Loops & Buttons

[johnhusk24]

hello All,

this is my first post and I am very new to AutoIt. I have spent time reading as much as possible and hopefully tried to put together this script used to take a UK postcode and depending on the postcode determine the team and hence instruct to transfer to an extension. I have done this by creating a long array of the postcodes and team numbers. See attached script.

PostcodeExtLookup.au3

I am a newbie so if I have done this wrong please excuse my first attempts, but what I am trying to do is to create a script that allows input in a box and output this to a box. I would like to create buttons to "lookup" and "quit" but the program does not finish.

I have looked at Koda and it looks good but without getting to grips with it I am stuck. I am looking for advice and or help.

I had looked at case and switch and while wend and trying to call func as well. i have left my attempts commented in the script.

I am so close but yet so far ......

many thanks

John

[Melba23]

johnhusk24,

Welcome to the AutoIt forum.

I have played around with your script a little as you will see:

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#include <Array.au3>

; Reduce the array size slightly
Local $avArray[120][2] = [ _
        ["AB", 1], _
        ["AL", 3], _
        ["B", 2], _
        ["BA", 2], _
        ["BB", 1], _
        ["BD", 1], _
        ["BH", 3], _
        ["BL", 1], _
        ["BN", 3], _
        ["BR", 3], _
        ["BS", 2], _
        ["BT", 1], _
        ["CA", 1], _
        ["CB", 3], _
        ["CF", 2], _
        ["CH", 2], _
        ["CM", 3], _
        ["CO", 3], _
        ["CR", 3], _
        ["CT", 3], _
        ["CV", 2], _
        ["CW", 2], _
        ["DA", 3], _
        ["DD", 1], _
        ["DE", 2], _
        ["DG", 1], _
        ["DH", 1], _
        ["DL", 1], _
        ["DN", 2], _
        ["DT", 3], _
        ["DY", 2], _
        ["E", 3], _
        ["EC", 3], _
        ["EH", 1], _
        ["EN", 3], _
        ["EX", 2], _
        ["FK", 1], _
        ["FY", 1], _
        ["G", 1], _
        ["GL", 2], _
        ["GU", 3], _
        ["HA", 3], _
        ["HD", 1], _
        ["HG", 1], _
        ["HP", 3], _
        ["HR", 2], _
        ["HS", 1], _
        ["HU", 2], _
        ["HX", 1], _
        ["IG", 3], _
        ["IM", 1], _
        ["IP", 3], _
        ["KA", 1], _
        ["KT", 3], _
        ["KW", 1], _
        ["KY", 1], _
        ["L", 2], _
        ["LA", 1], _
        ["LD", 2], _
        ["LE", 2], _
        ["LL", 2], _
        ["LN", 2], _
        ["LS", 1], _
        ["LU", 2], _
        ["M", 2], _
        ["ME", 3], _
        ["MK", 2], _
        ["ML", 1], _
        ["N", 3], _
        ["NE", 1], _
        ["NG", 2], _
        ["NN", 2], _
        ["NP", 2], _
        ["NR", 3], _
        ["NW", 3], _
        ["OL", 1], _
        ["OX", 2], _
        ["PA", 1], _
        ["PE", 2], _
        ["PH", 1], _
        ["PL", 2], _
        ["PO", 3], _
        ["PR", 1], _
        ["RG", 3], _
        ["RH", 3], _
        ["RM", 3], _
        ["S", 1], _
        ["SA", 2], _
        ["SE", 3], _
        ["SG", 3], _
        ["SK", 2], _
        ["SL", 3], _
        ["SM", 3], _
        ["SN", 2], _
        ["SO", 3], _
        ["SP", 3], _
        ["SR", 1], _
        ["SS", 3], _
        ["ST", 2], _
        ["SW", 3], _
        ["SY", 2], _
        ["TA", 2], _
        ["TD", 1], _
        ["TF", 2], _
        ["TN", 3], _
        ["TQ", 2], _
        ["TR", 2], _
        ["TS", 1], _
        ["TW", 3], _
        ["UB", 3], _
        ["W", 3], _
        ["WA", 2], _
        ["WC", 3], _
        ["WD", 3], _
        ["WF", 1], _
        ["WN", 2], _
        ["WR", 2], _
        ["WS", 2], _
        ["WV", 2], _
        ["YO", 1] _
        ]

; Start an infinite loop
While 1

    ; Use StringUpper on the result - that way you leave the CapsLock key alone! 
    $answer = StringUpper(InputBox("PostCode to Teams Calculator", "Enter the postcode?", "BS7 8ND for example", "", _
             - 1, -1, 0, 0))

    ; You do not need "LookUp" or "Quit" buttons - just use the buttons on the InputBox

    ; Check the user did not just click Enter or Cancel without entering anything
    Switch $answer
        Case "BS7 8ND for example" ; We got the original text
            ContinueLoop ; So skip all processing and try again
        Case ""
            Exit ; Cancel pressed
    EndSwitch

    ; Get just the initial alpha characters from the input
    $sSearch = ""
    For $i = 1 To StringLen($answer)
        $sChar = StringMid($answer, $i, 1)
        If Number($sChar) Then ExitLoop
        $sSearch &= $sChar
    Next
    ConsoleWrite($sSearch & @CRLF) ; Just to show what you get

    ; Or you can do it this way - but SREs are perhaps a bit advanced for the moment ;)
    $sResult = StringRegExpReplace($answer, "(\D+).*", "$1")
    ConsoleWrite($sResult & @CRLF) ; Just to show what you get

    ; Use AutoIt to search the array! :)
    $iIndex = _ArraySearch($avArray, $sSearch)
    If $iIndex = -1 Then
        MsgBox(0, 'Sorry!', 'Nothing found! Incorrect Postcode, Please try again')
    Else
        ; Now create the text using the single number in the array
        MsgBox(0, $answer, "Postcode " & $answer & @CRLF & "TEAM " & $avArray[$iIndex][1] & ", transfer to 200" & $avArray[$iIndex][1])
        Exit
    EndIf

; Try again
WEnd

I hope the comments explain well enough what I have changed in the code and why I did it - please ask if not.

M23

[johnhusk24]

Dear Melba23,

thank you so much for taking a look at my first attempt script. I really appreciate your help and advice in giving up your valuable time to look at my script.

I will need to look at the changes you have made but I have one major question is how can I make it go back to the input screen like in a continous loop ?

I sort of want to display the result for say 10 seconds and reset back into the input startup screen or even better simply display the input / output all on one screen with a key to use "lookup" and another to "quit" if that makes sense.

many thanks

John

[Melba23]

johnhusk24,

to display the result for say 10 seconds and reset back into the input startup screen

Change these lines:

; Now create the text using the single number in the array
MsgBox(0, $answer, "Postcode " & $answer & @CRLF & "TEAM " & $avArray[$iIndex][1] & ", transfer to 200" & $avArray[$iIndex][1])
Exit

to read:

; Now create the text using the single number in the array
MsgBox(0, $answer, "Postcode " & $answer & @CRLF & "TEAM " & $avArray[$iIndex][1] & ", transfer to 200" & $avArray[$iIndex][1], 10)

Look in the Help file for MsgBox to see what the additional 10 does.

even better simply display the input / output all on one screen with a key to use "lookup" and another to "quit"

Now you are into creating your own GUI with input, label and button controls. It is not difficult to do, but does require some knowledge of AutoIt. If you have not already done so, I recommend reading the excellent tutorials that you will find here and here - you will find them very useful in getting to grips with the structure and syntax of AutoIt.

Have a go at coding something yourself and post what you produce. I will be happy to help you but the guiding principle here is the old saying: "Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day; give a man a net and you feed him forever". We try to be net makers and repairers, not fishmongers.

Good luck - you know where we are if you run into difficulties.

M23

[johnhusk24]

Dear Melba23,

thank you once again, I will go away and look through further into the changes you have made.

I was working through some of the learn autoit information and set myself this task to try to learn.

I researched arrays and string functions but as usual trying to run before I have gone through all the material

what do you mean by SRE ? static regular expression ?

Thanks again for the links I will go back and read some more before I post again

and finally yes I agree over your approach and on my part I will try to study further

many thanks once again

John

[Melba23]

johnhusk24,

SRE = String Regular Expression

Take a look here - probably the hardest thing I have ever tried to learn in coding. It makes my brain bleed just thinking about it!

M23