[Harbour] SF.net SVN: harbour-project:[10930] trunk/harbour

[Mindaugas Kavaliauskas]

Hi,


> For me array support is enough to cover passing arrays to 
> OLE calls and maybe getting back arrays from OLE calls.

I've implemented some limited support for arrays. It's enough for the 
simplest OpenOffice oDesktop:loadComponentFromURL() calls. Though, I do 
not have more tests for multidimensional array parameters, or array 
return values.
See, new hbole/tests/testole.prg -> OpenOffice Writer test. It creates 
table and formating inside Writer.


> Full support in hbwin (xhb) is quite strange, f.e. there is such 
> code in testole.prg:
> 
> [ #xtranslate :<!Method!>( <args,...> ) := => :<Method>( <args> ):Value := ]
> 
> #1      oAS:Cells( 3, 1 ) := "Explict DEFAULT Method Text:"
> #2      oAS:Cells[ 2, 3 ] += "!"
> #3      oAS:Cells( 4, 1 ):Value := "Numeric:"
> 
> Three different ways next to each other to express the same thing, 
> quite unclean. We should probably employ a syntax which works 
> properly in all situations, whatever that syntax might be. Pbly array 
> assignment is the one, but I also trust your judgement.


#1 requires PP hack, it also has some side effects.
The real type of oAS:Cells(3,1) is object (HB_OLEAUTO to be precise). #1 
  look like a attempt to assign string value to object.
Using PP hack
    oAS:Cells( 3, 1 ) := "Explict DEFAULT Method Text:"
will work, but
    oI := oAS:Cells( 3, 1 )
    oI := "Explict DEFAULT Method Text:"
will not work.

Another problem is, that
    oAS:Cells( 3, 1 ) := "Explict DEFAULT Method Text:"
    ? oAS:Cells( 3, 1 )
will not print anything because oAS:Cells(3,1) is object! So, I want to 
avoid automatic/hidden :Value property implementation and suggest to use 
:Value explicitly. This will help to avoid side effects also.


#2 is hidden :Item() method call, for ICollection interface. You can 
always do:
   oAS:Cells:Item(2):Item(3)
instead of
   oAS:Cells[2,3]
but oAS:Cells[2,3] is also a object, not a value of the cell, so most 
side effect for #1 ir valid for #2 also.
One more thing is that OLE uses different (aka column based, Fortran) 
array index order. So,
   oAS:Cell[2, 3]
is equivalent to:
   oAS:Cells(3, 2)
Notice a different index order. These are the reasons, why I do not want 
implement array access operator. Those who want to reach the exact array 
access action can call a documented :Item() method of ICollection.
Array assignment causes even more problems!

So, I left a valid #3 and changed testole.prg to work using this syntax.


Regards,
Mindaugas