The CINT function is useful for forcing the type of a variable or value to INTEGER. For example, suppose you are writing binary integers to a file and one value must be multiplied by 1.1 before being written. X*1.1 gives a REAL result, which outputs eight bytes to the file. Even INT(X*1.1) gives a REAL. CINT(X*1.1) forces the value to be INTEGER and two bytes are written to the file.
Notice the differences among CINT, FIX and INT. CINT converts a REAL value to an INTEGER value by substituting the closest INTEGER to the value. FIX returns the closest integral value between the REAL value and zero. INT returns the closest integral value between the REAL value and negative infinity. Also, CINT actually changes the type from REAL to INTEGER while INT and FIX return integral results without changing the type. The following table helps illustrate these differences:
