Re: [bug-gawk] Invalid result when converting to hex literal

[arnold]

Steven Penny <address@hidden> wrote:

> On Tue, Mar 20, 2018 at 2:50 PM wrote:
> > POSIX doesn't require awk to support %a.  If you think it does,
> > please cite chapter and verse.
>
> I did that a year ago already, but I will do it again:

I don't remember this, but that doesn't matter.

> > The printf statement shall produce output based on a notation similar to
> > the File Format Notation used to describe file formats in this volume of
> > POSIX.1-2008 (see XBD File Format Notation).
>
> http://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/utilities/awk.html#tag_20_06_13_10
>
> > The floating-point number argument representing a floating-point number
> > shall be converted in the style "[-]0xh.hhhhp??d" [...]
>
> http://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/basedefs/V1_chap05.html

Harumph.  I think the standard used to be more explicit about which
specifiers were required in awk and which not, but I may be wrong.

So indeed, basic language lawyering leads us to undertstand that POSIX
wants %a in awk.

At the moment, I don't think any awk implements this.  Additionally,
it is problematic to do so on some older-but-still-supported platforms,
since this requires support in the underlying C library that may
be missing.

I will have to think about this.

Thanks,

Arnold