Edit - Code Golf Stack Exchange

You are not logged in. Your edit will be placed in a queue until it is peer reviewed.

We welcome edits that make the post easier to understand and more valuable for readers. Because community members review edits, please try to make the post substantially better than how you found it, for example, by fixing grammar or adding additional resources and hyperlinks.

Required fields*

Tips for golfing in Pascal

What general tips do you have for golfing code in Pascal?

I know this is a tricky language very few people use this but I would like to know any tips from the professionals out there. :)

I'm looking for tips that can reduce code size (every byte counts!) with special functions or even crazy combinations.

Please post each tip as a separate answer and avoid tips not specific to Pascal (e. g. remove whitespace, etc.). For tips tailored to the Delphi programming language, a popular dialect of Pascal, see Tips for golfing in Delphi.

Answer*

## use `index` for `in` membership test

**Introduction**:
All Pascal variants support at least to some extent the `in` membership operator (in mathematical notation ∊).
Extended Pascal, ISO standard 10206, introduces the `index` function.
It requires two `char` or `string` arguments (any combination thereof).
```pascal
index(sample, pattern)
```
The `index` function returns the index of the first complete occurrence of `pattern` in `sample`.
If no such index exists, `0` is returned (an _invalid_ index for any `string`).

**Application**:
The `index` function can be utilized to abbreviate `set`-membership operations.
For example
```pascal
c in['X','Y','Z'] { `c` is a variable possessing the data type `char` }
```
becomes
```pascal
index('XYZ',c)>0
```
**Synergies**:
You can combine this with the [`string` as `array[1‥n] of 0‥ord(maxChar)`](/a/254108/) tip.
For example
```pascal
index(')/;CGaek•—§³µãåéïñ', chr(241)) > 0
```
performs a test whether `chr(241)` is a [Ramanujan prime](https://oeis.org/A104272) less than 256.
Note, the `string` literal consists of 23 `char` values and are not properly displayed on this site.

**Dialects**:
Delphi users want to use `pos`.
The Free Pascal Compiler supports [`pos`](https://www.FreePascal.org/docs-html/current/rtl/system/pos.html), too.

If this is an answer to a challenge…

…Be sure to follow the challenge specification. However, please refrain from exploiting obvious loopholes. Answers abusing any of the standard loopholes are considered invalid. If you think a specification is unclear or underspecified, comment on the question instead.
…Try to optimize your score. For instance, answers to code-golf challenges should attempt to be as short as possible. You can always include a readable version of the code in addition to the competitive one. Explanations of your answer make it more interesting to read and are very much encouraged.
…Include a short header which indicates the language(s) of your code and its score, as defined by the challenge.

More generally…

…Please make sure to answer the question and provide sufficient detail.
…Avoid asking for help, clarification or responding to other answers (use comments instead).

Draft saved

Draft discarded

Edit Summary*

Cancel

Add a comment |

How to Edit

Correct minor typos or mistakes
Clarify meaning without changing it
Add related resources or links
Always respect the author’s intent
Don’t use edits to reply to the author

How to Format

create code fences with backticks ` or tildes ~
```
like so
```
add language identifier to highlight code
```python
def function(foo):
print(foo)
```
put returns between paragraphs
for linebreak add 2 spaces at end
_italic_ or **bold**
indent code by 4 spaces
backtick escapes `like _so_`
quote by placing > at start of line
to make links (use https whenever possible)

<https://example.com>

[example](https://example.com)

<a href="https://example.com">example</a>
MathJax equations \$\sin^2 \theta\$

formatting help »
answering help »

MathJax help »

How to Tag

A tag is a keyword or label that categorizes your question with other, similar questions. Choose one or more (up to 5) tags that will help answerers to find and interpret your question.

complete the sentence: my question is about...
use tags that describe things or concepts that are essential, not incidental to your question
favor using existing popular tags
read the descriptions that appear below the tag

If your question is primarily about a topic for which you can't find a tag:

combine multiple words into single-words with hyphens (e.g. code-golf), up to a maximum of 35 characters
creating new tags is a privilege; if you can't yet create a tag you need, then post this question without it, then ask the community to create it for you

popular tags »