direct string access is curious

[DrD]

Perhaps useful(?):

If a variable contains a string, then (example):

var:="abcd";
n:=length(var);

var(2); // => ascii value of 2nd char: 98
var(2,2); // => sub string starting at the 2nd char for 2 chars length: "bc"
var(2,n); // => sub string starting at the 2nd char for length of string: "bcd"

If a string is an element within a list:

L0:={var}; // L0 is set to the contents of var

then:

L0(1); // => "abc"
L0(1,2); // => ascii value of the 2nd character of the 1st element: 98
L0(1,2,2); // => sub string beginning at the 2nd char for 2 chars: "bc"
L0(1,2,n); // => sub string beginning at the 2nd char for length of string: "bcd"

Nice shorthand for the SUB() function!

-Dale-