Array issues and bugs

[Dale0]

Hi,

I'm trying to write a script to check user access on the network when I've run into issues using arrays.

The below script, with sample data from our network, raises 2 issues for me.

1) _ArrayUnique() doesn't always work.  When I tested it with basic text strings, it was ok.  But with this test data which I generated from our server using an Active Directoy query, _ArrayUnique() fails as demonstrated by the second output.

2) I thought maybe the issue could be something to do with the parameters I used, so I tested _ArrayUnique() with the deault parameters.  Somehow _ArrayUnique() has added an additional element to the array as demonstrated by the third output.  $iFlags wasn't set and it should default to 0, which means no array count stored in element [0].

PS: I forget to mention that I'm using AutoIT v3.3.10.2

#include <AD.au3>
#include <Array.au3>

Local $data[25]
Local $result

Dim $data[14]
$data[0] = 13
$data[1] = "CN=Admin Team,OU=Security Groups,OU=Company,DC=test,DC=local"
$data[2] = "CN=Administrators,CN=Builtin,DC=test,DC=local|CN=Domain Admins,CN=Users,DC=test,DC=local"
$data[3] = "CN=Domain Admins,CN=Users,DC=test,DC=local"
$data[4] = "CN=Domain Users,CN=Users,DC=test,DC=local|CN=Service Team,OU=Security Groups,OU=Company,DC=test,DC=local"
$data[5] = "CN=NRMA Team,OU=Security Groups,OU=Company,DC=test,DC=local"
$data[6] = "CN=RDR Edit,OU=Control Groups,OU=Company,DC=test,DC=local"
$data[7] = "CN=RDR Report,OU=Control Groups,OU=Company,DC=test,DC=local"
$data[8] = "CN=Restricted Admin,OU=Security Groups,OU=Company,DC=test,DC=local"
$data[9] = "CN=Service Team,OU=Security Groups,OU=Company,DC=test,DC=local"
$data[10] = "CN=Users,CN=Builtin,DC=test,DC=local|CN=Domain Users,CN=Users,DC=test,DC=local|CN=Admin Team,OU=Security Groups,OU=Company,DC=test,DC=local"
$data[11] = "CN=Vehicle Quote Edit,OU=Control Groups,OU=Company,DC=test,DC=local|CN=Admin Team,OU=Security Groups,OU=Company,DC=test,DC=local"
$data[12] = "CN=Domain Users,CN=Users,DC=test,DC=local|CN=Admin Team,OU=Security Groups,OU=Company,DC=test,DC=local"
$data[13] = "CN=Users,CN=Builtin,DC=test,DC=local|CN=Domain Users,CN=Users,DC=test,DC=local|CN=Service Team,OU=Security Groups,OU=Company,DC=test,DC=local"

_ArrayDisplay($data, "Before sort")

$result = $data
_ArraySort($result, 0, 1)
$result = _ArrayUnique($result, 1, 1)
_ArrayDisplay($result, "After _ArrayUnique() ignoring element 0")

;_ArraySort($data)
$result = _ArrayUnique($data)
_ArrayDisplay($result, "2 Bugs - After _ArrayUnique() including element 0")

Edited January 24, 2014 by Dale0

[Malkey]

....

  $iFlags wasn't set and it should default to 0, which means no array count stored in element [0].

....

 

From help file:-

Remarks
Returns an array containing the unique strings. If the parameter $iFlags is set to 1, the first element $aArrayRet[0] contains the number of strings returned.

The second _ArrayDisplay should be displaying the result from:-

$result = _ArrayUnique($result, 1, 1, 0, 0)

Note:  The 5th parameter, $iFlags, is "0".  The first element $aArrayRet[0] will not contain the number of strings returned.

Edit: The default parameters are _ArrayUnique($aArray, 1, 0, 0, 1)

May I suggest for future good coding practise. When multiple parameters require either a "1" or a "0", then all the default values should be all "1"'s or all "0"'s.  And not a mixture of both 1's and 0's as _ArrayUnique is. So if you know one default value, you will know all the default values.

Edited January 24, 2014 by Malkey

[Dale0]

The documentation for this function needs to be updated to reflect the true default value for $iFlags.  I personally took the Default value to use some logic as follows:

One would imagine $iFlags should be smart enough, when set to Default, that if the supplied array is 0 based, then the return array is zero based (and likewise for 1 based arrays too).  So then $iFlags should not be defaulted to 0 or 1 (as you suggest), but should be as per the current documentation with an explaination.

Who knows how it was meant to be, but this could be inter-twined with the first bug I meantioned.

Can someone please indicate if others can reproduce the first bug, and if so, when a potential patch be released (or at least a work-around)?

[jchd]

One would imagine $iFlags should be smart enough, when set to Default, that if the supplied array is 0 based, then the return array is zero based (and likewise for 1 based arrays too).

 

And how exactly would you smartly decide whether the array holds a count at [0] or not?

BTW, AutoIt arrays are always 0-based.

Edited January 31, 2014 by jchd

[Melba23]

Malkey,

 

May I suggest for future good coding practise. When multiple parameters require either a "1" or a "0", then all the default values should be all "1"'s or all "0"'s

That is not always logical internally. But the new Array UDF (which will be in the next Beta release) allows the use of "Default" in place of any optional parameter which solves the problem another way. This is something we are trying to introduce throughout the UDFs, but obviously it is not a short job.

Dale0,

Welcome to the AutoIt forum.

 

One would imagine $iFlags should be smart enough...

Well, it is not - and I see no reason to see why it should link the original array with the return array. Indeed I can think of several good reasons why the 2 arrays might want different [0] element behaviour.

As to your "first bug" - what is wrong with the return? I see 13 different lines in the array you provide and 13 different elements in the return from _ArrayUnique. Perhaps the proportional font confused you - in the sorted array elements 4/5 and 11/12 are not identical, even though the line length appears the same:

[4]|CN=Domain Users,CN=Users,DC=test,DC=local|CN=Admin Team,OU=Security Groups,OU=Company,DC=test,DC=local
[5]|CN=Domain Users,CN=Users,DC=test,DC=local|CN=Service Team,OU=Security Groups,OU=Company,DC=test,DC=local

[11]|CN=Users,CN=Builtin,DC=test,DC=local|CN=Domain Users,CN=Users,DC=test,DC=local|CN=Admin Team,OU=Security Groups,OU=Company,DC=test,DC=local
[12]|CN=Users,CN=Builtin,DC=test,DC=local|CN=Domain Users,CN=Users,DC=test,DC=local|CN=Service Team,OU=Security Groups,OU=Company,DC=test,DC=local

Easy to spot the difference in a mono-spaced font.

So in short, no bug and the function behaves as it is documented.

M23