Basic Micro Studio Syntax Manual

Variables
Structure - Variables
Variables are used to store values used in your program. The values stored will typically change
during program run time. What was stored at the start of your program in a given variable can change
by the time your program stops running.
To use a variable it must be defi ned in your program so Basic Micro Studio knows to set aside the
required amount of space in RAM. The ATOM line is 32 bit, so variables can be from 1 bit to 32 bits.
Typically most microcontroller systems are limited to 16 bits.
When creating a variable you specify what type of variable you will need in your program. You can
defi ne as many variables as you want. The only limiting factor is the amount of RAM available which
varies for each ATOM type.
Variable Types
Type Bits Value Range
Bit 1 1 or 0
Nib 4 0 to 15
Byte 8 0 to 255
SByte 8 -128 to +127
Word 16 0 to 65,535
SWord 32 -32,768 to +32,767
Long 32 0 to 4,294,967,295
SLong 32 -2,147,483,647 to +2,147,483,648
Float 32 ± 2.0 EXP -126 to ± 2.0 EXP 127
Pointer 32 0 to 4,294,967,295
Location
Variables should be defi ned in the beginning of your program if you want to access the variable
anywhere from your program. Where the variable is defi ned dictates where the variables can be used.
Variables must be defi ned before they can be used.
Signed
Variables can be signed. This is useful in many applications. A simple example would be controlling
a DC motor. A negative number can indicate one direction of spin, 0 can be stop and a positive value
can be the opposite direction of spin using one variable. Signed variables are created using Sbyte,
Sword and Slong
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