function
float_bits
float_bits(x) -> int / float_from_bits(bits) -> float
float_bits(x) returns the 32 bits of a float as an int, and float_from_bits(bits) reads them back. double_bits / double_from_bits do the same for a double with a long. Use them where a float has to travel as raw data: a file format, a network packet, or a words buffer shared with code that still stores bit patterns.
Parameters
xthe float to encode (float_bits), or the bits to decode (float_from_bits)Example
program Bits {
entry {
print(float_bits(1.0)) # 1065353216 (0x3F800000)
print(float_from_bits(0x40000000)) # 2.0
}
}