Data records with Array

[jchd]

RFTC,

Agreed, the "clone" feature can prove useful at times, but what I was pointing out is that you can't use an existing struct to create a distinct one. LarsJ example was right in invoking DllStructCreate for every entry in the array. Yet this feature is not documented so use it at your own risk.

Also the Datatypes section of the help file needs work: it fails to mention several AutoIt datatypes (Keyword, hWnd, DllStruct, Function, UserFunction, Array, Object and possibly Map if its status turns green outside the beta). These are genuine types, as returned by VarGetType (as well as correctly identified by IsKeyword, IsHWnd, IsDllStruct, IsFunc, IsArray, IsObj and IsMap, respectively),  and since an array element or map entry can hold any AutoIt type (as explicitely stated in the Variable section), such uses are perfectly legitimate. And if they are not, then something fundamental is badly broken.

[RTFC]

Yes, good points, all, and worth stressing that such ptr cloning is undocumented and at-own-risk. But as far I understand my own sample code, I too was invoking DllstructCreate for each array entry in turn separately (in the loop), and not cloning ptrs there. Or am I missing something?

 

[jchd]

No, it's just to make a note for others because it it isn't how other AutoIt datatypes nor Pascal records behave.

[RTFC]

Leaving structs aside, could anyone perhaps suggest some n00b-friendly external web resources that explain Maps in a little more detail than that one forum thread Melba linked to and the rather meagre beta documentation? MSDN is pretty opaque, as per usual, and Wikipedia is not much better. I get that it's like a key-indexed array, but would it work like a C++ STL map? Will one be able to add and switch between multiple ordering keys for the same data set (multimap)? Is reindexing automatic for all keys when adding/removing/changing records, or just for the active key? Can you combine keys to create hierarchical sub-ordering with user-defined nesting order? Is it possible to apply fuzzy conditionals (stringsoundlike, exact/inexact matching per key)? Can you apply multiple key-specific filters in parallel? Never having used them, I simply haven't a clue.