<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:garamond,serif;font-size:large">Hello</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:garamond,serif;font-size:large"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:garamond,serif;font-size:large">I have a short metapost program attached the uses the reads from and</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:garamond,serif;font-size:large">scan token commands.   I do not understand why the program works </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:garamond,serif;font-size:large">in the way it does.     There are two files:   the file named stringTest</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:garamond,serif;font-size:large">contains one line  2.56  7.23   The file named <a href="http://test.mp" target="_blank">test.mp</a> is shown below.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:garamond,serif;font-size:large"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:garamond,serif;font-size:large">numeric n ;   string jkjk ;</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:garamond,serif;font-size:large"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:garamond,serif;font-size:large">jkjk := readsfrom ( "stringTest" ) ;  message ( jkjk ) ;    % shows 2.56  7.23</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:garamond,serif;font-size:large"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:garamond,serif;font-size:large">n := scantoken ( jkjk ) ;       % this parses/reads  2.56  and sets n to be 2.56</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:garamond,serif;font-size:large">                                          % evidently.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:garamond,serif;font-size:large">message ( "n = "&decimal n ) ;        % shows n = 2.56</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:garamond,serif;font-size:large"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:garamond,serif;font-size:large">n := scantoken ( jkjk ) ;       % still sets n to be 2.56</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:garamond,serif;font-size:large"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:garamond,serif;font-size:large">I have attached both files here.  Any suggestions on how I should be reading the </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:garamond,serif;font-size:large">second numeric value from the string would be appreciated.   The User's guide</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:garamond,serif;font-size:large">says that the scantoken command processes tokens sequentially. (page 17)</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:garamond,serif;font-size:large"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:garamond,serif;font-size:large">Many thanks in advance.  </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:garamond,serif;font-size:large"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:garamond,serif;font-size:large">Walt Burkhard</div></div>