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Author Topic: Obtaining COMPILE time TYPE info to use in creatnig anothe variable!  (Read 6581 times)

jamie

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I know I am having a brain fart here!!!!

 Can you remind me how to use a variable as a reference for a TYPE when creating another
variable ?

 Example

 Var
    MyArray:Array[1..10] of SomeOtherVariable's Type!

 In other words, lets say I have a record that contains  a LONGINT member, this record one day could
get changed or I don't want to dig deep inside to find out what the type is..

 even if this was a class, object etc, I may one day decide to change the type of data a TAG name is
assigned to.

 This is not Run time info, it is info the compiler already knows, I just want to know when I declare an
object/Variable what ever, to use the same TYPE as an already known object/variable at compile time..

Another example

 Var
   MyNumber:Integer;
------
elsewhere in code..

  Var
    MylocalNumber :Type of MyNumber;

get the idea?

Its bad getting old!
The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing

Pascal

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Re: Obtaining COMPILE time TYPE info to use in creatnig anothe variable!
« Reply #1 on: March 14, 2018, 06:16:42 am »
You could use your own type:

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]
  1. type
  2.   TMyType = Integer;
  3.  

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]
  1.  Var
  2.    MyNumber:TMyType;
  3.  
  4. ...
  5.  
  6.   Var
  7.     MylocalNumber:TMyType;
  8.  

Later you can change the type to something else.
laz trunk x64 - fpc trunk i386 (cross x64) - Windows 10 Pro x64 (21H2)

SymbolicFrank

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Re: Obtaining COMPILE time TYPE info to use in creatnig anothe variable!
« Reply #2 on: March 14, 2018, 09:19:44 am »
You can also use generics. That's probably what you're after.

Thaddy

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Re: Obtaining COMPILE time TYPE info to use in creatnig anothe variable!
« Reply #3 on: March 14, 2018, 10:25:36 am »
From the wiki:
Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]
  1. {$mode objfpc}{$R+}
  2. type
  3.   TmyRange = 0..9;
  4. var
  5.   i:TMyRange;
  6.   anArray:array[TmyRange] of integer; // ten elements
  7. begin
  8.   for i := Low(TMyRange) to High(TMyRange) do
  9.   begin
  10.     anArray[i] := i;
  11.     write(anArray[i]:3);
  12.   end;
  13. end.

If the range needs to change, just change the range type... Code keeps working. Demo:
Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]
  1. {$mode objfpc}{$R+}
  2. type
  3.   TmyRange = 2..11; // changed the type. The code needs no change at all
  4. var
  5.   i:TMyRange;
  6.   anArray:array[TmyRange] of integer; // ten elements
  7. begin
  8.   for i := Low(TMyRange) to High(TMyRange) do
  9.   begin
  10.     anArray[i] := i;
  11.     write(anArray[i]:3);
  12.   end;
  13. end.

« Last Edit: March 14, 2018, 10:32:26 am by Thaddy »
Specialize a type, not a var.

Thaddy

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Re: Obtaining COMPILE time TYPE info to use in creatnig anothe variable!
« Reply #4 on: March 14, 2018, 10:42:48 am »
The suggested solution for generics would look like this (trunk!):
Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]
  1. {$mode delphi}{$R+}
  2. uses generics.collections;
  3. type
  4.   TmyRange = 0..9;
  5. var
  6.   i:TMyRange;
  7.   anArray:Tarray<integer>; // needs dynamic array
  8. begin
  9.   SetLength(anArray,High(TMyRange)+1); // because of the specific behavior of dynamic arrays
  10.   for i := Low(TMyRange) to High(TMyRange) do
  11.   begin
  12.     anArray[i] := i;
  13.     write(anArray[i]:3);
  14.   end;
  15. end.

This code is not optimal and also not completely correct, but works. If your index always start with zero! (real programmers...) this code is a good template.
« Last Edit: March 14, 2018, 10:59:40 am by Thaddy »
Specialize a type, not a var.

Thaddy

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Re: Obtaining COMPILE time TYPE info to use in creatnig anothe variable!
« Reply #5 on: March 14, 2018, 11:16:12 am »
Here's a better example, which is correct. Needs trunk:
Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]
  1. {$mode delphi}{$R+}
  2. var
  3.   i:integer;
  4.   anArray:Tarray<integer>; // needs dynamic array
  5. begin
  6.   anArray:= [5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14]; // implicit constructor
  7.   for i in anArray do
  8.     write(i:3);
  9. end.

Change type:
Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]
  1. {$mode delphi}{$R+}
  2. var
  3.   i:Single;
  4.   anArray:Tarray<Single>; // needs dynamic array
  5. begin
  6.   anArray:= [0.1,0.2,0.3,0.5,0.4,0.7,0.33,111.0,-0.33,10.0]; // implicit constructor  
  7.   for i in anArray do
  8.     writeln(i:1:4);
  9. end.
« Last Edit: March 14, 2018, 11:30:07 am by Thaddy »
Specialize a type, not a var.

jamie

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Re: Obtaining COMPILE time TYPE info to use in creatnig anothe variable!
« Reply #6 on: March 14, 2018, 10:35:42 pm »
no, that is not what I am looking for...

 I know you can define a type and use that all over, and just change the type at some point and all
will follow..

 I just would like the compiler to give me at declaration time the TYPE of a variable name elsewhere,
all I need to do is just specify it..

The other day I wanted to create a local array with a type  of an item in a  record, This array
was to be used as a type case over the record, but then I got thinking, what if one day I change that
type then the array would not have the correct casting type...

 This record in question has a group of LongInt, but it could turn into Int64 one day.. so the idea is
to simply have the compiler supply the immediate type of a variable I reference so I can be sure the
array created is proper at that point..

 I don't fancy the idea of using generics because it totally difference interface, on that does not
fit my fancy and code generation.

In C++ you can do this, create a Variable using another variable as the type..
can't remember now how that was done but I used to do it..

 I'll live with it for now..
thanks
.
The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing

Zoran

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Re: Obtaining COMPILE time TYPE info to use in creatnig anothe variable!
« Reply #7 on: March 14, 2018, 11:55:30 pm »
In C++ you can do this, create a Variable using another variable as the type..
can't remember now how that was done but I used to do it..

It's decltype, which is added in C++11. In its simplest form:

Code: C++  [Select][+][-]
  1. int n;
  2. decltype(n) m; // m is int

I like it, perhaps fpc will add something like that in future.

jamie

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Re: Obtaining COMPILE time TYPE info to use in creatnig anothe variable!
« Reply #8 on: March 15, 2018, 12:20:34 am »
yes that's it...

Just take the type of another object/variable etc.. and use it ;)

Thanks, but I guess that means Fpc does not have something of the same..

I could of sworn back in my days of Delphi there was a way to do this..

The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing

jamie

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Re: Obtaining COMPILE time TYPE info to use in creatnig anothe variable!
« Reply #9 on: March 15, 2018, 12:31:30 am »
Looking back, I think it was "TypeOf" but it seems it is not supported in Fpc...

oh well.
The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing

Thaddy

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Re: Obtaining COMPILE time TYPE info to use in creatnig anothe variable!
« Reply #10 on: March 15, 2018, 08:19:54 am »
Looking back, I think it was "TypeOf" but it seems it is not supported in Fpc...

oh well.
Sigh..... https://www.freepascal.org/docs-html/rtl/system/typeof.html so that is supported and fully Delphi compatible. But it is not a compile time check. It is a function call.
Note TypeInfo is slightly more useful, but again that does not meet your requirements.
e.g.:
Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]
  1. {$ifdef fpc}{$mode delphi}{$H+}{$I-}{$endif}
  2. uses typinfo;
  3. var
  4.   Ti:PTypeInfo;
  5. begin
  6.   Ti := TypeInfo(integer);
  7.   writeln(Ti.Kind);
  8.   writeln(Ti.Name);
  9. end.
« Last Edit: March 15, 2018, 08:37:51 am by Thaddy »
Specialize a type, not a var.

SymbolicFrank

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Re: Obtaining COMPILE time TYPE info to use in creatnig anothe variable!
« Reply #11 on: March 15, 2018, 10:20:45 am »
jamie, what you describe is exactly what generics are for.

The easiest way to do what you want is make a custom type and use that:

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]
  1. type
  2.   TMyType = Integer;
  3.  
  4.   TMyClass<TMyType> = class
  5.   end;

If at some point you want to change it, you can just change they type of TMyType.

But the main benefit is in things like this:

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]
  1. type
  2.   TMyType = class
  3.   end;
  4.  
  5.   TMyClass<T: TMyType> = class
  6.   end;
  7.  
  8.   TMyNewType = class(TMyType)
  9.   end;
  10.  
  11. var
  12.   SomeVar: TMyClass<TMyNewType>;

Thaddy

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Re: Obtaining COMPILE time TYPE info to use in creatnig anothe variable!
« Reply #12 on: March 15, 2018, 10:44:09 am »
You mean of course:
Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]
  1. type
  2.   TMyType = type Integer;
Otherwise you will run into trouble at some point. Specifically with generics it is better to strongly type: gives you more options and the compiler knows more. A typed type is better than a type alias, which is what you just wrote.
Specialize a type, not a var.

Zoran

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Re: Obtaining COMPILE time TYPE info to use in creatnig anothe variable!
« Reply #13 on: March 15, 2018, 11:30:51 am »
jamie, what you describe is exactly what generics are for.

No, it is not. The best he can do is declare a type alias first, and then use it for all variables. However, there is nothing like C++'s decltype.
Generics are completely different language feature, so called class templates in C++.

Thaddy

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Re: Obtaining COMPILE time TYPE info to use in creatnig anothe variable!
« Reply #14 on: March 15, 2018, 11:47:22 am »
Indeed. OTOH decltype() is fairly recent and I have not seen much of it in real code bases. (almost none at all!)
Unlike many new C++ features such a feature seems parseable in LLR(1) so would fit in the Pascal language if one chooses to implement it.
« Last Edit: March 15, 2018, 11:51:20 am by Thaddy »
Specialize a type, not a var.

 

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