SAR

Syntax

SAR file, array

Location

ARRAY

The command SAR allows you to save a given array quickly (so that it can later be reloaded) as a whole to a specified file. The Toolkit II default data device for the file name is supported, although an existing file is not overwritten (use SARO) - the error ‘Already exists’ will be generated instead. array is stored in an internal coded but portable format, which makes it extremely fast to save and load arrays when compared to storage by writing and reading each individual element of an array.

The file format is quite simple, it is basically the same as the way in which SuperBASIC itself would store the array. The first four bytes of the stored array are the characters WLAF. SAR will identify dimensions and the type of array on its own and accordingly store it.

Sub-arrays are handled, but please note that, since stored data can only be reloaded into a readily dimensioned array (see LAR), it is important to remember the dimensions and type of the array before loading.

Example

Save and load an array:

100 DIM a%(1000)
110 SAR file$, a%
120 LAR file$, a%

NOTE

SAR’s file format is not compatible with that used by Toolkit 3 (a commercial Toolkit which has nothing to do with the famous Toolkit II), produced with SARRAY.

CROSS-REFERENCE

SARO and LAR. DIM sets-up an array while DIMN and NDIM read the dimensions.