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Creating formatted output using picture strings

Grant Edwards invalid at invalid.invalid
Wed Feb 10 15:40:41 EST 2010 
On 2010-02-10, ssteinerX at gmail.com <ssteinerx at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Feb 10, 2010, at 2:57 PM, Grant Edwards wrote:
>
>> On 2010-02-10, python at bdurham.com <python at bdurham.com> wrote:
>> 
>> [regardning "picture" output format specifiers]
>> 
>>> I was thinking that there was a built-in function for this
>>> common(?) use case
>> 
>> I haven't seen that paradigm since my one-and-only exposure to
>> COBOL in a class I took back in 1979.  Is the "picture" thing
>> commonly used in other places than COBOL?
>
> Seriously?

Seriously.

> I've seen it in dozens places other than COBOL over the years
> in everything from templating languages to report generators,
> to built-in support in a variety of languages (dBASE II
> anyone?).
>
> Haven't you ever had to get a e.g. a phone number or social
> security number from user input?

Nope.  I guess it's specific to certain application areas. I've
never done any database type stuff.  I do mostly embedded,
device drivers, networking/protocols, industrial automation,
Unix system admin/automation, and scientific visualization.

-- 
Grant Edwards                   grante             Yow! I once decorated my
                                  at               apartment entirely in ten
                               visi.com            foot salad forks!!
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