String variable in #include?

[Minikori]

Hello, I'm writing a program that will include custom files in an addons folder. I can have it list all the files in the addons folder, but then I noticed that I can't use variables (the file names) in #include.

Any way I could get past this? Thanks,

Mini

Edited February 4, 2010 by Minikori

[whim]

- make, in an empty include file, say "collection.au3"

- let your script first (before include statements) scan your real include folder,

and construct include statements, that you then write to "collection.au3"

- put an #include pointing at "collection.au3" in your script

sorry, too late to try for me here,

cheers,

whim

[Minikori]

- make, in an empty include file, say "collection.au3"

- let your script first (before include statements) scan your real include folder,

and construct include statements, that you then write to "collection.au3"

- put an #include pointing at "collection.au3" in your script

sorry, too late to try for me here,

cheers,

whim

I think I basically did what you said. The contents of all the .au3 files in the addons folder are put into addons.au3 while the program is running. So I have the problem solved now, thank you.

[Richard Robertson]

That won't work for compiled programs though. Keep this in mind.

[Minikori]

That won't work for compiled programs though. Keep this in mind.

Uh oh, why not?

EDIT: I know why, but do you know a workaround?

Edited February 4, 2010 by Minikori

[omikron48]

You could try making a launcher that recompiles a script then launches it.

[Richard Robertson]

AutoIt doesn't provide support for user modifiable runtime execution. You'd need to set up some kind of plugin system which can't be implemented via includes. Dlls are perfect for this.

[Minikori]

AutoIt doesn't provide support for user modifiable runtime execution. You'd need to set up some kind of plugin system which can't be implemented via includes. Dlls are perfect for this.

I have little to no knowledge as far as Dlls go, are you saying use Dlls to read the plugins or make Dlls for them or what?

[NerdFencer]

Depending on your use, you could just have the script-able plug-ins (as AutoIt scripts) in a folder and use Execute() to run them.

WARNING: Using Execute on the contents of files that the user could potentially modify could be dangerous!

You could avoid this issue altogether by creating the script to generate a plugins include file, and running it (separately) before you compile. You can even create a custom compile step using (i believe) #AutoIt3Wrapper_Run_Before

[Minikori]

Depending on your use, you could just have the script-able plug-ins (as AutoIt scripts) in a folder and use Execute() to run them.

The plugin .au3s use variables in the main script, so I can't just execute them.

You could avoid this issue altogether by creating the script to generate a plugins include file, and running it (separately) before you compile. You can even create a custom compile step using (i believe) #AutoIt3Wrapper_Run_Before

That's what I'm already doing, which still poses the problem Richard Robertson pointed out.

[AdmiralAlkex]

That's what I'm already doing, which still poses the problem Richard Robertson pointed out.

Well then distribute your script in source form then. If your users can't install AutoIt, you could distribute the interpreter or compiler with your app.

[Minikori]

Well then distribute your script in source form then. If your users can't install AutoIt, you could distribute the interpreter or compiler with your app.

That's what I'm doing for now, but I'd like a compilable version when it gets farther along.

[Richard Robertson]

If you want it to be compiled, then it needs to link to compiled resources or have a built in interpreter. You can load compiled dlls and call functions from those.

You could also write your own (or find one) interpreter that would be part of your AutoIt code.

[martin]

It's not clear to me. Do you mean you only know what includes are needed after you compile, or do you simply have a problem compiling a script which uses a variable set of includes?

If the later then it is fairly easy to deal with so I suspect it's the former, but thought I would just check.

[Minikori]

It's not clear to me. Do you mean you only know what includes are needed after you compile, or do you simply have a problem compiling a script which uses a variable set of includes?

If the later then it is fairly easy to deal with so I suspect it's the former, but thought I would just check.

It's the former, lemme see if I can explain this more:

When a user puts a .au3 file in the addons folder and runs my program, the program sees what files are in the folder, and includes them. It then calls the function that is the name of the addon file (ie "notes.au3," it would call Notes()). But when I compile a script, the includes are compiled with it, so I can't have included files that vary.

[martin]

It's the former, lemme see if I can explain this more:

When a user puts a .au3 file in the addons folder and runs my program, the program sees what files are in the folder, and includes them. It then calls the function that is the name of the addon file (ie "notes.au3," it would call Notes()). But when I compile a script, the includes are compiled with it, so I can't have included files that vary.

But until the program is compiled with the includes that the user selects, the function cannot be called obviously, so couldn't you just have 2 scripts. One is what the user sees and lets him choose the files, the other is compiled using a command in the script which sets all the incudes. Then to call the function you just run the second script with the parameters required. Is that possible?

[Minikori]

But until the program is compiled with the includes that the user selects, the function cannot be called obviously, so couldn't you just have 2 scripts. One is what the user sees and lets him choose the files, the other is compiled using a command in the script which sets all the incudes. Then to call the function you just run the second script with the parameters required. Is that possible?

Yes but not simple. The user may be getting/deleting new addons really often, so it'd be a pain for them to have to do that every time they add or remove an addon.

[martin]

Yes but not simple. The user may be getting/deleting new addons really often, so it'd be a pain for them to have to do that every time they add or remove an addon.

So then you must be running the extra function au3 files as separate scripts. I thought you were trying to include them in your original script somehow and you wanted a compiled result.

[Minikori]

So then you must be running the extra function au3 files as separate scripts. I thought you were trying to include them in your original script somehow and you wanted a compiled result.

As I stated earlier, they can't be ran as separate scripts because they use variables in the main script. Richard Robertson, I still don't get what you meant to do with dlls, could you elaborate on that?

[Richard Robertson]

DllCall. Addons written in C++ or some other compiled language.