OpenOffice.org BASIC Guide.pdf - OpenOffice.org wiki

Overview of a Basic Program 6
If there is not enough space, or if this results in long lines, then several lines can be linked
together by adding underscores _. The following example shows how four lines of a
mathematical expression can be linked:
LongExpression = (Expression1 * Expression2)
+ _
(Expression3 * Expression4) + _
(Expression5 * Expression6) + _
(Expression7 * Expression8)
The underscore must always be the last character in a linked line and cannot be followed by a space or
a tab, otherwise the code generates an error.
In addition to linking individual lines, OpenOffice.org Basic, you can use colons to divide
one line into several sections so that there is enough space for several expressions. The
assignments
a = 1
a = a + 1
a = a + 1
can be written as follows:
a = 1 : a = a + 1 : a = a + 1
Comments
In addition to the program code to be executed, an OpenOffice.org Basic program can also
contain comments that explain the individual parts of the program and provide important
information that can be helpful at a later point.
OpenOffice.org Basic provides two methods for inserting comments in the program code:
• All characters that follow an apostrophe are treated as comments:
Dim A ' This is a comment for variable A
• The keyword Rem, followed by the comment:
Rem This comment is introduced by the keyword Rem.
A comment usually includes all characters up to the end of the line. OpenOffice.org Basic
then interprets the following line as a regular instruction again. If comments cover several
lines, each line must be identified as a comment:
Dim B ' This comment for variable B is relatively long
' and stretches over several lines. The
' comment character must therefore be repeated