If your system does not have a direct way of converting a number with a decimal point
from a character to a numerical representation, you can always do it the hard way.
Read the digits before the decimal point (on the left of it), as an integer.
Read the digits on the right of the decimal point, and count them.
Create a float, and divide the second number you read by ten several times
Add the first number you read.
Example: read 1234.567 in characters
Get 1234 from this
Get 567 from this. There are three digits
Convert 567 to a floating point number and divide by ten, three times.
You get .567
Now add 1234 to this. You got 1234.567