Figure 15-6
This illustration describes a select descriptor after DESCRIBE. The "n" variable is set to "3", to correspond to the number of items found in the query select-list, as set in the "f" variable by DESCRIBE. The "v" variable is undefined. The "l" variable, as set by DESCRIBE, contains the number lengths for the values of the "v" variable. Since the "v" variable is, as yet, undefined, the number lengths in the "l" variable are not usable, yet. The values of t sub-zero, t sub-one, and t sub-two in the "t" variable are set by DESCRIBE to "1", "2", and "2", respectively, to correspond to the datatype of the data in v sub-zero, v sub-one, and v sub-two of the "v" variable. The "i" variable is undefined. The "f" variable contains the number of select-list items or placeholders found by DESCRIBE. In this case, the value of the "f" variable is "3", as three items were found in the query select-list: s sub-zero in the "s" variable now contains the name "E-N-A-M-E", s sub-one contains the name "E-M-P-N-O", and s sub-two contains the name "C-O-M-M", as it was entered by the user. m sub-zero through m sub-two of the "m" variable are set to "5". The "c" variable contains pointers to arrays of current lengths of select-list or placeholder names. In this case, c sub-zero, c sub-one, and c sub-two are set by DESCRIBE to "5", "5", and "4", respectively, as the first and second pointers of the "s" variable point to names that are five characters long, and the last pointer points to a name that is four characters long.