and unsigned bit fields, as in aa=token{{3,24}} (signed) and aa = token{3,24} (unsigned).

In aa = token{3,24} , the three bit field starting at bit 24 is extracted from token and assigned to aa . The upper 29 bits of aa become zero since single braces specify unsigned bitfields. Double braces specify signed bitfields, so aa = token{{3,24}} fills the upper bits of aa with the most significant bit of the extracted 3-bits.

BITFIELD()
The BITFIELD() intrinsic creates descriptive bitfield constants and variables in a portable, machine independent, way.

The following examples show four variables and constants being given values by the BITFIELD() intrinsic, then extracted as signed and unsigned bitfields from variable token.

  $$TYPE = BITFIELD (5, 16)   ' 5 bits 16-20
  $SCOPE = BITFIELD (3, 21)   ' 3 bits 21-23
  white = BITFIELD (3, 29)    ' 3 bits 29-31
  kind = BITFIELD (5, 24)     ' 5 bits 24-28
  ...
  tokenType = token{$$TYPE}   ' 5 bits 16-20
  tokenScope = token{$SCOPE}  ' 3 bits 21-23
  tokenWhite = token{{white}} ' 3 bits 29-31
  tokenKind = token{kind}     ' 5 bits 24-28