I wrote:
> 
> I'm not getting the significance of the "local fn addToString as str255" thing. Is that determining that the fn is going to return a string?
> 

Thanks, first, to all of you who must endure these idiotic questions, and especially to those who answer them. This is something that, obviously, I need to sort out if anything is ever to proceed in this corner of my world.

There is a simple answer to this whole question, provided I can frame the question logically:

1. To send a numeric value to a local fn, the calling line looks like this:

??

... and the receiving line (local fn Example...) looks like this:

??

2. To send a string to a local fn, the calling line looks like this:

??

... and the receiving line (local fn Example...) looks like this:

??

3. To receive a numeric value from a local fn, the calling line looks like this:

??

and the end fn line looks like this:

??

4. To receive a string from a local fn, the calling line looks like this:

??

and the end fn line looks like this:

??

5. If nothing is passed to the local fn, the calling line is as in the book:

fn example

and if nothing is passed back from the local fn, it ends with:

end fn

Yes??

TIA...

Ted