WebBasic Language Reference

WebBasic is an old language, BASIC, designed for a new purpose: Web programming. It is great for CGI work and dynamic generation of HTML. It is a subset of QBasic and QuickBasic without the keyboard commands.

Variables and Constants
Expressions
Output Commands
Conditional,Looping and Branching Commands
String Commands and Functions
Number Commands and Functions
Date and Time Commands and Functions
File and Directory Commands
Database Commands- SQL and ODBC
Graphics Commands
Internet and CGI Commands and Functions
Miscellaneous Commands and Functions
Commands and Function Index
Initialization File


Initialization File

Webbasic Interpreter reads a file on startup that allows certain parameters to be set. The filename is ddgbas.ini. On Windows, the file is first checked in the Windows directory (as identified by the WINDIR environment variable), and then if not found, the current directory (usually the same one as the cgibasic file). Under Linux and Unix, the file pointed to by the DDGBASINI environment variable is checked first. If the file doesn't exist, then ddgbas.ini in the current directory is checked. The format of the file is as follows:
[MISC]
scriptdir=e:\ddg\src\ddgbas
startdir=e:\ddg\src\ddgbas
uploaddir=c:\tmp
uploadallowed=Y
emailvia=283.43.95.19
emailfrom=youremail@myemail.com
emailallowed=Y
shellallowed=Y
The initialization file does not have to exist. The keywords have the following meanings:
scriptdirThe directory where your scripts are located.
startdirThe directory to start in, the program changes directory to here before starting execuation of your program.
uploaddirThe directory to upload files to.
uploadallowedHTTP file uploads allowed(Y default), or not allowed(N). If not allowed, the file is still sent, but not written to disk.
emailviaThe computer name or IP address of the SMTP server to send email to.
emailfromAll email will be from this address, unless specified in the EMAIL command.
emailallowedY or N, default Y. If N, the EMAIL command is disabled.
shellallowedY or N, default Y. If N, the SHELL command is disabled.
looplimitMaximum number of loop iterations, -1 - infinite, 99999 - default, useful for preventing infinite loops.

Variables and Constants

There are three kinds of variables in Webbasic, numeric, string, and date/time. Variable names may be up to 30 characters long. String variables end with the $ character, numeric and date variables do not. Date variables are actually numbers, one uses date functions to display dates. Because date variables are numeric, date arithmetic is supported. One dimensional arrays are supported, and the DIM command also. Here are some example variable names: In WebBasic, total and total$ is one variable expressed as a number and a string. There are only global variables, and variables do not need to be declared before use. The first occurence of a variable (including array variables) creates it with a string value of "" and a numeric value of 0.
Constants are created with the CONST keyword in front of an assignment commands, ex. CONST MAX_SIZE=10

There are also predefined variables for the CGI environment.
CGI Environment Variables
CGI NameVariable Name
AUTH_TYPEAUTH_TYPE$
CONTENT_LENGTHCONTENT_LENGTH
CONTENT_TYPECONTENT_TYPE$
DOCUMENT_ROOTDOCUMENT_ROOT$
GATEWAY_INTERFACEGATEWAY_INTERFACE$
HTTP_ACCEPTHTTP_ACCEPT$
HTTP_COOKIEHTTP_COOKIE$
HTTP_FROMHTTP_FROM$
HTTP_REFERERHTTP_REFERER$
HTTP_USER_AGENTHTTP_USER_AGENT$
PATH_INFOPATH_INFO$
Each part of the path may also be accessed using PATH_INFO$(1), PATH_INFO$(2), ...
PATH_TRANSLATEDPATH_TRANSLATED$
QUERY_STRINGQUERY_STRING$
REMOTE_ADDRREMOTE_ADDR$
REMOTE_HOSTREMOTE_HOST$
REMOTE_IDENTREMOTE_IDENT$
REMOTE_USERREMOTE_USER$
REQUEST_METHODREQUEST_METHOD$
SCRIPT_NAMESCRIPT_NAME$
SERVER_NAMESERVER_NAME$
SERVER_PROTOCOLSERVER_PROTOCOL$
SERVER_SOFTWARESERVER_SOFTWARE$

Other predefined variables and constants:
Other Variables and Constants
Variable NameDescription
ERRNumeric variable set on file operations, 0 is success.
OSTYPE$Type of operating system, "WIN" if Windows, or "UNIX" for Unix or Linux.
PIMathematical constant of PI
UPLOAD_COUNTNumber of files uploaded via browser file upload
UPLOAD_FILE$Filename of uploaded file. If multiple files are uploaded, UPLOAD_FILE$(0) contains filename of first file, UPLOAD_FILE$(1) the 2nd file, etc.
UPLOAD_TYPE$The content type of the uploaded file. If multiple files, UPLOAD_TYPE$(0) for the first file, UPLOAD_TYPE$(1) the 2nd, etc.
UPLOAD_CLIENT_FILE$Filename of client(browser) side file, if multiple files uploaded, UPLOAD_CLIENT_FILE$(0) contains filename of first file, UPLOAD_CLIENT_FILE$(1) the 2nd file, etc.
UPLOAD_FILESIZEThe file size of the uploaded file. If multiple files, UPLOAD_FILESIZE(0) for the first file, UPLOAD_FILESIZE(1) the 2nd, etc.
QUERYFIELD_NAME$This array variable holds the name of the query fields in the URL. It gives a simple method of looking at QUERY_STRING$. Most query string values are passed as name=value pairs. Note that name=value query fields are automatically defined as a WebBasic variable, and that this variable is an alternative. For instance, if the query string is ?a=1&b=dbname, then a variable named "a$" and "b$" are automatically created with the values of "1" and "dbname". QUERYFIELD_NAME$(1) for the first file, QUERYFIELD_NAME(2)
QUERYFIELD_VALUE$This array variable holds the value of the value part of a name=value QUERY_STRING. QUERYFIELD_VALUE$(1) for the first value, QUERYFIELD_VALUE(2) the 2nd, etc.
FORMFIELD_NAME$This array variable holds the names of form fields. FORMFIELD_NAME$(1) the first field, FORMFIELD_NAME$(2) the 2nd, etc. Note that form fields are automatically defined as a WebBasic variable, and that this variable is an alternative way of looking at the form data.
FORMFIELD_VALUE$This array variable holds the value of form fields. FORMFIELD_VALUE$(1) the first field, FORMFIELD_VALUE$(2) the 2nd, etc.
QUOTE$The " character, same as chr$(34)


Expressions

WebBasic supports the basic mathematically expressions and string expressions. To concatenate two strings, use the + operator: name$ + " was here". Mathematically expressions consist of operators ( + - * / ^ % ) and numeric constants and variables. Example: a = a + (5+c) / 2. There are both Commands and Functions in WebBasic. Functions always encloses its arguments within parenthesis, ex. sin(30), and Commands do not use parenthesis around its argument, ex. PRINT "Hello".

Output Commands

There are three commands used by WebBasic to output data :

ECHO

Syntax
ECHO characters to output
or
!characters to output
The ECHO command outputs whatever follows the word ECHO or ! until the end of line. Variables or functions are not evaluated as part of this command, it simply provides an easy way to output characters. Example:
ECHO Welcome To My Home Page
for j = 1 to 10
!<B>Hello World 10 Times</B>
next

PRINT and WRITE

Syntax
PRINT [#filenumber,] [USING picture;][expressionlist] [{; | ,}]
WRITE [#filenumber,] [expressionlist]

Usually you will use the PRINT or ECHO command to output HTML. You may also use ? (ex. ? "Hello") instead of the word PRINT. If an IMAGE command is active, then PRINT and WRITE write to the open image file. Example:

PRINT "Hello ", name$
PRINT USING "Amount is: $$###,###,###.##"; amt
PRINT USING "& $$###,###.##"; "Tax is "; amt * .06
WRITE #1,date$,a,b,c

The USING clause is optional, and picture may be the following:
Characters Used to Format a Numeric Expression
 #     Digit position                -  Placed after digits, print tailing -
 .     Decimal point                    if negative
 ,     Use the thousands separator   $$ Print dollar sign
 ^^^^  Use exponential format        ** Asterick fill

Characters Used to Format a String
 &     Prints entire string         \ \  Prints first n characters where n
 !     Prints first character            is number of characters between the
                                         backslashes + 2.

Any other character in the picture is printed as is. To print a picture character, precede it with an _ (ex. _$).

Conditional,Looping and Branching Commands

IF
SELECT CASE
FOR
EXIT DO
EXIT FOR
DO ... LOOP
WHILE
GOTO
GOSUB
RETURN

IF

There are two types of IF commands, single line and multiline. A single line IF command is written on one line, while multiline occurs on more than one line and end with a required ENDIF word. The IF command evaluates an expression and if true executes the code immediately following the required THEN keyword, if the expression evaluates to false, execution jumps to either the end of the if or the optional ELSE command. Embedded ifs (if within an if) are supported. Muliple conditions are supported. Use the AND and OR keywords to connect the conditions, use parenthesis around each condition to ensure proper evaluation. The NOT keyword is now supported also.
Example:
REM Single line if
If name$ = "Paul" Then Print "Greetings Paul" else Print "Do I know you?"
REM Multiline if
if name$ = "Paul" then
   print "Greeting Paul"
else
   print "Do I know you?"
endif
REM Multiple conditions
IF (cnt>10) AND ("name$ <> "") THEN print name$;" has ";cnt;" books."

SELECT CASE

Executes a statement block depending on an expression. The expression can be string or numeric. Example:
amt=200.50
SELECT CASE amt
   CASE IS < 0
      PRINT "Amount should not be less than zero."
   CASE 1,2,4,8,16
      PRINT "Amount is a power of 2 less than 17"
   CASE 1 TO 100
      PRINT "Amount is between 1 and 100"
   CASE 101 TO 200
      PRINT "Amount is between 100 and 200"
   CASE IS > 200
      PRINT "Amount is more than 200"
END SELECT

FOR

Syntax: for var = start to end [STEP n]
The FOR command is used to execute a block of code for a fixed number of times. It executes the block of code for each iteration from start to end. The block of code starts on the line after the for and until the required NEXT command. For blocks may be nested 10 levels. Example:
For Counter = 1 To 5
   Print "The value of Counter is ", Counter
   REM Notice how Counter automatically has a string value also
      Print "The value of Counter is ", Counter$
Next


EXIT FOR

Syntax: EXIT FOR
The EXIT FOR command is used to immediately exit a for loop. Example:
amt=100
For Counter = 1 To 5
   amt=amt+100
   Print "The value of amt is ", amt
   if amt > 300 then exit for
Next


EXIT DO

Syntax: EXIT DO
The EXIT DO command is used to immediately exit a DO loop. Example:
DO
   if x < 0 then exit do
   x=x+1
LOOP UNTIL x>20


DO ... LOOP

Syntax:
DO [{WHILE | UNTIL} condition]
    [statementblock]
LOOP

DO
    [statementblock]
LOOP [{WHILE | UNTIL} condition]
The DO command repeats a block of statements while a condition is true (WHILE) or until a condition becomes true (UNTIL).
Example:
a=0
DO UNTIL a > 10
   Print "The value of a is ", a
   a = a + 1
LOOP


WHILE

Syntax:
WHILE cond 
   command
   command
WEND

The WHILE command is used to execute a block of code while a condition is true.
Example:
a=0
WHILE a < 10
   Print "The value of a is ", a
   a = a + 1
WEND


GOTO

Syntax
GOTO n ' a number
GOTO label ' a label

Goto branches execution to a label defined elsewhere in the program. Once a Goto finds a matching label, execution continues on from the Label forward.
Example:

Goto 100
Print "You won't see this print!"
rem this goto will not execute either
goto finish
100
Print "After 100 label" 
rem Here is another label
finish:
print "Now we are finished"

GOSUB

RETURN

GOSUB is like Goto, except the RETURN statment will return to the command after GOSUB. The code after the label until the RETURN is known as a subroutine. Normally, subroutines are defined at the end of the program. Example:
a=0
Gosub 100
Print "The value of a is ",a
Gosub mysub
Print "The value of a is ",a
End
100
a = a + 10
return
mysub:
a = a - 10
return

File and Directory Commands

APPEND
CHDIR
CLOSE
CURDIR$
EOF
FILES
FREEFILE
FILEEXISTS
FILEISEXECUTABLE
FILEISFOLDER
FILEISLEGAL
FILEISPROGRAM
FILEISREADABLE
FILEISWRITEABLE
FILESIZE
FILETIMESTAMP
KILL
LINE INPUT
LOF
MKDIR
OPEN
PRINT
PRINT USING
WRITE
RENAME
RMDIR

OPEN

Syntax Open filename$ FOR APPEND/INPUT/OUTPUT AS #filenum
Opens a text file for reading (INPUT) or writing (APPEND, OUTPUT). APPEND adds to the end of the file. Binary files are not currently supported. Example:
Open "log.txt" for output as #1
print #1, "This will be written to file log.txt"
close #1

CLOSE

Syntax CLOSE [#filenum]
Example:
print "Content-type: text/plain"
print
REM ---- Show the file identified by fn$ where fn is passed as part of the 
REM query string or as an input field on a form.
REM Example URL:  cgibasic.exe/showfile.b?fn=myfile.txt
open fn$ for input as #1
if err <> 0 then print "File "+fn$+" not found!" : end
100 line input #1, s$
print s$
if eof(1) = 0 then goto 100
close
CLOSE by itself closes all open files. If followed by a # and file number then it closes just that file.

CURDIR$

Syntax $ = CURDIR$
Example:
print "The current directory is: ";curdir$
chdir ".."
print "The current directory is now: ";curdir$

LINE INPUT

Syntax LINE INPUT #filevar, varname$
This command reads a line in a text file. To read standard delimited files, use LINE INPUT in conjunction with SPLIT and EXTRACT$. Example:
Open "log.txt" for input as #1
REM Read 1 line and display it
line input #1, s$
print s$
close #1

EOF

Syntax # = EOF(filevar)

EOF is a function that returns a 0 if the file referred to by filevar is not at end of file or -1 otherwise. End of file is reached when the last line of a file is read via LINE INPUT. Example:
Open "log.txt" for input as #1
REM Read all lines and display it in upper case.
100 line input #1, s$
print ucase$(s$)
if eof(1) = 0 then goto 100
close #1

APPEND

Syntax APPEND filename$, text$ [;]

Append adds a line of text to the end of a file. Unless a semi-colon is at the end of the command, text$ is on a line by itself, otherwise the next append operation on the file adds text$ starting where the last append left off. Example:
APPEND "visitor.log",date$ + ": "+ remote_host$
REM The above does the same thing as
OPEN "visitor.log" for APPEND AS #1
PRINT #1, date$ + ": "+ remote_host$
CLOSE #1

FILEEXISTS

Syntax # = fileexists( filename$ )

Returns -1 if file exists, or 0 otherwize. Example:
if fileexists("test.log") then ? "test.log file exists"

FILESIZE

Syntax # = filesize( filename$ )

Returns the number of bytes in the file named filename$, returns -1 if the file does not exist. Example:
n = filesize("test.log")
if n = -1 then print "test.log does not exist." : end
if n = 0 then print "test.log is empty" else print "test.log is",n," bytes"

FILEISLEGAL

Syntax # = FileIsLegal( filename$ )

Returns TRUE (-1) if the passed filename$ is a legal file name, otherwise it returns 0. Example:
if not(FileIsLegal(fn$)) then ? "Please enter a valid filename."

FILEISFOLDER

Syntax # = FileIsFolder( filename$ )

Returns TRUE (-1) if the passed filename$ is a folder (directory), otherwise it returns 0. Example:
if not(FileIsFolder(dirname$)) then ? "Please enter a directory name."

FILEISREADABLE

Syntax # = FileIsReadable( filename$ )

Returns TRUE (-1) if the passed filename$ is readable, otherwise it returns 0. Example:
if not(FileIsReadable(fn$)) then ? "Can't read file:";fn$

FILEISEXECUTABLE

Syntax # = FileIsExecutable( filename$ )

Returns TRUE (-1) if the passed filename$ is an executable program, otherwise it returns 0. Example:
if not(FileIsExecutable(fn$)) then ? "Can't find executable ";fn$

FILEISPROGRAM

Syntax # = FileIsProgram( filename$ )

Returns TRUE (-1) if the passed filename$ is a program, otherwise it returns 0. It searches the PATH for the program. Example:
if FileIsProgram(fn$) then ? "Please enter a non-program file."

FILEISWRITEABLE

Syntax # = FileIsWriteable( filename$ )

Returns TRUE (-1) if the passed filename$ is writeable, otherwise it returns 0. Example:
if not(FileIsWriteable(fn$)) then ? "Can't write to file:";fn$

FILETIMESTAMP

Syntax n = filetimestamp( filename$ )

Returns a date variable representing the last modification date of filename$. Example:
n = filetimestamp("test.log")
print "test.log was lasted changed on:";formatdate$(n,"mm/dd/yyyy")
rem print files in current directory
n=files("*","a")
for j = 1 to n
   print a$(j),filesize(a$(j)),formatdate$(filetimestamp(a$(j)),"mm/dd/yyyy")
next

FREEFILE

Syntax # = freefile
Returns the next available open file # for use with the OPEN command. Example:
n = freefile
open "myfile" for input as n

KILL

Syntax KILL filename$

Deletes the file named filename$ Example:
kill "test.txt"

RENAME

Syntax RENAME oldfilename$, newfilename$

Renames a file from oldfilename$ to newfilename$ Example:
rename "test.txt", "test2.txt"

LOF

Syntax # = lof( filenumber )

Returns the number of bytes in the file associated with filenumber. Example:
open "c:\autoexec.bat" for input as #2
PRINT "Size of file is ",lof(2)
close

FILES

Syntax #=FILES(filespec$,arrayname$)

Creates an array of file names in variable arrayname$ matching filespec$ and returns the # of files found. If filespec$ is "", then it matches all files. Example:
n=files("*.b","barray")
? n$ + " B Files"
for j = 1 to n
   ? j,barray$(j),"<BR>"
next

CHDIR

Syntax CHDIR dirname$
Changes current directory to dirname$ Example:
mkdir "temp"
chdir "temp"

MKDIR

Syntax MKDIR dirname$
Creates a directory named dirname$ Example:
mkdir "temp"

RMDIR

Syntax RMDIR dirname$
Removes a directory named dirname$ Example:
rmdir "temp"

SQL built-ins and Database Commands via ODBC

SQL statements - SELECT,INSERT,UPDATE,DELETE,CREATE TABLE, ...
DBFOR and DBNEXT
DBOPEN [fn$] - Open or create Sqlite database
DBCLOSE - close Sqlite database
DBEXEC - run the sql statement in a string variable/constant/expression
ODBC Commands
SQLCOLUMNS
SQLCONNECT
SQLDISCONNECT
SQLEXEC
SQLTABLES

SQL built-ins

WebBasic has built-in support for all SQL commands based on the Sqlite database. All WebBasic string and numeric functions are supported in SQL statements,ie. select dollar$(23.4) .
Syntax Enter the SQL statement on ONE line. To use WebBasic variables in statements, precede the variable name with a colon.
The SELECT statement not part of a DBFOR statement creates an array of variables corresponding and named after the columns selected in the SELECT statement. The index of the array starts at 1. A variable named sqlrowcount holds the number of rows affected by the last SELECT,UPDATE, OR DELETE statement. Note: because there is a limit on the number of variable created by WebBasic, if you query returns more than 20 rows or you have more than 10 columns, you should use the DBFOR command to iterate through your SELECT results.
Example-
ContentTypeHTML
create table dan (x int)
for j = 1 to 10
  insert into dan values (:j)
next
dbfor rec in select * from dan order by 1 desc
  ?  rec.x;"<BR>"
dbnext
select sum(x) as thesum,avg(x) as theavg from dan
REM NOTE: a SELECT by itself creates variable arrays for each row returned starting with index 1
REM       and SQLROWCOUNT holds the # of rows returned.
? thesum(1) ,theavg(1)

DBFOR and DBNEXT

Syntax: DBFOR recordvariable IN selectstatement
The DBFOR command is used to iterate through a record set produced by a SQL SELECT statement. The SELECT statement can be a string also. The block of code starts on the line after the for and until the required DBNEXT command. Selected columns are referenced through the recordvariable followed by a period and then the column name. Example:
create table dan (x int)
for j = 1 to 10
  insert into dan values (:j)
next
dbfor rec in select * from dan order by 1 desc
  ?  rec.x;"<BR>"
dbnext
sql$="select * from dan order by 1"
dbfor rec in sql$
  ?  rec.x;"<BR>"
dbnext

DBOPEN [fn$]

Syntax: dbopen - open memory database
dbopen filename$ - open a sqlite database

DBCLOSE

Syntax: dbclose - close any open sqlite databases

DBEXEC sql$

Syntax: dbexec sql$ - run the sql statement contained in sql$ variable.
Example:
sqlexec "create table invoice(invoiceid int, invoicedt date, custid number)"
s$="insert into invoice values(1,'2007-11-22',22)"
sqlexec s$

ODBC COMMANDS- NOTE- The following commands only work with ODBC connections.

SQLCOLUMNS

Syntax SqlColumns owner$,tablename$
Brings back column information for the table identified by owner$ and tablename$. The information about columns is stored in array variables and are populated as follows:
Variable NameDescription
sqlfieldname$array variable holding column name
sqlfielddatatype$"C"-character, "N"-numeric, "D"-date, "T"-time, "TD"-time and date, "B"-bit, "L"-long binary
sqlfieldtype$this type is the native type, ie. CHAR, NUMBER
sqlfieldprecprecision or length of column
sqlfieldscalescale of column
sqlfieldnull1-nulls allowed, 0-not null
sqlfieldwidthwidth of column for display purposes.
sqlfieldcomment$column comment
sqlfieldcount# of columns found
See also SQLTABLES. Example: See SQLCONNECT.

SQLCONNECT

Syntax SqlConnect connect$
Opens an ODBC connection to a database. The connect$ string consists of one or more of the following: After a successful connection, sets variable sqlservername$ as the name of the server returned from ODBC. Example:
rem Connect to Microsoft Access via ODBC
sqlconnect "-Saccess"
sqlexec "select * from prospect where prospectid<100 order by prospectid"
sqldisconnect
print "Number of Prospects : ", sqlrowcount
for j=1 to sqlrowcount
  print "ID:";prospectid$(j),"Company:";company$(j)
next
REM --
REM -- Connect to Oracle and show tables
contenttypehtml
sqlconnect "-SOracle -Usystem -Pmanager"
sqltables "","","tv"
? "<table border=1>"
for j=1 to sqltablecount
  print "<TR><TD>";sqltableowner$(j)
  print "<TD>";sqltablename$(j)
  print "<TD>";sqltabletype$(j)
next
? "</table>"
REM show column names of my_table
sqlcolumns "","my_table"
? "<BR><PRE>"
print "Column Names for my_table"
print string$("-",40)
for j= 1 to sqlfieldcount
  print j,sqlfieldname$(j),sqlfieldtype$(j)
next
? "</PRE>"
sqldisconnect

SQLDISCONNECT

Syntax SqlDisconnect
Closes the open ODBC connection to a database.
Example:
ContentTypeHTML
? "<HTML><BODY>"
rem connect to access database and show prospects
sqlconnect "-Saccess"
sqlexec "select * from prospect where prospectid<100 order by Company"
sqldisconnect
? "<TABLE border=1>"
print "<TH>#<TH>ID Name<TH>Company<TH>Phone"
for j=1 to sqlrowcount
  ? "<TR><TD>";j;"<TD>";prospectid$(j);"<TD>";Company$(j)
  ? "<TD>";phonenumber$(j);"</TR>"
next
? "</TABLE>"
? "</BODY></HTML>"

SQLEXEC

Syntax SqlExec sql$
Executes a SQL statement (sql$)and sets number of rows affected in variable sqlrowcount. You must use SqlConnect before executing SQL statements. Any valid SQL statement is allowed and executed via the ODBC connection established by SqlConnect. Typical SQL statements are: SELECT, DELETE, INSERT, and UPDATE.

The SELECT statement also creates an array of variables corresponding and named after the columns selected in the SELECT statement. The index of the array starts at 1. A variable named sqlrowcount holds the number of rows affected by the last SQL statement. If a SELECT SQL statement is issued, two additional variables are created that holds the number of fields(columns) and their names. Variable sqlfieldcount holds the number of fields in the last SELECT, and sqlfieldname is an array holding the field names. Note: because there is a limit on the number of variable created by WebBasic, you should either limit your query by using an appropriate WHERE clause in the SELECT statement, or use the DIM statement to declare the array variables created by the SELECT statement (ex. DIM firstname$(100)).

Two additional variables are set that identifies the error that may have occurred: sqlerrcode and sqlerrmsg$.
Example: See example in SqlDisconnect.


SQLTABLES

Syntax SqlTables owner$,tablename$, tabletype$
Brings back a list of tables matching owner$, tablename$, and tabletype$. tabletype$ should be any combination of letters "T"-table, "V"-view, "S"-synonym, "A"-alias, "C"-system catalog. So to bring back a list of tables and views for owner "BOB", use sqltables "BOB","","TV". The table list consisted of array variables populated as follows:
Variable NameDescription
sqltableowner$array variable holding owner name
sqltablename$array variable holding table or view name
sqltabletype$value of "TABLE","VIEW","SYNONYM"
sqltablecount# of tables found
See also SQLCOLUMNS. Example: See SQLCONNECT.

String Commands

CARDINAL$
CENTER$
CHR$
COMMAND$
CRUNCH$
DATE$
DOLLAR$
DOUBLEQUOTE$
ENCLOSE$
EXTRACT$
HEX$
INITCAP$
LEFT$
LCASE$
LTRIM$
LPAD$
MID$
OCT$
ORDINAL$
REPLACE$
REVERSE$
RIGHT$
ROMAN$
RPAD$
RTRIM$
SOUNDEX$
STR$
STRING$
SPACE$
TIME$
TRIM$
UCASE$
VALUEOF$
These return a number
ASC
INSTR
LEN
MATCH
SIMILAR

CARDINAL$

Syntax $ = Cardinal$(#)
Returns a whole number spelled out in English. See also ORDINAL$. Example:
n=101
   print n,Cardinal$(n)
REM returns 101   one hundred and one

CENTER$

Syntax $ = Center$(S$,len[,c$])
Centers string S$ in a string len character long padding spaces, or c$ if supplied. Example:
Print Center$("I Love You",70)
Print Center$("Do You Love Me?",70)

CHR$

Syntax $ = Chr$(ASCII)
Returns a string one character long whose ASCII value is ASCII. Example:
A$ = Chr$(65)

COMMAND$

Syntax$ = command$(n) Returns the nth command line argument as a string Example:
for j = 1 to 10
   if command$(j) <> "" then print j, command$(j)
next

CRUNCH$

Syntax $ = Crunch$(s$,c$)
Replaces multiple occurences of c$ with one c$. Useful in replacing multiple spaces with one space. Example:
A$ = trim$(crunch$("  this   is   a  test  "," "))

DATE$

Syntax $ = date$
Returns today's date as a string in the format of MM-DD-YYYY. Example:
print date$,time$

DOLLAR$

Syntax $ = dollar$(num)
Returns the value of num as a string formatted with a dollar sign, commas, and pennies. 1234.56 would return as $1,234.56 Example:
print dollar$(total)

DOUBLEQUOTE$

Syntax $ = doublequote(s$)
Returns a string with a double-quote added to the beginning and end of s$. It is the same as: s$ = chr$(34) + s$ + chr$(34) or s$ = quote$ + s$ + quote$. Quote$ is a predefined constant for chr$(34)- the " character. Example:
print "<bgcolor=" + doublequote$("#ffff") + ">"

ENCLOSE$

Syntax $ = enclose(s$,c$)
Returns a string with c$ added to the beginning and end of s$. It is the same as: s$ = c$ + s$ + c$. Example:
sql$="insert into employee (id,name) values ("
sql$ = sql$ + id$ + "," + enclose$(name$,"'") + ")"

EXTRACT$

Syntax $ = Extract$(dataline$,fieldnum[,delimiter$])
Reads a standard delimited string dataline$ and returns field # fieldnum delimited by a comma, or a character in delimeter$ if specified. Double quotes are removed from a field if enclosed by them. Field numbers start at 1. NOTE: Fields are trimmed of spaces unless the space character is a delimiter character. Example:
data$ = "Hello,Bob,1,2"
for j = 1 to 4
  print extract$(data$,j)
next
data$ = replace$(data$,",","|")
data$ = "Hi;" + data$
for j = 1 to 5
  print extract$(data$,j,"|;")
next

HEX$

Syntax $ = Hex$(Num)
Returns the string representation of a number in hexadecimal form. The number is changed to an integer for the conversion. Example:
B$ = Hex$(32)

INITCAP$

Syntax $ = Initcap$(Str$)
Returns string Str$ with the first letters of each word capitalized and any other letter in small case. Example:
PRINT initcap$(name$)

LEFT$

Syntax $ = Left$(S$, Length)
Returns a string made up of the left Length characters in S$. Example:
B$ = Left$(A$, 3)

LCASE$

Syntax $ = LCase$(S$)
Returns S$ in lowercase letters. Example:
B$ = LCase$(A$)

LPAD$

Syntax $ = LPad$(S$,len[,c$])
Left pads string S$ to len character long with spaces, or c$ if supplied. Example:
Print LPad$("I Love You",70)
Print LPad$("Do You Love Me?",70)

LTRIM$

Syntax $ = LTrim$(S$)
Returns S$ after removing spaces from the beginning of the string. Example:
B$ = LTrim$(A$)

MID$

Syntax $ = Mid$(S$, Start[, Length])
Returns a string extracted from S$ starting at the 1-based index Start for Length characters. If Length is omitted, the rest of the string from Start is returned. Example:
B$ = Mid$(A$, 1, 3)

OCT$

Syntax $ = Oct$(Num)
Returns the string representation of a number in octal form. The number is changed to an integer for the conversion. Example:
B$ = Oct$(32)

ORDINAL$

Syntax $ = Ordinal$(#)
Returns a ordinal number spelled out in English. See also CARDINAL$. Example:
for n=1 to 5
   print n,ordinal$(n)
next
REM returns 1  first
REM         2  second
REM         3  third
REM         4  fourth
REM         5  fifth

REPLACE$

Syntax $ = REPLACE$(S$, old$, new$ [,n])
Returns string S$ with old$ replaced with new$. Every occurence of old$ is replaced with new$ unless limited with a 4th argument of n. Example:
REM replace dog with cat
s$ = Replace$(s$, "dog", "cat")
REM Replace the first occurence of ( with [
s$ = replace$(s$,"(","[",1)

REVERSE$

Syntax $ = REVERSE$(S$)
Returns string S$ in reverse order, ie. reverse$("hello") returns "olleh". Example:
REM reverse s
s$ = Reverse$(s$)

RIGHT$

Syntax $ = Right$(S$, Length)
Returns a string made up of the right Length characters in S$. Example:
B$ = Right$(A$, 3)

ROMAN$

Syntax $ = Roman$(n)
Returns the roman numeral string for number n Example:
for j = 1 to 20
  print j,roman$(j)
next

RPAD$

Syntax $ = RPad$(S$,len[,c$])
Right pads string S$ to len character long with spaces, or c$ if supplied. Example:
Print RPad$("I Love You",70)
Print RPad$("Do You Love Me?",70)

RTRIM$

Syntax $ = RTrim$(S$)
Returns S$ after removing any spaces off the end of the string.
Example:
B$ = RTrim$(A$)

SOUNDEX$

Syntax $ = Soundex$(s$)
Returns the soundex value of a string. Example:
if soundex$("Smith") = soundex$("smythe") then
   print "Match found"
endif

SPACE$

Syntax $ = Space$(Count)
Returns a string padded with Count number of spaces. Example:
A$ = Space$(32)

STR$

Syntax $ = Str$(Num[, Width[, Precision]])
Returns the string representation of a number right justified. Width is the minimum of characters (default 1) in the return string. Precision is the number of characters that should appear to the right of the decimal. Example:
B$ = Str$(1.1, 4, 2)

STRING$

Syntax $ = String(Char$, Count#) Returns a string padded with Count# number of the first character appearing in Char$. Example:
A$ = String$(".", 32)

TRIM$

Syntax $ = TRIM$(S$)
Returns S$ after removing leading and trailing spaces. It is the same as ltrim$(rtrim$(s$)). Example:
B$ = trim$(line$)

TIME$

Syntax $ = time$
Returns the current time as a string in the format of HH24:MI:SS. 9:30 PM would return as 21:30:00. Example:
print date$,time$

UCASE$

Syntax $ = UCase$(S$)
Returns S$ in uppercase letters. Example:
B$ = UCase(A$)


VALUEOF$

Syntax $ = valueof$(varname$[,index])
Returns the string value of the variable named varname$. Example:
total1=1 : total2=10: total3 = 20: s$(5)="Cowboy"
for j = 1 to 3
   print valueof$("total"+j$)
next
print valueof$("s",5)

ASC

Syntax # = Asc(Char$)
Returns the ASCII value of the first character in Char$. Example:
C = Asc(A$)

INSTR

Syntax # = instr([startpos,]SrcStr$, SubStr$)
Returns the position (starting at 1) in SrcStr$ where SubStr$ starts. If SubStr$ is not found, returns 0. Example:
p = Instr( "Where's Waldo?", "Waldo")

LEN

Syntax # = Len(S$)
Returns the length of S$. Example:
C = Len(A$)

MATCH

Syntax # = Match(Pattern$,S$)
Returns TRUE if the regular expression Pattern$ matches string S$. Example:
REM Validate part # starts with capital letter followed by a digit
if not(match("[A-Z][0-9]*",pno$)) then ? "Incorrect part # format"

SIMILAR

Syntax # = Similar(s1$,S2$)
Returns a number between 0 and 100 indicating how similar 2 strings are. The higher the number, the more similar. This function is case-insensitive. Example:
REM Compare adjacent lines of text of similarity
open "test.dat" for input as #1
while not(eof(1))
   j=j+1
   line input #1, s$
   if j>1 then
     sim=similar(s$,t$)
     if sim > highsim then highsim=sim : highj=j
   endif 
   t$=s$
wend
close
print "Lines ";highj;" and ";highj-1;" are mostly similar, score=";highsim

Numeric Functions

Math Functions
ABS
ATN
COS
EXP
FIX
LOG
LOG10
MAX
MIN
MOD
ODD
RND
SGN
SIN
SQR
TAN
VAL
Financial Functions
LOANPMT
LOANPCT
LOANTERM
LOANAMT

ABS

Syntax # = Abs(Num)
Returns the absolute value of a number. If the number is a negative, it is returned as a positive, otherwise it is simply returned. Example:
C = Abs(-100)

ATN

Syntax # = ATan(Num)
Returns the arc tangent of Num. Example:
C = Tan(9)

COS

Syntax # = Cos(Num)
Returns the cosine of Num#. Example:
C = Cos(9)

EXP

Syntax # = Exp(Num)
Returns the exponential function of Num. Example:
C = Exp(9)

FIX

Syntax # = FIX(Num)
Returns the integer portion of a numeric expression value. Example:
REM This will print 1  1
print fix(1.7),int(1.7)
REM This will print -1, -2
print fix(-1.7),int(-1.7)

INT

Syntax # = INT(Num)
Returns the largest integer less than or equal to a numeric expression value. Example:
REM This will print 1  1
print fix(1.7),int(1.7)
REM This will print -1, -2
print fix(-1.7),int(-1.7)

LOG

Syntax # = Log(Num)
Returns the natural logarithm of Num. Example:
C = Log(9)

LOG10

Syntax # = Log10(Num)
Returns the base-10 logarithm of Num. Example:
C = Log10(9)

MAX(x,y)

Syntax # = MAX(x,y)
Returns the maximum value of x and y. Example:
x = max(a,b)

MIN(x,y)

Syntax # = MIN(x,y)
Returns the minimum value of x and y. Example:
x = min(a,b)

MOD(x,y)

Syntax # = MOD(x,y)
Returns remainder of x divided by y. Same is x % y. Example:
'  Check for multiple of 10
for n = 1 to 100 
  if mod(n,10) = 0 then print n,"is a multiple of 10"
  if n % 10 = 0 then print n,"is a multiple of 10"
next

ODD

Syntax # = odd(n)
Returns a -1 if n is an odd number, 0 otherwise Example:
for j = 1 to 10
   if odd(j) then print j," is odd"
next

RND

Syntax # = Rnd(Max) or # = Rnd
Returns a random integer from 1 to Max if Max is supplied, or a random number between 0 and 1 if no arguments. Example:
C = Rnd(49)  ' Generate number between 1 and 49

SGN

Syntax # = sgn(n)
Returns a 1 if n is a positive number, -1 if negative, and 0 if zero. Example:
if sgn(j) = -1 then print j," is negative"

SIN

Syntax # = Sin(Num)
Returns the sine of Num. Example:
C = Sin(9)

TAN

Syntax # = Tan(Num)
Returns the tangent of Num. Example:
C = Tan(9)

SQR

Syntax # = SQR(Num)
Returns the square root of Num. Example:
C = Sqr(9)

VAL

Syntax # = Val(Num$)
Returns the numerical value of a string. Example:
j = Val("-20")

LOANPMT

Syntax # = loanpmt(loanamt,pctrate,mths)
Returns the monthly payment for the percentage rate, loan amount, and # of months in loan. Example:
pmt = loanpmt(100000,6.5,180)

LOANAMT

Syntax # = loanamt(pctrate,payment,mths)
Returns the loan amount for the percentage rate, payment amount, and # of months in loan. Example:
amt = loanamt(6.5,800,180)

LOANPCT

Syntax # = loanpct(loanamt,pmt,mths)
Returns the annual percentage rate for a loan based on the loan amount, payment amount, and # of months in loan. Example:
pct = loanpct(100000,800,180)

LOANTERM

Syntax # = loanterm(loanamt,pmt,pctrate)
Returns the number of months in a loan based on the loan amount, payment amount, and percentage rate. Example:
mths = loanterm(100000,800,6.5)

Date and Time Commands and Functions

All Date commands are fully year 2000 compliant.
CDATE
CTIME
FORMATDATE$
FORMATTIME$
NOW
WEEKDAY

CDATE

Syntax # = CDate(datestr$)
Returns a number representing the date string datestr$. The datestr$ argument can be in many formats. The function looks for year, month, day first, then month, day, year, then day, month, year. The month portion may be spelled out. Example: n=cdate("Jan 1, 1999"). Example:
PRINT "Here are some dates:"
somedate$ = "1998/12/25"
dt=cdate(somedate$)
for j = 1 to 10
   dt=dt+1
   PRINT "Day",j,"is",formatdate$(dt,"mm/dd/yyyy"),"<BR>"
next

CTIME

Syntax # = CTime(timestr$)
Returns a number representing the time string timestr$. Timestr$ should be in HH MM SS format with optional delimters. Example:
tv=ctime("15:30")
print formattime$(tv,"hh:mm:ss a")

FORMATDATE$

Syntax $ = FormatDate$(datevar[,fmt])
Returns a string based on fmt for date variable datevar. If fmt is not supplied, then the yyyymmdd format is used. The possible formats are:
        cc        century 2 digits, 01-99
        y         day of year, 1-366
        yy        year 2 digits, 00-99
        yyyy      year 4 digits, 100-9999
        m         month, 1-12
        mm        month, 01-12
        mmm       month, 3 letters
        mmmm      month, full name
        MMM       month, 3 letters, upper case
        MMMM      month, full name, upper case
        d         day, 1-31
        dd        day, 01-31
        ddd       day of week, Sun-Sat
        dddd      day of week, Sunday-Saturday
        DDD       day of week, SUN-SAT
        DDDD      day of week, SUNDAY-SATURDAY
        w         day of week, 1-7 (1=Sunday)
        ww        week of year, 1-53
        q         year quarter, 1-4
        \x        literal character x
        other     literal character
Example:
PRINT "Today is " + formatdate$(now,"mmmm dd, yyyy")

FORMATTIME$

Syntax $ = FormatTime$(datevar,fmt)
Returns a string based on fmt for date/time variable datevar. The possible formats are:
        h         hour, 0-23
        hh        hour, 00-23
        m         minute, 0-59
        mm        minute, 00-59
        s         second, 0-59
        ss        second, 00-59
        c         centisecond, 0-99
        cc        centisecond, 00-99
        a         a/p indicator - use 12-hour clock
        aa        am/pm indicator - use 12-hour clock
        A         A/P indicator - use 12-hour clock
        AA        AM/PM indicator - use 12-hour clock
        \x        literal character x
        other     literal character
Example:
PRINT "Today is " + formatdate$(now,"mmmm dd, yyyy")
PRINT "The current time is " + formattime$(now,"hh:mm:ss a")

NOW

Syntax # = Now
Returns a number representing today's date and time. Example:
PRINT "Now is " + formatdate$(now,"dddd mm/dd/yyyy"),formattime$(now,"hh:mm:ss a")

WEEKDAY

Syntax # = Weekday(dtvar)
Returns a number 1-7 (Sunday-Saturday) for the day of the week of date datevar. Example:
nums$(1)="first" : nums$(2)="second" : nums$(3)="third" 
nums$(4)="fourth" : nums$(5)="fifth" : nums$(6)="sixth":nums$(7)="seventh" 
PRINT "Today is the " + nums$(weekday(now)) + " day of the week."

Graphics Commands

These commands are used to create graphics. Many of the old QBasic commands are supported, however, the output is in GIF format directed to either a file or standard output.
COLOR TABLE
COLOR
CIRCLE
DRAW
IMAGE
LINE
LOCATE
PAINT
PSET
RGB
SCREEN

COLOR TABLE

Here are the color numbers used in graphics commands.
Color #Color
0Black
1Blue
2Green
3Cyan
4Red
5Purple
6Brown
7White
8Gray
9Light Gray
10Light Green
11Light Cyan
12Light Red
13Light Purple
14Yellow
15Bright White

CIRCLE

Syntax CIRCLE (x,y), radius, [,color][,start[,end]] [,aspect]
Draws a circle centered at (x,y) of radius.
 STEP       Specifies that coordinates are relative to the current
            graphics cursor position.
 (x ,y )    The coordinates for the center of the circle or ellipse.
 radius     The radius of the circle or ellipse.
 color      A color attribute that sets the circle's color.
 start      The starting angle for the arc, in radians.
 end        The ending angle for the arc, in radians.
 aspect     The ratio of the length of the y axis to the length of the
            x axis, used to draw ellipses.

 To convert from degrees to radians, multiply degrees by (PI / 180).

Example:
Circle(100,100),50

COLOR

Syntax COLOR forecolor[,backcolor]
Sets the foreground color and optionally the backgroud color. Example:
REM Create an image for a counter.
const BLUE=1
image 300,20,-1
locate 1,1
color BLUE
print "Hello visitor # ";cnt

DRAW

Syntax DRAW drawstring$
Draws lines, moves cursor, writes text.
      Line-drawing and cursor-movement commands:
        D[n]            Moves cursor down n units.
        E[n]            Moves cursor up and right n units.
        F[n]            Moves cursor down and right n units.
        G[n]            Moves cursor down and left n units.
        H[n]            Moves cursor up and left n units.
        L[n]            Moves cursor left n units.
        M[{+|-}]x,y     Moves cursor to point x,y. If x is preceded
                         by + or -, moves relative to the current point.
        R[n]            Moves cursor right n units.
        U[n]            Moves cursor up n units.
        [B]             Optional prefix that moves cursor without drawing.
        [N]             Optional prefix that draws and returns cursor to
                        its original position.

      Color and scale commands:
        Cn              Sets the drawing color (n is a color attribute).
        Pn1,n2          Sets the paint fill and border colors of an object
                        (n1 is the fill-color attribute, n2 is the
                        border-color attribute).
        Sn              Determines the drawing scale by setting the length
                        of a unit of cursor movement. The default n is 4,
                        which is equivalent to 1 pixel.
       
      Writing Text
         W[UDRL][n]|text| 
                        Writes a text string to a graphics image at the current
                        coordinate. The string is printed to the right, unless
                        a direction is specified. U-Up, D-Down, R-Right, L-Left.
                        If n is specified, the font size increases
                        from 1 to 5. Delimiters must enclose text (|).
                        Ex. DRAW "W3|Hi There!|"
                        Ex. DRAW "WD3|This goes down!|"
Example:
DRAW  "U10D50H40L20"

IMAGE

Syntax IMAGE [w,h[,c]] [FROM fromfn$] [TO tofn$] [TYPE imagetype$]
IMAGE CLOSE
IMAGE CANCEL
This command or SCREEN is necessary before using any of the graphics commands. If creating a new graphic, you must specify the width and height (w,h). You may optionally specify the background color c. If c is -1, then the image background is transparent. If you want to write the graphical image to a file, then specify TO tofn$. You may also read from an existing image file as a starting point by specifying FROM fromfn$. Only one image is active at any one time, so if writing to multiple files using the TO tofn$ option, complete processing on one image before issuing another IMAGE command via IMAGE CLOSE. This command closes the image output file. The TYPE option specified the type of image file. The only current type available if "GIF". Future releases will support "JPEG" and "PNG". Example:
IF a=1 THEN
   IMAGE 400,400,7 TYPE "gif"
ELSE
   IMAGE FROM "my.gif"
ENDIF

LINE

Syntax LINE [STEP] (x1,y1) - [STEP] (x2,y2) [,[color] [,B[F]]]
Draws a line from x1,y1 to x2,y2.
 STEP          Specifies that coordinates are relative to the current
               graphics cursor position.
 (x1,y1),      The screen coordinates of the start of the line and of
 (x2,y2)       the end of the line.
 color         A color attribute that sets the color of the line or
               rectangle.
 B             Draws a rectangle instead of a line.
 BF            Draws a filled box.

Example:
Line (100,100) - (200,200)

LOCATE

Syntax LOCATE row,column
Move the graphics cursor to a row and column. Row starts at 1, column starts at 1. One row equals 16 pixels, one column equals 8 pixels. Example:
REM Create an image for a counter.
image 300,20,-1
locate 1,1
print "Hello visitor # ";cnt

PAINT

Syntax PAINT [STEP] (x,y) [,[paint] [,[bordercolor]]
Paints a color at position x,y until bordercolor is encountered. Example:
PAINT (100,100),4,7

PSET

Syntax PSET [STEP] (x1,y1) [,color] Placing a dot of color color at x,y.
 STEP       Specifies that the x and y are expressed relative
            to the current graphics cursor location.
 (x ,y )    The screen coordinates of the pixel to be set.
 color      A color attribute that sets the pixel color. If color is
            omitted, PSET uses the current foreground color.
Example:
for j = 1 to 100
PSET (100,j),1
next

RGB

Syntax # = RGB (red,green,blue)
Create your own colors based on the entensity of red, green, blue values. This function returns a number to be used in graphics commands requiring a color number. You must use this AFTER the IMAGE command. Example:
mycolor = rgb(100,50,0)
circle (100,100),80,mycolor

SCREEN

Syntax SCREEN number
This command is given as a convenience for those converting graphics programs from QBasic. It is a substitute for the IMAGE command. The number following SCREEN should be between 1 and 13. Example:
screen 12
PRINT "Welcome Home!"

Internet and CGI Commands and Functions


CONTENTTYPEHTML
CONTENTTYPEIMAGE
CONTENTTYPEPLAIN
EMAIL
URLENCODE
URLDECODE
HTMLENCODE
HTMLDECODE
HTTPGET
HTTPPOST

CONTENTTYPEHTML

Syntax ContentTypeHTML
Outputs a content type header of text/html. The command is equivalent to
print "Content-type: text/html"
print
Example:
ContenttypeHTML
print "<H1>Hello World</H1>"

CONTENTTYPEIMAGE

Syntax ContentTypeIMAGE [imagetype$]
Outputs a content type header of image/jpeg or image/gif. The command is equivalent to
PRINT "Content-type: image/jpeg"
PRINT
REM or this if contenttypeimage "gif"
PRINT "Content-type: image/gif"
PRINT
Example:
ContenttypeIMAGE "gif"
image 100,100
circle (50,50),25

CONTENTTYPEPLAIN

Syntax ContentTypePlain
Outputs a content type header of text/plain. The command is equivalent to
print "Content-type: text/plain"
print
Example:
ContenttypePlain
SHELL "dir"

EMAIL

Email somebody using SMTP.
Syntax EMAIL [TO address$] [FROM address$] [SUBJECT subject$] [ATTACH filename$] [VIA IpOrSiteAddress$] bodyofmessage$
The VIA and TO parts are required. VIA and FROM only need to be identified once. Example:
EMAIL FROM "bill@bill.com" VIA "mail.myisp.com"
EMAIL TO "joe@joe.com" SUBJECT "Last Meeting" msg$
Example 2: Mail web form information
REM
REM  mailform.b - Generic mail form results to someone
REM
Contenttypehtml
email via "123.45.67.89" from "joe@joe.com"
j=1
while (formfield_name$(j) <> "") AND (j<100)
   body$ = body$+formfield_name$(j)+" : "+formfield_value$(j)+chr$(13)+chr$(10)
   j=j+1
wend
email to "joe@joe.com" subject "form submission" body$
? "Thank you for the information."

URLENCODE$

$Syntax UrlEncode$(S$)
Performs standard URL encoding on string S$ and returns the encoded string.
Example:
print urlencode$("subject=birds nest")

URLDECODE$

Syntax UrlDecode$(S$)
Performs standard URL decoding on string S$ and returns the decoded string.
Example:
print urldecode$("subject=birds+nest")

HTMLENCODE$

Syntax HTMLDecode$(S$)
Translates special characters of string S$ into metacharacters and returns the decoded string.
Example:
print htmlencode$("<STRONG>")

HTMLDECODE$

Syntax HTMLDecode$(S$)
Decode meta characters on string S$ and returns the decoded string.
Example:
print htmldecode$("&lt;STRONG&gt;")

HTTPGET$

Syntax HTTPGET$ hostname$,filename$[,headerarrayname$][,NOHEADER]
Retreives a web page using the HTTP GET method (just like entering an URL in a browser and pressing enter). The results (HTML) are returned in an array named HTTPDATA$. The number of entries in the array is stored in variable HTTPDATACOUNT. HTTPDATA$ also stores the returning HTTP header information. This header information is separated by an empty entry (representing an empty line or carriage return:chr$(13)) in HTTPDATA$. hostname$ - name of web site host, either an IP address or host name (ie. www.yahoo.com) filename$ - the name of the file to be returned from the host. headerarrayname$ - the name of the array variable holding optional header data to be posted. The array index starts at zero. NOHEADER - optional keyword that specifies that returned header data is not to be stored in httpdata$.
Example:
httpget "www.yahoo.com","/"
for j = 1 to httpdatacount
    if httpdata$(j) = "" then ok = -1
    if ok then print httpdata$(j)
next
? "<HR>"
httpget "www.lycos.com","/",NOHEADER
for j = 1 to httpdatacount
    print httpdata$(j)
next

HTTPPOST$

Syntax HTTPPOST$ hostname$,action$,vararrayname$[,headerarrayname$][,NOHEADER]
Retreives a web page using the HTTP POST method (web forms usually submit data this way). The results (HTML) are returned in an array named HTTPDATA$. The number of entries in the array is stored in variable HTTPDATACOUNT. hostname$ - name of web site host, either an IP address or host name (ie. www.yahoo.com) action$ - this is what is normally specified in the ACTION argument of the FORM tag. varrayname$ - the name of the array variable holding the data to be posted. The data is in name=value format and the array index starts at zero. headerarrayname$ - the name of the array variable holding optional header data to be posted. NOHEADER - optional keyword that specifies that returned header data is not to be stored in httpdata$.
Example:
httppost "www.ddginc-usa.com","/cgibasic.exe/cal.b", ""
for j = 1 to httpdatacount
    print httpdata$(j)
next

Miscellaneous Commands

END
ENVIRON$
INCLUDE
RANDOMIZE
REM
SHELL
SLEEP
SPLIT
SWAP

END

Syntax END
END stops execution of the program. Execution also stops without END after the last line of code is executed. Example:
if s$ = "STOP" then end

ENVIRON$

Syntax value$ = environ$(name$)
Returns the value of environment variable name$ as a string. Example:
print environ$("PATH")

$INCLUDE:

Syntax $INCLUDE: "filename"
Include a file into the source code. The WebBasic file is merged into the source code. Example:
REM My program
$INCLUDE: "common.b"
print "Hello World"

RANDOMIZE

Syntax randomize seed
Seed the random function (RND) with a new seed. Example:
randomize 100

REM

Syntax REM followed by anything or nothing
A remark or comment starts on a new line and continues until the next line. You may also use a single quote for a remark. Example:
REM This is a comment
' And so is this.

SHELL

Syntax SHELL cmd$
Shell executes an external program using the operating system shell. Example:
<PRE>
shell "dir"
</PRE>

SLEEP

Syntax SLEEP n
Suspends execution of program for n seconds. NOTE: You normally don't want to slow down CGI programs, use wisely. Example:
sleep  1

SPLIT

Syntax # = SPLIT(data$, varname$[,delimiter$])
Split breaks a standard delimited string into pieces. It assigns a variable named varname$ the delimited data in data$. Each field of data$ is assigned to variable varname$ as an array with field 1 assigned to index 1, field 2 to index 2, etc. Index 0 is set to data$. The delimiter for the data is the comma, unless delimiter$ is passed. Delimiter$ may be more than one character. In that case, the field delimiter is one of the characters in delimiter$. The function returns the number of fields in data$.
Example:
REM Read comma delimited file test.csv and print data
open "test.csv" for input as #1
if err <> 0 then
   print "File test.csv is missing"
   end ' bail out
endif
20 line input #1, a$
print "==================================================<br>"
n=split(a$,"b",",")
for j = 1 to n
   print j,b$(j),"<br>"
next
if eof(1) = 0 then goto 20
close

SWAP

Syntax SWAP variable1, variable2
SWAP exchanges the values of variable1 and variable2. Since a variable contains both string and numeric values, both types of information is exchanged. Example:
a=1
b=2
swap a,b
print a,b   ' 2,1


swap a,b
print a,b   ' 1,2
REM Note that a$,b$ is the same as a,b
swap a$,b$
print a$,b$   '  2,1
for j = 1 to 10
   swap varray(j), varray(j+1)
next

INDEX

ABS
APPEND
ASC
ATN
CASE
CENTER$
CHDIR
CHR$
CGI Commands and Functions
CIRCLE
CLOSE
COLOR TABLE
COMMAND$
Conditional and Branching Commands
CONTENTTYPEHTML
CONTENTTYPEIMAGE
CONTENTTYPEPLAIN
COS
CRUNCH$
CTIME
CURDIR$
DATA
Database Commands- SQL and ODBC
DATE$
Date and Time Commands and Functions
DIM
DO ... LOOP
DOLLAR$
DOUBLEQUOTE$
DRAW
EMAIL
ENVIRON$
EOF
ERASE
EXIT DO
EXIT FOR
EXP
Expressions
EXTRACT$
FILEEXISTS
FILEISEXECUTABLE
FILEISFOLDER
FILEISLEGAL
FILEISPROGRAM
FILEISREADABLE
FILEISWRITEABLE
FILES
FILESIZE
FILETIMESTAMP
File and Directory Commands
FIX
FOR
FORMATDATE$
FORMATTIME$
FREEFILE
GOSUB
GOTO
Graphics Commands
HEX$
HTMLDECODE
HTMLENCODE
HTTPGET
HTTPPOST
IMAGE
INCLUDE
Initialization File
INITCAP$
Internet Commands and Functions
INSTR
KILL
LCASE$
LEFT$
LEN
LINE
LINE INPUT
LOANAMT
LOANPCT
LOANPMT
LOANTERM
LOCK - still testing
LOCATE
LOF
LOG
LOG10
LOOP
LPAD$
LTRIM$
MATCH
MAX
MID$
MIN
Miscellaneous Commands and Functions
MKDIR
MOD
NOHEADER
NOW
Number Commands and Functions
OCT$
ODD
ORDINAL$
Output Commands
PAINT
PRINT USING
PRINT
PSET
RANDOMIZE
READ
REM
RENAME
REPLACE$
RESTORE
RETURN
REVERSE$
RGB
RIGHT$
RMDIR
RND
ROMAN$
RPAD$
RTRIM$
SCREEN
SELECT CASE
SGN
SHELL
SIMILAR
SIN
SLEEP
SOUNDEX$
SPACE$
SPLIT
SQLCOLUMNS
SQLCONNECT
SQLDISCONNECT
SQLEXEC
SQLTABLES
SQR
STR$
STRING$
String Commands and Functions
SWAP
TAN
TIME$
TRIM$
UCASE$
UNLOCK - still testing
URLDECODE
URLENCODE
VAL
VALUEOF$
WEEKDAY
WHILE
WRITE

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© 1998 Data Design Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved