How can I convert a string to a number in DM script for flag values?

I'm trying to read a configuration file in DM script and use its content as flags. For instance, the function TagGroup DLGCreateChoice( TagGroup &items, number value ) uses a number to pre-select a choice, but the configuration file returns strings.

Instead of using an if clause like below, I would prefer a more straightforward method to convert a string to a number:

// Some code to get the string value, stored in flag_string
if (flag_string == "1") flag_value = 1;

Questions:

• Is there a built-in method or a more efficient approach in DM script to convert a string to a number?
• Are there any best practices for handling type conversion when reading configuration files in DM script?

Any guidance or examples would be greatly appreciated!

You are looking for the command val() as in:

string str = "1234.53345345"
number num = val(str)
Result("\n '"+str+"' evaluates to:"+num+ " ( Formatted:"+Format(num,"%20.5f")+" )" )