Strange value storage

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mqdar
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Strange value storage

Post by mqdar » Thu Nov 12, 2009 9:26 pm

I've looked in wlv files and I sometimes see things like ‡C, €?, `@, ÀyÄ... etc. If I give Qbasic this code:

Code: Select all

a = 1
b = 2
c = 3
OPEN "yuiop.txt" FOR RANDOM AS #1
PUT #1, 1, a
PUT #1, 2, b
PUT #3, 3, c
CLOSE #1
I get similar stuff, so it's probably a weird way of storing values. Does anyone know what it means, or how to know what values they refer to? Qbasic is old and I don't know if I can trust it. :?
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MyNameIsKooky
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Post by MyNameIsKooky » Thu Nov 12, 2009 10:10 pm

If I know what you mean, it's the odd symbols appearing in the files? Whenever you open up a file like that in a text editor you will get garbage. It's just the text editor's way of reading the data. When you open up the file in a Hex editor you will get the usual Hexadecimal values and stuff.

Computers read the characters by looking at the file in Hexadecimal. Every Hex number represents its own character. The garbage you see when opening these files in a text editor is the computer reading the Hex values as characters.

For example, if the Hex Editor showed 67 A6 DF then opening it up in a text editor it will show g¦ß because the Hexadecimal number 67 represents g, A6 represents ¦ and DF represents ß.

I hope this clears that up. :D
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mqdar
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Post by mqdar » Thu Nov 12, 2009 10:21 pm

...I use Notepad++ and I see the Hex view and text view. I've looked at the hex values and they are as mysterious as the symbols.

BTW, I want everyone to know that I actually know what I'm talking about, so explaining the basics is no use to me. Just wanna say... :)
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MyNameIsKooky
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Post by MyNameIsKooky » Thu Nov 12, 2009 10:33 pm

Oh. Well, do you mean how the symbols are grouped, organized, or...?
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mqdar
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Post by mqdar » Sun Nov 29, 2009 2:38 am

MyNameIsKooky wrote:Oh. Well, do you mean how the symbols are grouped, organized, or...?
Grouped, I'd say.

So... does anyone have any idea how to know what values they refer to?
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