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How to declare a Constant array of array of Record in Delphi
Hi,
Let's suppose the following code, which is used as sample, that is to declare a Constant array of record:
type
TShopItem = record
Name : string;
Price : currency;
end;
const
Items : array[1..3] of TShopItem =
(
(Name : 'Clock'; Price : 20.99),
(Name : 'Pencil'; Price : 15.75),
(Name : 'Board'; Price : 42.96)
) ;
What if I want to declare a to declare a Constant array of array of record (array of array).
How do I declare that?
Taking the previous classes, now suppose that I have "groups" of TShopItem's, like :
Group 1
(Name : 'Clock'; Price : 20.99)
(Name : 'Pencil'; Price : 15.75)
Group 2
(Name : 'Board'; Price : 42.96)
(Name : 'Eraser'; Price : 2.96)
Group 3 (note different length)
(Name : 'Paper'; Price : 5.96)
(Name : 'Pen'; Price : 2.96)
(Name : 'Postits'; Price : 2.96)
How do I put all that in a single constant array of array declaration?
Let's suppose the following code, which is used as sample, that is to declare a Constant array of record:
type
TShopItem = record
Name : string;
Price : currency;
end;
const
Items : array[1..3] of TShopItem =
(
(Name : 'Clock'; Price : 20.99),
(Name : 'Pencil'; Price : 15.75),
(Name : 'Board'; Price : 42.96)
) ;
What if I want to declare a to declare a Constant array of array of record (array of array).
How do I declare that?
Taking the previous classes, now suppose that I have "groups" of TShopItem's, like :
Group 1
(Name : 'Clock'; Price : 20.99)
(Name : 'Pencil'; Price : 15.75)
Group 2
(Name : 'Board'; Price : 42.96)
(Name : 'Eraser'; Price : 2.96)
Group 3 (note different length)
(Name : 'Paper'; Price : 5.96)
(Name : 'Pen'; Price : 2.96)
(Name : 'Postits'; Price : 2.96)
How do I put all that in a single constant array of array declaration?
Do more with
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you cannot because the groups 1 , 2 & 3 do not have the same size, so you cannot declare a single array.
Or you declare an array of 3x3 and there will be some holes (unused elements)
Or you declare an array of 3x3 and there will be some holes (unused elements)
const
Items : array[1..3, 1..3] of TShopItem =
( (
(Name : 'Clock'; Price : 20.99),
(Name : 'Pencil'; Price : 15.75),
(Name : 'Board'; Price : 42.96)
),
(
(Name : 'Paper'; Price : 5.96),
(Name : 'Pen'; Price : 2.96),
(Name : 'Postits'; Price : 2.96)
),
(
(Name : 'Clock'; Price : 20.99),
(Name : '-'; Price : 0),
(Name : '-'; Price : 0)
)
);
a constant for a price ?
isn't that a completely wrong approach ?
i have never known a price to be constant (only for a day ... and then still ..)
i would come for Petrol at your place ... especially if your shop would have existed 50 years ago.
so far ... about the idea ...
why not use a TCollection to hold the items and a TCollectionItem to contain a specific item
type
TShopItem = class(TCollection)
private
fPrice: Double;
fName: string;
fGroup: string; // single group or multiple group ??? you consider create a TCollection Group too :)
public
property Name: string read fName write SetName;
property Price: Double read fPrice write SetPrice;
property Group: string read fGroup write SetGroup;
end;
TShopItems = class(TCollection)
end;
at the start of your program:
procedure InitTestData;
procedure AddItem(aName: string; aPrice: double; aGroup: string);
begin
with ShopItems.Add do
begin
Name := aName;
Price := aPrice;
Group := aGroup;
end;
end;
begin
AddItem('Clock', 20.99, 'Group 1');
AddItem('Pencil', 15.75, 'Group 1');
AddItem('Board', 42,96, 'Group 2');
end;
isn't that a completely wrong approach ?
i have never known a price to be constant (only for a day ... and then still ..)
i would come for Petrol at your place ... especially if your shop would have existed 50 years ago.
so far ... about the idea ...
why not use a TCollection to hold the items and a TCollectionItem to contain a specific item
type
TShopItem = class(TCollection)
private
fPrice: Double;
fName: string;
fGroup: string; // single group or multiple group ??? you consider create a TCollection Group too :)
public
property Name: string read fName write SetName;
property Price: Double read fPrice write SetPrice;
property Group: string read fGroup write SetGroup;
end;
TShopItems = class(TCollection)
end;
at the start of your program:
procedure InitTestData;
procedure AddItem(aName: string; aPrice: double; aGroup: string);
begin
with ShopItems.Add do
begin
Name := aName;
Price := aPrice;
Group := aGroup;
end;
end;
begin
AddItem('Clock', 20.99, 'Group 1');
AddItem('Pencil', 15.75, 'Group 1');
AddItem('Board', 42,96, 'Group 2');
end;
I'd rather setup a list of collections, to allow a better management of the item groups (that will strike out the idea that an item could be part of multiple groups, or it would be a little more complex to implement)
You use like this :
Var
Inventory:TShopItemGroups;
begin
Inventory:=TShopItemGroups
With Invenory['Group 1'] do
begin
AddItem('Clock', 20.99,);
AddItem('Pencil', 15.75);
end;
end;
and simply call Inventory.Free (or Clear) to free (clean) it all
If you need to know the group from a known item, you might consider adding a property in TShopItem that would not be a string name, but a reference on the TShopItemGroup (add Group:=Self in AddShopItem)
You use like this :
Var
Inventory:TShopItemGroups;
begin
Inventory:=TShopItemGroups
With Invenory['Group 1'] do
begin
AddItem('Clock', 20.99,);
AddItem('Pencil', 15.75);
end;
end;
and simply call Inventory.Free (or Clear) to free (clean) it all
If you need to know the group from a known item, you might consider adding a property in TShopItem that would not be a string name, but a reference on the TShopItemGroup (add Group:=Self in AddShopItem)
Interface
Type
TShopItem = class(TCollectionItem) // Not TCollection here
private
fPrice: Double;
fName: string;
public
property Name: string read fName write SetName;
property Price: Double read fPrice write SetPrice;
end;
TShopItemGroup = class(TCollection)
private
function GetShopItem(i:integer):TShopItem;
public
procedure AddShopItem(aName: string; aPrice: double);
property ShopItems[i:integer]:TShopItem read GetShopItem;
end;
TShopItemGroups = class(TStringList)
private
public
Constructor Create;
function GetGroupByName(n:String):TShopItemGroup;
property ItemGroup[name:String]:TShopItemGroup read GetGroupByName;
end;
Implementation
Constructor TShopItemGroups.Create;
begin
inherited;
Duplicates:=dupIgnore;
Sorted:=True;
OwnsObjects:=True; // This is a rather new property, tell me if your Delphi version do not recognize it
end;
function TShopItemGroups.GetGroupByName(n:String):TShopItemGroup;
Var i:integer;
begin
n:=UpperCase(n);
i:=IndexOf(n);
if i<0 // Group does not exist, create it
Then i:=AddObject(n,TShopItemGroup.Create);
Result:=TShopItemGroup(Objects[i]);
end;
function TShopItemGroup.GetShopItem(i:integer):TShopItem;
begin
Result:=TShopItem(Items[i]);
end;
procedure TShopItemGroup.AddShopItem(aName: string; aPrice: double);
begin
with TShopItem(Add) do
begin
Name := aName;
Price := aPrice;
end;
end;
epasquier:
Thanks for your answer. But I think I can't do that. In the real application some groups have two or three elements, some others have 20 or 25, so there are a lot of gaps.
Thanks for your answer. But I think I can't do that. In the real application some groups have two or three elements, some others have 20 or 25, so there are a lot of gaps.
epasquier
>> why not TCollectionItem for group
You could set extra properties on a group:
Default_profit_Margin
Default_Stock_Location
Default_Supplier
etc etc
>> why not TCollectionItem for group
You could set extra properties on a group:
Default_profit_Margin
Default_Stock_Location
Default_Supplier
etc etc
Geert_Gruwez:
That was, of course, sample data that I took from somewhere.
The real application will store REAL CONSTANT values that will never ever change.
I like the TCollection idea, though this data has to be available at design time.... mmh..... I guess I can fill the collection at the initialization in the property editor unit (?).
Thanks for your answer.
That was, of course, sample data that I took from somewhere.
The real application will store REAL CONSTANT values that will never ever change.
I like the TCollection idea, though this data has to be available at design time.... mmh..... I guess I can fill the collection at the initialization in the property editor unit (?).
Thanks for your answer.
epasquier:
I like your idea of having a group, and a groups collection, besides the items.
I think I will use that.
My only concern is how to make all those available at design time for my property editors.
I like your idea of having a group, and a groups collection, besides the items.
I think I will use that.
My only concern is how to make all those available at design time for my property editors.
Geert_Gruwez:
>why not use a database ?
>much easier, you can copy a database, then mess with it ... :)
LOL, I want to do this to avoid the use of a database.
Yes, I know that's the proper place for so much data, but I can't.
It will be used at design time to fill some property editors.
I thought about to use a resource file, but not sure how if that will be even messier.
>why not use a database ?
>much easier, you can copy a database, then mess with it ... :)
LOL, I want to do this to avoid the use of a database.
Yes, I know that's the proper place for so much data, but I can't.
It will be used at design time to fill some property editors.
I thought about to use a resource file, but not sure how if that will be even messier.
> My only concern is how to make all those available at design time for my property editors
I don't see why you couldn't create your own property editor based on this principle to make it easy for the programmer to fill that structure at design time. Just have to find a persistent way of storing all that information (like exporting in a string). I'm not that used to make property editors, but if I remember, Geert have more experience about it and would be glad to learn also :o)
Or he is not listening, and I will have to dig tomorrow for a solution
I don't see why you couldn't create your own property editor based on this principle to make it easy for the programmer to fill that structure at design time. Just have to find a persistent way of storing all that information (like exporting in a string). I'm not that used to make property editors, but if I remember, Geert have more experience about it and would be glad to learn also :o)
Or he is not listening, and I will have to dig tomorrow for a solution
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