function Abs ( Number : Numeric type ) : Numeric type;
Description
The Abs function returns the absolute value of a negative or positive number. It does this by removing a negative sign, if found.
The Number can be any numeric type, and can even be a Variant, as long as it can be converted to a number. For example, a Variant set to a string '-1.23' will work fine. Always, Abs converts the Variant to an Extended floating point number prior to removing any negative sign, even if the result is an integer value.
Notes
Floating point numbers can be set to extreme values, such as infinity (see the example). The Abs function simply removes the negative sign of these, so that -INF becomes INF.
Related commands
Div Performs integer division, discarding the remainder
Mod Performs integer division, returning the remainder
Example code : Illustrating absolute values of different data types
var
float, bigFloat : single;
int : Integer;
varVar : Variant;
begin
float := -1.5; // Small negative floating point number
bigFloat := -4.56E100; // Infinite negative floating point number
int := -7; // Negative integer
varVar := '-98'; // Variants are converted to floating point!
ShowMessage('Abs(float) = '+FloatToStr(Abs(float)));
ShowMessage('Abs(bigFloat) = '+FloatToStr(Abs(bigFloat)));
ShowMessage('Abs(int) = '+FloatToStr(Abs(int)));
// Variants are converted into Extended floating types
float := Abs(varVar);
ShowMessage('Abs(varVar) = '+FloatToStr(float));
end;
Show full unit code
Abs(float) = 1.5
Abs(bigFloat) = INF
Abs(int) = 7
Abs(varVar) = 98