My program didn't work because I had smart quotes instead of simple quotes. What is the difference? Thanks!
Here is a response from another anwered post:
The code you posted will not run.
This line
Value = spedis(Name,‘Friedman’) ;
has "smart quotes", the curly version instead of a simple '
PDF and WORD use smart quotes. They are not recognized by programs as valid characters. They 'look' better.
from the oracle known as Google:
“Smart quotes,” the correct quotation marks and apostrophes, are curly or sloped. "Dumb quotes," or straightquotes, are a vestigial constraint from typewriters when using one key for two different marks helped save space on a keyboard.
EDIT: If you paste code in word it tends to automatically format them to smart quotes. So if you copy and paste code - which is not a good way to learn programming because your brain doesn't actually process what's being copied - you'll end up with this issue. Typing out the code line by line forces your brain to wonder, why the heck is there a semicolon here? Or why is there a set of commas back to back? You'll miss those details when copying and pasting. If you're just learning a language I highly recommend you type out the commands at first.
PDF and WORD use smart quotes. They are not recognized by programs as valid characters. They 'look' better.
from the oracle known as Google:
“Smart quotes,” the correct quotation marks and apostrophes, are curly or sloped. "Dumb quotes," or straightquotes, are a vestigial constraint from typewriters when using one key for two different marks helped save space on a keyboard.
EDIT: If you paste code in word it tends to automatically format them to smart quotes. So if you copy and paste code - which is not a good way to learn programming because your brain doesn't actually process what's being copied - you'll end up with this issue. Typing out the code line by line forces your brain to wonder, why the heck is there a semicolon here? Or why is there a set of commas back to back? You'll miss those details when copying and pasting. If you're just learning a language I highly recommend you type out the commands at first.
I'm not a fan of smart quotes, which is why I turn them off in Word (and by extension, in MS Outlook which respects the same preferences). You'll find the setting in Word, File->Options, Proofing tab, then click AutoCorrect.
This affects only those quotes that you type, not those that you copy/paste from somewhere else. PDF and Word docs are notorious for smart quote contamination.
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