NAME
    base - set default output base

SYNOPSIS
    base([mode])

TYPES
    mode	real

    return	real

DESCRIPTION
    The base function allows one to specify how numbers should be
    printed.  The base function provides a numeric shorthand to the
    config("mode") interface.  With no args, base() will return the
    current mode.  With 1 arg, base(val) will set the mode according to
    the arg and return the previous mode.

    The following convention is used to declare modes:

	     base        config
	    value        string

	       2	"binary"	binary fractions
	       8	"octal"		octal fractions
	      10	"real"		decimal floating point
	      16	"hex"		hexadecimal fractions
	     -10	"int"		decimal integer
	     1/3	"frac"		decimal fractions
	    1e20	"exp"		decimal exponential

    For convenience, any non-integer value is assumed to mean "frac",
    and any integer >= 2^64 is assumed to mean "exp".

EXAMPLE
    > base()
	    10

    > base(8)
	    012

    > print 10
    012

LIMITS
    none

LIBRARY
    int math_setmode(int newmode)

    NOTE: newmode must be one of MODE_DEFAULT, MODE_FRAC, MODE_INT,
	  MODE_REAL, MODE_EXP, MODE_HEX, MODE_OCTAL, MODE_BINARY

SEE ALSO
    config