difference between set and new table variable - strange results in writing string?

[#1]

could someone help me understand why  the 36D10 and 36E10 table variables come back expanded to sci notation? but seemingly only for 'new' instead of 'set' table variable?

Thanks,

--Peach

dt = New Table("Table");

testvar = "36D10";
dt << New Table Variable("tv_testD", char(testvar));

testvar = "36C10";
dt << New Table Variable("tv_testC", testvar);

testvar = "36F10";
dt << New Table Variable("tv_testF", testvar);

testvar = "36E10";
dt << New Table Variable("tv_testE", testvar);

testvar = "36E10";
dt << Set Table Variable("tv_testEset", testvar);

[#2]

You could contact JMP support with this problem support@jmp.com

If you get a response which will explain the behaviour, please add new comment to this topic so everyone can learn.

[#3 · Accepted solution]

E is for exponent and (a very long time ago) D for a double precision exponent.

I recommend using SETTableVariable; it behaves the way I'd expect: stores a number as a number and a string as a string and creates a table variable only if it isn't already there.

NEWTableVariable adds a suffix to the name if it already exists and, (the unexpected behavior), converts strings that look like numbers to numbers.

To further confuse things, dt<<GETTableVariable("name") returns a string, even if the value is numeric.

I recommend using dt:name to get the numeric value or the string value that is stored.

dt = New Table("Table");
dt << new Table Variable("a", char(17)); // 17 vs char(17)
show(dt:a,dt<<gettablevariable("a"));
dt<<settablevariable("a",42.42);
show(dt:a,dt<<gettablevariable("a"));
dt<<settablevariable("a","hello");
show(dt:a,dt<<gettablevariable("a"));
dt<<settablevariable("a",42.42);
show(dt:a,dt<<gettablevariable("a"));

dt:a = 17; <<< converted to a number
dt << gettablevariable("a") = "17"; <<< but fetched as a string !?!?!
dt:a = 42.42; <<< stored a number as expected
dt << gettablevariable("a") = "42.42"; <<< ?!?!? always returns a string
dt:a = "hello"; <<< stored a string as expected
dt << gettablevariable("a") = "hello"; <<< well, ok
dt:a = 42.42;
dt << gettablevariable("a") = "42.42";

[#4]

Thanks Craige, that helps clarify and establish how I should use.

Might be nice for something to be added to documentation, or perhaps the implementations of each changed in a future JMP version so they are consistent- it seems pretty hard for a user to know the differences in behavior with the current documentation (and the 'E' I immediately did think, 'oh it's doing something w/exponent - but the 'D' causing an issue really threw me for a loop).