String declaration and initialization

String declaration and initialization

[Sébastien]

Hi,

Several times I had to do the following:

declare
	buffer: String; --  Error at compile time
begin
	case SomeTest is
		case TEST1 =>
			buffer := "Test1";
		case TEST2 =>
			buffer := "Test2";
	end case;
	MyTreatment1(buffer, buffer'Size);
	MyTreatment2(buffer, buffer'Size);
	MyTreatment3(buffer, buffer'Size);
end;

But How can I do this since I can't declare a string without constraint?

Sebastien

Re: String declaration and initialization

[Dmitry A. Kazakov]

On Thu, 22 May 2008 15:47:38 +0000, S�bastien wrote:

> Several times I had to do the following:
> 
> declare
> 	buffer: String; --  Error at compile time
> begin
> 	case SomeTest is
> 		case TEST1 =>
> 			buffer := "Test1";
> 		case TEST2 =>
> 			buffer := "Test2";
> 	end case;
> 	MyTreatment1(buffer, buffer'Size);

You don't need buffer'Size, even if you incidentally meant buffer'Length...

> 	MyTreatment2(buffer, buffer'Size);
> 	MyTreatment3(buffer, buffer'Size);
> end;
> 
> But How can I do this since I can't declare a string without constraint?

declare
   function Test return String is -- Ada has scoped subprograms
   begin
      case Some_Test is
         when Test_1 => return "Test1";
         ...
      end case;
   end Test;
   Buffer: constant String := Test;
begin
   My_Treatment_1 (Buffer);
   ...

-- 
Regards,
Dmitry A. Kazakov
http://www.dmitry-kazakov.de

Re: String declaration and initialization

[Sébastien]

> declare
>    function Test return String is -- Ada has scoped subprograms
>    begin
>       case Some_Test is
>          when Test_1 => return "Test1";
>          ...
>       end case;
>    end Test;
>    Buffer: constant String := Test;
> begin
>    My_Treatment_1 (Buffer);
>    ...

Good idea, but there are some other treatments in the case actually.

something like:
buffer := test1;
buffer_type := 3;
and so on.

So if I use another function, I have to implement 2 cases in order to do it.

Re: String declaration and initialization

[Dmitry A. Kazakov]

On Thu, 22 May 2008 16:47:44 +0000, S�bastien wrote:

>> declare
>>    function Test return String is -- Ada has scoped subprograms
>>    begin
>>       case Some_Test is
>>          when Test_1 => return "Test1";
>>          ...
>>       end case;
>>    end Test;
>>    Buffer: constant String := Test;
>> begin
>>    My_Treatment_1 (Buffer);
>>    ...
> 
> Good idea, but there are some other treatments in the case actually.
> 
> something like:
> buffer := test1;
> buffer_type := 3;
> and so on.
> 
> So if I use another function, I have to implement 2 cases in order to do it.

No. Make a record of the test name and the test type:

declare
   type Test_Type is range 1..20;
   type Test_Case (Length : Positive) is record
      Kind : Test_Type;
      Name : String (1..Length);
   end record;
   function Test return Test_Case is -- Ada has scoped subprograms
   begin
      case Some_Test is
         when Test_1 => return (Length => 5, Name => "Test1", Kind => 3);
         ...
      end case;
   end Test;
   Buffer: constant Test_Case := Test;
 begin
    My_Treatment_1 (Buffer.Name);

[ Observe, that the function Test is nothing but a classical factory. ]

-- 
Regards,
Dmitry A. Kazakov
http://www.dmitry-kazakov.de

Re: String declaration and initialization

[Sébastien]

> No. Make a record of the test name and the test type:
> 
> declare
>    type Test_Type is range 1..20;
>    type Test_Case (Length : Positive) is record
>       Kind : Test_Type;
>       Name : String (1..Length);
>    end record;
>    function Test return Test_Case is -- Ada has scoped subprograms
>    begin
>       case Some_Test is
>          when Test_1 => return (Length => 5, Name => "Test1", Kind => 3);
>          ...
>       end case;
>    end Test;
>    Buffer: constant Test_Case := Test;
>  begin
>     My_Treatment_1 (Buffer.Name);
> 
> [ Observe, that the function Test is nothing but a classical factory. ]

Ok got it, I like this one, nice and efficient.

Thanks for your help.

Sebastien

Re: String declaration and initialization

[Matthew Heaney]

On May 22, 11:47 am, Sébastien <seb.mor...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> declare
>         buffer: String; --  Error at compile time
> begin
>         case SomeTest is
>                 case TEST1 =>
>                         buffer := "Test1";
>                 case TEST2 =>
>                         buffer := "Test2";
>         end case;
>         MyTreatment1(buffer, buffer'Size);
>         MyTreatment2(buffer, buffer'Size);
>         MyTreatment3(buffer, buffer'Size);
> end;
>
> But How can I do this since I can't declare a string without constraint?

The simplest way is to use a bounded or unbounded string:

declare
  S : Unbounded_String;
begin
  case Some_Test is
     when T1 => S := To_Unbounded_String ("test1");
  ...
end;

Another way is to use a table like you can in C:

declare
  Test1 : aliased constant String := "test1";
  Test2 : aliased constant String := "test2";

  type Table_Type is array (Test_Type) of
    not null access constant String;

  Table : constant Table_Type :=
    (T1 => Test1'Access,
     T2 => Test2'Access,
     ...);

  S : String renames Table (Some_Test).all;
begin
...
end;

Re: String declaration and initialization

[Sébastien]

> The simplest way is to use a bounded or unbounded string:
> 
> declare
>   S : Unbounded_String;
> begin
>   case Some_Test is
>      when T1 => S := To_Unbounded_String ("test1");
>   ...
> end;

Yep I think about it but in this case, I made several conversions 
because I have stuff like that:

	buffer := To_Unbouned_String(Trim(Integer'Image(my_int), Left));

And then treatment use String so:
MyTreatment(To_String(buffer));

So I don't actually know how fast is the conversion between String and 
Unbounded_String but I think it's a waste of ressource.

> Another way is to use a table like you can in C:
> 
> declare
>   Test1 : aliased constant String := "test1";
>   Test2 : aliased constant String := "test2";
> 
>   type Table_Type is array (Test_Type) of
>     not null access constant String;
> 
>   Table : constant Table_Type :=
>     (T1 => Test1'Access,
>      T2 => Test2'Access,
>      ...);
> 
>   S : String renames Table (Some_Test).all;
> begin
> ...
> end;

That's an idea but... Test1 are actually not a constant string, that was 
an example :-) It's calculated sometime it's even a return of some 
function and so on.

But you give me an Idea :
declare
     buffer: access String;
     Free_String is new Unchecked_Deallocation(String, access all String);
begin
     case SomeTest is
         case TEST1 =>
             buffer := new String("Test1");
         case TEST2 =>
             buffer := new String("Test2");
     end case;
     MyTreatment1(buffer.all, buffer.all'Size);
     MyTreatment2(buffer.all, buffer.all'Size);
     MyTreatment3(buffer.all, buffer.all'Size);
end;

but it doesn't work of course since I can't create with new an 
unconstrained object.

Re: String declaration and initialization

[Robert A Duff]

S�bastien <seb.morand@gmail.com> writes:

> But you give me an Idea :
> declare
>     buffer: access String;
>     Free_String is new Unchecked_Deallocation(String, access all String);
> begin
>     case SomeTest is
>         case TEST1 =>
>             buffer := new String("Test1");
>         case TEST2 =>
>             buffer := new String("Test2");
>     end case;
>     MyTreatment1(buffer.all, buffer.all'Size);
>     MyTreatment2(buffer.all, buffer.all'Size);
>     MyTreatment3(buffer.all, buffer.all'Size);
> end;
>
> but it doesn't work of course since I can't create with new an
> unconstrained object.

Sure you can:

    buffer := new String'("Test1");
                        ^
                        | Note tick mark!


<< new String("Test1"); >> does not make sense.  You have to use a
qualified expression (as above) or a constrained subtype,
as in:

    new String(1..10)

You didn't call Free_String, by the way.  Think about whether you want
to call it in case of exception!

- Bob

Re: String declaration and initialization

[Matthew Heaney]

On May 22, 12:58 pm, Sébastien <seb.mor...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > declare
> >   Test1 : aliased constant String := "test1";
> >   Test2 : aliased constant String := "test2";
>
> >   type Table_Type is array (Test_Type) of
> >     not null access constant String;
>
> >   Table : constant Table_Type :=
> >     (T1 => Test1'Access,
> >      T2 => Test2'Access,
> >      ...);
>
> >   S : String renames Table (Some_Test).all;
> > begin
> > ...
> > end;
>
> That's an idea but... Test1 are actually not a constant string, that was
> an example :-) It's calculated sometime it's even a return of some
> function and so on.

That doesn't really change anything.  You could say:

declare
  Test1 : aliased constant String := Result_Of_Function1;
  Test2 : aliased constant String := Result_Of_Function2;
...
begin



>      MyTreatment1(buffer.all, buffer.all'Size);

What are you trying to do here?  Why can't you simply declare
MyTreatment1 like this:

  procedure MyTreatment1 (S : String) is ...;

and then call it like this:

  MyTreatment1 (buffer.all);


> end;
>
> but it doesn't work of course since I can't create with new an
> unconstrained object.

No, Bob showed you what to do:

  ... new String'("this is my string");

Re: String declaration and initialization

[Jeffrey R. Carter]

S�bastien wrote:
> 
> So I don't actually know how fast is the conversion between String and 
> Unbounded_String but I think it's a waste of ressource.

You've already wasted quite a bit of your most expensive resource, a developer's 
time, worrying about this. Far more efficient is to do it the obvious way, with 
Unbounded_String, and only worry about the time of the conversions if you are 
unable to meet your timing requirements.

> But you give me an Idea :
> declare
>     buffer: access String;
>     Free_String is new Unchecked_Deallocation(String, access all String);
> begin
>     case SomeTest is
>         case TEST1 =>
>             buffer := new String("Test1");
>         case TEST2 =>
>             buffer := new String("Test2");
>     end case;
>     MyTreatment1(buffer.all, buffer.all'Size);
>     MyTreatment2(buffer.all, buffer.all'Size);
>     MyTreatment3(buffer.all, buffer.all'Size);
> end;
> 
> but it doesn't work of course since I can't create with new an 
> unconstrained object.

You can if you get the syntax right, as has been pointed out elsewhere. But this 
is probably your worst choice. Here you have written a memory leak. You should 
avoid explicit access values whenever possible, since such errors are so easy to 
make.

-- 
Jeff Carter
"You a big nose have it."
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
107

Re: String declaration and initialization

[Jean-Pierre Rosen]

S�bastien a �crit :
> Hi,
> 
> Several times I had to do the following:
[...]
> 
> But How can I do this since I can't declare a string without constraint?
> 
declare
     function choose_the_right_one return string is
     begin
       case SomeTest is
         case TEST1 =>
           return "Test1";
         case TEST2 =>
           return "Test2";
       end case;
     end choose_the_right_one;

     buffer: String := Choose_The_Right_One;
begin
     MyTreatment1(buffer, buffer'Size);
     MyTreatment2(buffer, buffer'Size);
     MyTreatment3(buffer, buffer'Size);
end;

-- 
---------------------------------------------------------
            J-P. Rosen (rosen@adalog.fr)
Visit Adalog's web site at http://www.adalog.fr

Re: String declaration and initialization

[Martin Krischik]

Sï¿œbastien wrote:

> But How can I do this since I can't declare a string without constraint?

By reading:

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Ada_Programming/Strings

Ok, I am pulling your leg here - reading alone won't help - but reading the
link above will make you understand better.

Martin

-- 
mailto://krischik@users.sourceforge.net
Ada programming at: http://ada.krischik.com