====== Literals, prefixes and suffixes ======

===== String literals =====

A string literal is delimited with the double quotation mark ''"''. 
<code visualfoxpro>"This is a string"</code>
Please note that in the VO dialect a string can also be delimited with the quotation mark '' ' ''.
<code visualfoxpro>'This is a string' // valid only in the VO dialect, not in Core or Vulcan</code>
If you need to specify special characters or single quotation marks in a string, you need an ''escaped'' string, prefixed with ''e'':
<code visualfoxpro>e"This is an escaped string with a new line \nand a double \" quotation mark"</code>
There are also interpolated strings that can contain variables:
<code visualfoxpro>local cValue := "guys" as string
Console.WriteLine( i"Hi {cValue}" ) // Hi guys</code>

Since in the VO dialect a string can also be defined with single quotation marks, there is no possibility for the compiler to see a difference between a single character string and a char. Therefore you should prefix a char literal with a ''c'' like this:
<code visualfoxpro>cChar := c'\r'</code>

For more details please see [[strings|Strings and their prefixes]] and [[string_char_byte|String, Char and Byte]]

===== Numeric literals =====

As default, every number with decimals is treated as ''Double'' datatype, and every number without decimals as ''Int32'' datatype. Values that are too large to fit in a Int32 are seen as Int64.
If you need to specify what type a numeric literal should take, use suffixes:
  * ''d'' for **D**ouble
  * ''s'' for **S**ingle
  * ''m'' for Deci**m**al
  * ''b'' for **B**inary
You can also use a prefix of ''0x'' to specify a hexadecimal value.
Sample code:
<code visualfoxpro>Console.WriteLine( "123.45  is a " + (123.45 ):GetType():Name )      // Double
Console.WriteLine( "123     is a " + ( 123 ):GetType():Name )              // Int32
Console.WriteLine( "10000000000 is a " + ( 10000000000 ):GetType():Name )  // Int64
Console.WriteLine( "123s    is a " + ( 123s ):GetType():Name )             // Single
Console.WriteLine( "123d    is a " + ( 123d ):GetType():Name )             // Double
Console.WriteLine( "123dm   is a " + ( 123m ):GetType():Name )             // Decimal
Console.WriteLine( "0x111   has a decimal value of " + 0x111:ToString() )  // decimal 273
Console.WriteLine( "0b111   has a decimal value of " + 0b111:ToString() )  // decimal 7</code>

For explanations why these suffixes differ from these on C#, please see this X# forum post: [[https://www.xsharp.info/forum/public-product/555-correct-syntax-for-floats|Correct syntax for floats]] (look at the 3rd message from Chris Pyrgas)