NAME
    estr - represent some types of value by text strings


SYNOPSIS
    estr(x)

TYPES
    x		null, string, real or complex number, list, matrix,
		object. block, named block, error

    return	string

DESCRIPTION
    This function attempts to represent x exactly by a string s of
    ordinary text characters such that eval(s) == x.

    If x is null, estr(x) returns the string "".

    If x is a string, estr(x) returns the string in which occurrences of
    newline, tab, ", \,  etc. have been converted to \n, \t, \",
    \\, etc., '\0' to \000 or \0 according as the next character is
    or is not an octal digit, and other non-text characters to their
    escaped hex representation, e.g. char(165) becomes \xa5.

    For real x, estr(x) represebts x in fractional mode.


EXAMPLE
    ; estr("abc\0xyz\00023\n\xa5\r\n")
	""abc\0xyz\00023\n\xa5\r\n""
    ; estr(1.67)
	"167/100"
    ; estr(mat[3] = {2, list(3,5), "abc"})
	"mat[3]={2,list(3,5),"abc""

LIMITS
    none

LINK LIBRARY
    none

SEE ALSO
    str, strprintf