The
string statement is used to define alphanumeric variables temporarily used in the application. It is similar to the
alpha statement but, unlike variables created with that statement, variables created as strings have no fixed length. Strings can be used anywhere an alpha variable can be used. Strings start out with a length of 0 and then automatically resize to match whatever is assigned to it. This feature make strings the preferred text variable to use, unless the length of the string is needed for formatting and calculation purposes.