Bug report: _ArrayPop

[Spiff59]

I helped someone with a bug last night.

The problem boiled down to basically the following:

#include<array.au3>
Dim $array[1] = ["xyzzy"]
_ArrayPop($array)
_ArrayAdd($array, "foobar")
Msgbox(1, "", $array[0])

One might think that that logically should work. Alas, no, it goes south in the _ArrayAdd statement.

The help file is ambiguous. It more imples, that when fed a one-element array, _ArrayPop will clear the last element ($array[0] = ""), when actually, it destroys the entire array ($array = "").

Here's my bug fix suggestion:

Delete _ArrayAdd, _ArrayCreate, _ArrayPop and _ArraySwap entirely from array.au3.

What's the point of a 10-20 line UDF function that replaces 1-2 lines of straightforward code?

I'd zap a half-dozen other functions out of the bloated array.au3 myself, were I god. I'd thought UDF's were for commonly-used, or complex, snippets of code, not bizarre routines imagined after dropping two tabs of orange sunshine.

It reminds me of the old DP joke: "Q:What is an elephant? A:A mouse designed to government specifications."

Thank you for your time. I feel better now.

Edited April 22, 2009 by Spiff59

[GaryFrost]

Not a bug. Read the Remarks:

Remarks

If the array has one element left, it will be set to "" after _ArrayPop() is used on it.

[PsaltyDS]

Not a bug. Read the Remarks:

The grammar is still ambiguous as to whether the element or the array is set to "". My English 101 prof would have red lined it.

I would recommend:

Remarks

If the array has one element left, the array will be deleted (set to "") after _ArrayPop() is used on it.

P.S. To address the OP: Changing the function is right out. Setting a value of "" is not "Clearing", as the "" value may be significant to the script. There would be no way to determine if the array had all elements popped, or if there was still one element ("") left to process.

If you bother to go through the change log in the help file (Appendix), you'll see _ArrayCreate() was already deprecated, and will be completely removed from a future version. And you are free to delete anything you like from your copy of Array.au3.

Edited April 21, 2009 by PsaltyDS

[Spiff59]

P.S. To address the OP: Changing the function is right out. Setting a value of "" is not "Clearing", as the "" value may be significant to the script. There would be no way to determine if the array had all elements popped, or if there was still one element ("") left to process.

Yes, I understand that clearing the initial element is not a good solution either, although it would accomodate the example that I placed in my first post, which is an example that looks entirely reasonable. Neither is destroying the array a good solution for an "_ArrayPop" routine in my opinion. I'm sure the ability to maintain an array-type variable with zero elements would be opening up a can of worms.

So, I think if someone has enough understanding, or courage, to be calling _ArrayPop, they can certainly handle the mechanics of the first/last element themselves. I'd vote for sending about a third of Array.au3 to the circular file.