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Calculator flags, System flags, Functions for setting and changing flags – HP 48gII User Manual

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Calculator flags

A flag is a variable that can either be set or unset. The status of a flag affects
the behavior of the calculator, if the flag is a system flag, or of a program, if it
is a user flag. They are described in more detail next.

System flags

System flags can be accessed by using

H @)FLAGS!

.

Press the down arrow

key to see a listing of all the system flags with their number and brief
description. The first two screens with system flags are shown below:

You will recognize many of these flags because they are set or unset in the
MODES menu (e.g., flag 95 for Algebraic mode, 103 for Complex mode,
etc.). Throughout this user’s manual we have emphasized the differences
between CHOOSE boxes and SOFT menus, which are selected by setting or
un-setting system flag 117. Another example of system flag setting is that of
system flags 60 and 61 that relate to the constant library (CONLIB, see
Chapter 3). These flags operate in the following manner:

• user flag 60: clear (default):SI units, set: ENGL units
• user flag 61: clear (default):use units, set: value only

Functions for setting and changing flags

These functions can be used to set, un-set, or check on the status of user flags
or system flags. When used with these functions system flags are referred to
with negative integer numbers. Thus, system flag 117 will be referred to as
flag -117. On the other hand, user flags will be referred to as positive integer
numbers when applying these functions. It is important to understand that user
flags have applications only in programming to help control the program flow.

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