BASIC languageProgram

Comments

Statement

Syntax

Marks text that the compiler ignores. Six forms exist: four line comments and two block comments.

<code> ' <text>
<code> // <text>
REM <text>
<code> ` <text>
REMSTART
  <lines>
REMEND
/* <lines> */

Also written : ', REM, //, `, REMSTART, REMEND, /*, */

Parts

<code>An optional statement before the comment on the same line.
<text>The comment, up to the end of the line.
<lines>Any number of lines of comment.

Good to know

  • Use ' or //. They are the only two forms that are safe everywhere. The other four exist so that code from other dialects keeps compiling.
  • A : inside a REM or backtick comment splits the line: x = 1 REM note: more compiles more as code and fails with "Not a BASIC statement". A full-line REM is safe; a REM after a statement is not.
  • REMSTART, REMEND and /* must start their line. Everything on the line of /* is comment, and so is the rest of the line after */: code written there never runs.
  • A line inside a block comment must not start with one word followed by :. TODO: tidy is read as a label, and the program is refused with "BASIC label TODO requires RETURN".
  • A block that is never closed is an error: "REMSTART requires REMEND" or "/* requires */". ; is not a comment: the text after it is compiled as code.

Example

' A full-line comment// Another full-line commentx = 1   ' after a statementy = 2   // after a statement tooREMSTARTA block of notesover several linesREMEND/* A C-style block   over several lines */Console(Str(x + y))   ' 3
In the manual : Program structure

See also