Introduction MTB Statements File System Compiler Applications Reference Guide Index

Language Structure Data Division I/O Format Division Procedure Division Mnemonics

Operations

The MTB language supports the following types of operations:

In addition to these operations, there are may functions that operate on string and/or numeric data. For more information, see the Procedure Division documentation.

Numeric Operations

The following types of operations may be performed on numeric data:

Also see the notes about Precedence.

Addition

The plus sign (+) is the operator used to perform addition on numeric data.

Notes:

Also see the LET statement.

Example: 

   LENGTH 5.0                 ! Declare the length for A, B, C
   LOCAL A, B, C              ! Declare them as LOCAL variables
   .
   LET A = 500                ! Set the value for A
   LET B = 2000               ! Set the value for B
   LET C = A + B              ! Add A and B, giving C

Subtraction

The minus sign (-) is the operator used to perform subtraction on numeric data.

Notes:

Also see the LET statement.

Example: 

   LENGTH 5.0                 ! Declare the length for A, B, C
   LOCAL A, B, C              ! Declare them as LOCAL variables
   .
   LET A = 800                ! Set the value for A
   LET B = 200                ! Set the value for B
   LET C = A - B              ! Subtract B from A, giving C

Multiplication

The asterisk (*) is the operator used to perform multiplication on numeric data.

Notes:

Also see the LET statement.

Example: 

   LENGTH 5.0                 ! Declare the length for A, B, C
   LOCAL A, B, C              ! Declare them as LOCAL variables
   .
   LET A = 150                ! Set the value for A
   LET B = 25                 ! Set the value for B
   LET C = A * B              ! Multiply A and B, giving C

Division

The backslash (/) is the operator used to perform division on numeric data.

Notes:

Also see the LET statement.

Example: 

   LENGTH 5.0                 ! Declare the length for A, B, C
   LOCAL A, B, C              ! Declare them as LOCAL variables
   .
   LET A = 150                ! Set the value for A
   LET B = 25                 ! Set the value for B
   LET C = A / B              ! Divide A by B, giving C

Modulo

The MOD operator performs a modulo operation on the two numeric values (i.e., it divides the first value by the second value and returns the remainder).

The MOD operator is supported in Comet 504 and greater.

The syntax is: 

   numeric-value-1 MOD numeric-value-2
Example: 
   10 MOD 3
This operation returns a value of 1. Explanation: 10 divided by 3 equals 3 with a remainder of 1.

Precedence

In a numeric expression containing multiple operations, the multiplication and division operations are performed first (from left to right). Next, the addition and subtraction operations are performed (also from left to right).

This algebraic order can be overridden with parentheses. In a numeric expression containing parentheses, operations inside the parentheses will be performed first, followed by the algebraic order previously described. Parentheses may be nested to any level in a numeric expression -- they will be performed from the inside to the outside.

Results

The temporary result of a numeric operation will contain only as many digits to the right of the decimal point as the most precise operand in the expression. For example, if an expression contains operand with two digits of precision and four digits of precision, the temporary result will contain four digits of precision.

String Operations

The MTB language supports the string operation of concatenation. The plus sign (+) is used to indicate concatenation (the combining of strings). For example, concatenating two string variables would look like this: 
      FIRSTNAME$ + LASTNAME$
You may concatenate string constants, string variables, and string functions. Here is an example of concatenating constants with variables: 
      "(" + AREACODE$ + ")" + PHONENUMBER$
Note: The maximum number of characters in any string is 254. If a concatenation operation results in more characters than have been declared for a receiving variable, characters will be truncated on the right-hand side. THIS TRUNCATION WILL OCCUR WITHOUT WARNING OF ANY KIND.

Relational Operations

The MTB language supports relational operations in IF/THEN statements. The following operations are supported: 
Operation                        MTB syntax
=================================================================
Equal to                         EQ  or  =
Not equal to                     NE  or  NOT=
Greater than                     GT  or  >
Greater than or equal to         GE  or  >=
Less than                        LT  or  <
Less than or equal to            LE  or  <=

Additional information:

Logical Operations

The MTB language supports the AND and OR logical operations to be used in conjunction with relational expressions. The AND operator tests whether both relational conditions are true, while the OR operator tests for truth of either relational condition. For example: 
      IF A=B AND B=C THEN...        !  Both conditions must be true

      IF A=B OR B=C THEN...         !  Either condition may be true
If AND and OR are combined in a relational expression, the AND operator takes precedence (i.e., it will be evaluated first). It is possible to override this precedence with parentheses, just like the precedence in numeric operations can be overridden.

For more information on relational operations and logical operations, see the IF statement.

Language Structure