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FIELD Statement Details
 
Syntax
  FIELD [#]filenumber, fieldwidth AS stringvariable
                     [,fieldwidth AS stringvariable] ...
 
  Argument         Description
  filenumber       The number used in the file's OPEN statement
 
  fieldwidth       The width of the field in the record
 
  stringvariable   The string variable that contains the date read
                   from a record or data that is used in an
                   assignment when information is written to a record
 
 
The total number of bytes that you allocate in a FIELD statement
must not exceed the record length that you had specified when opening
the file. Otherwise, an error message is generated that reads "FIELD
overflow." (The default record length is 128 bytes.)
 
Any number of FIELD statements may be executed for the same file. All
FIELD statements that have been executed remain in effect at the same
time.
 
All field definitions for a file are removed when the file is closed;
that is, all strings defined as fields associated with the file are
set to null.
 
Do not use a variable name defined as a field in an INPUT or
assignment statement if you wish the variable to remain a field. Once
a variable name is a field, it points to the correct place in the
random-access file buffer. If a subsequent INPUT or assignment
statement with that variable name is executed, the variable's pointer
no longer refers to the random-access record buffer, but to string
space.
 
  Note: BASIC's record variables and extended OPEN statement syntax
        provide a more convenient way to use random-access files.
 
Differences from BASICA
 
When a random-access file is closed with a CLOSE or RESET statement in
a compiled program, all variables that are fields associated with that
file are reset to null strings. When a random-access file is closed in
a BASICA program, variables that are fields retain the last value
assigned to them by a GET statement.