Microsoft KB Archive/21836

= Length of Strings, String Descriptors in Compiler, Interpreter =

Article ID: 21836

Article Last Modified on 11/21/2006



This article was previously published under Q21836



SUMMARY
String variables in QuickBasic versions 1.00 through 4.50 and in Microsoft Basic Compiler versions 6.00 and 6.00b and in Microsoft Basic Professional Development System (PDS) versions 7.00 and 7.10 can contain up to 32,767 characters (32K). Each variable-length string variable has a 4-byte string descriptor, which is composed of a 2-byte length followed by a 2-byte address.

Fixed-length strings (which were introduced in QuickBasic versions 4.00 and later and in Basic compiler 6.00 and later) do not have a string descriptor.

For comparison, variable-length string variables in Microsoft GW-Basic (versions 3.20, 3.22, 3.23) and IBM BasicA Interpreters have 3-byte string descriptors, with 1 byte of length followed by 2 bytes of address. String variables may contain up to 255 characters in GW-Basic and IBM BasicA.

Additional query words: QuickBas BasicCom

Keywords: KB21836

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