Best way to exchange data between a form and a unit

[Hansvb]

Hi,

This is something I don't understand. It works, but I would actually think that this shouldn't work.

In the language file I created a new section and I also added this section to the Sects array.

When I enter the writeToLog function (see attachment) , lDummy is 0. That's good because I'm coming from view.main and that is section 0 in the language file and index 0 in the Sects array. When I view LogString it has the correct contents. Why is this found even though it is in section 3?

Is the section only important for:

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1. procedure TPresenterMain.GetStaticTexts(const aSection: string); //=^
2. var
3.   lsl: IStringList;
4.   lt: integer;
5.   lreason: TProviderReason;
6. begin { due to usage of 'out'-param, 'lt' can't be anything else than integer }
7.   lsl:= fModel.GetStaticTexts(aSection,lt);
8.   case lt of
9.     0: lreason:= prMainStaticTexts; // remember to correlate with model.sects
10.     1: lreason:= prConfigStaticTexts; // i.e.: the more units = more selectors
11.     //2: next view
12.   end;
13.   ...
14. end;

and for the rest, always looks at the entire language file? Then it should never contain a double name.

[cdbc]

Hi Hans
Mmmm... In such a seemingly simple mechanism, there lurks a couple of "Gotcha"s, here and there.
Did you by any chance, forget what you should remember?!? Look for remember below:

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1. procedure TfeaModelMain.DoEach(const aValue: string; const anIdx: ptrint;
2.                                anObj: TObject; aData: pointer);  
3. var ls: string; lid: integer;
4. begin
5.   if fSecId = -1 then exit;
6.   ls:= LeftWord(aValue);
7.   lid:= IndexText(ls,Sects);
8.   if lid = fSecId then begin
9.     IStringList(aData).Append(aValue); //<- new feature <aData> typecast :o)
10.     fInSection:= true;
11.   end else begin
12.     if fInSection then begin
13.       case lid of
14.         0..2: fInSection:= false; /// remember to adjust selector-values according to 'Sects'
15.       end;
16.       if fInSection then IStringList(aData).Append(aValue); //<- new feature <aData>
17.     end;
18.   end;
19. end;

those 'selectors' decide, when the 'Section' stops loading, so that you only get 1 section! Otherwise, it stops at list-end.
These 'case-selectors' need to correlate with the 'Sects' array, because 'lid' & 'fSecId' constantly monitors what comes through this little search engine...
Just off the bat, that might be your problem...
Regards Benny

[cdbc]

Hi
Right, so I tried to "Pull wool over the compiler's eyes" and use a 'writable const' as the /upper/ selector in the 'DoEach' case statement  ...The compiler would have NONE of that! 
My plan was to set that in the constructor to high(Sects)... no more remembering, that idea <crashed and burned>
So here is a workaround, that makes it easier to remember.
in 'model.main':

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1.   { TfeaModelMain }
2.   TfeaModelMain = class(TObject,IfeaModelMain)
3.   private { remember to add your views to this array, maybe add a 'RegisterSection' method?!? }
4.   const Sects: TStringArray = ('[view.main]','[TfeaModelMain]','[TfeaPresenterMain]');
5.   const SectMaxIdx = 2; { used as selector in 'DoEach', indicates highest idx of 'Sects' }
6.   var                                              
7.     fInSection: boolean; // used while searching static text sections
8.     fSecId: integer; // tmp id while searching
9.     function Obj: TObject;
10.   protected

and in 'DoEach':

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1.     if fInSection then begin
2.       case lid of
3.         0..SectMaxIdx: fInSection:= false; /// remember to adjust selector-values according to 'Sects'
4.       end;
5.       if fInSection then IStringList(aData).Append(aValue); //<- new feature <aData>
6.     end;

Just a tip... 
Regards Benny

[cdbc]

Hi again
I prefer 'case .. of' over 'if .. then .. else ..', so that's why I didn't think of this before, can you please test this:

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1. procedure TfeaModelMain.DoEach(const aValue: string; const anIdx: ptrint;
2.                                anObj: TObject; aData: pointer);  
3. var ls: string; lid: integer;
4. begin
5.   if fSecId = -1 then exit;
6.   ls:= LeftWord(aValue);
7.   lid:= IndexText(ls,Sects);
8.   if lid = fSecId then begin
9.     IStringList(aData).Append(aValue); //<- new feature <aData> typecast :o)
10.     fInSection:= true;
11.   end else begin
12.     if fInSection then begin
13.       /// area 51 ///
14.       if ((lid >= 0) and (lid <= high(Sects))) then fInSection:= false;
15.       /// area 51 ///
16. (*
17.       case lid of
18.         0..SectMaxIdx: fInSection:= false; /// remember to adjust selector-values according to 'Sects'
19.       end;
20. *)
21.       if fInSection then IStringList(aData).Append(aValue); //<- new feature <aData>
22.     end;
23.   end;
24. end;

Regards Benny

[Hansvb]

I see you have been busy while I have been fishing. I have made your adjustments and everything works fine now.

I had made 2 mistakes.
The first was indeed:

Did you by any chance, forget what you should remember?!? Look for remember below:

  I had not changed DoEach.

The second was that I had copied the 2 language files to the program directory and then modified them there. And  did not remove  the 2 file from the common directory. So  i did not notice that i was looking in the wrong directory.
This was still wrong :

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1. mvpTexts = '%scommon'+PathDelim+'mvptexts.ini'; // <-- remember to change to your choice  

  Changed to:

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1. mvpTexts = '%s'+'mvptexts.%s'; // <-- remember to change to your choice

I know, i must read better, you already anticipated it in the comment. 

Now I can read a newly  added section.

[Hansvb]

Just for fun. I asked chatgpt and copilot for a simple mvp example. Both came up with a non working example. Copilot had enough of me after 3 questions.
"Sorry, but I prefer not to continue this conversation. I’m still learning so I appreciate your understanding and patience". 

So the appreciation for your help has become even greater.

[cdbc]

Hi Hans
You're very welcome my friend 
How are you doing, is everything ok with you?
Regards Benny

[Hansvb]

Hi I'm fine. And you?

I'm in the process of converting my stranded tool based on your latest mvp setup. This is basically very easy because the last version was already made with the help of your first mvp draft. But I also come across weird “solutions” . Then I have solved something without first thinking about whether there is something wrong somewhere else. So I'm tinkering and if my conclusion again is that the idea is not good, then at least I've done some practice hours. I still really like the mvp setup.

[cdbc]

Hi
I too, am fine... working on my plugin-framework... 
It's so nice to hear, that you still find it good and easy to work with 
Well, 'weird solutions'... we've all got them, from time to time  I sometimes come by some older piece of code and think: "How the h*** did I think of /that/?" 
Fair winds to your project and just holler if you find yourself in a bind...
Regards Benny

[Hansvb]

and just holler if you find yourself in a bind...

I will, but for now I'm more bothered by myself  . It remains difficult to give records, fields, variables, etc. a good name. This is partly difficult because English is not my native language and partly because I want to move on too quickly and partly probably because I'm too sloppy. No one can help with that except myself.

[cdbc]

Hi Hans
Yeah, I hear you mate... 
If I'm sloppy  it *always* turns around and bites me in the ass 
Well, it's as they say: "Once bitten, twice shy", but I thought it would've helped by now 
Regards Benny