Union

[fxm]

Yes, done.

[dodicat]

Another example;

Code: Select all

 Union switchdouble 
    As Double float
    As Ulongint value
    As zstring * 60 Hex
    Declare Constructor(As Double=0)
    Declare Constructor(As String="")
    Declare Operator Let(As Double)
    Declare Operator Let(As String)
End Union

Constructor switchdouble(f As Double)
float=f
Hex=Lcase("&h"+..hex(value)) 
End Constructor

Constructor switchdouble(f As String)
value=Valulng(f)
End Constructor

Operator switchdouble.let(n As Double)
this.constructor(n)
End Operator

Operator switchdouble.let(n As String)
this.constructor(n)
End Operator


'===============================================================


Print
Print Sizeof(Double),"sizeof(double)"
Print Sizeof(Ulongint),"sizeof(ulongint)"
Print Sizeof( zstring * 60),"sizeof( zstring * 60) <----------------  biggest"
Print

Dim As switchdouble a,b

Do
    Dim As Double d=(rnd*1000000000-rnd*1000000000)
    a=d
    b=a.hex
    Print "random Number",,"hex(number)",,"return number"
    Print d,a.hex,b.float,Iif(d=b.float,"Looks OK","Error")
    Print
    Sleep
Loop Until Inkey=Chr(27)

  

[fxm]

A little complicated for a beginner.
Many other pages to first assimilate.

[sancho3]

A priori" is also much used in Spanish (at least in Spain).

Fantastic. Therefore this is a great line to use in the Spanish language version of the FreeBASIC documentation.

Thanks for pointing out that in my examples there are only two types in the unions.

I see that it is not exactly breaking the rule since the nested type is treating the ubytes as one member of the union but I think the point still stands.

Granted this was an edit. It was almost immediate. It suggests that not all of what was written was read.
I suppose I should post in Spanish now? Nope, that is "nonsense".

Edit:
As to the changes to the Union page. Superb. Thanks.

I admit that I am a little miffed by the unnecessary "nonsense" crack and these are my last words on this topic (via google translate):
Si ya es un experto de todos los conocimientos, no puede interpretar las páginas de ayuda de la misma manera que lo hace la persona para la que fueron escritos.

If you are already an all knowing expert, then you cannot interpret the help pages the same way the person for whom they were written does.

[Josep Roca]

@fxm

There is a little typo in Example 2:

Print Hex(ubgra.blue) ' Resulr: 44

Resulr instead of Result.

[fxm]

Thanks, done.

[Munair]

Did you mean 'priority''? Are we really saving anything by not finishing 2 letters in the spelling?

Some need to brush up on their language and do a "google" search first. In Dutch "a priori" is also used and so it is in English and other languages that borrowed from Latin based languages. At least in English, French and Dutch it means the same. Anybody can do the search himself:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20priori

[sancho3]

@Munair:
I'll take unnecessary posts for 100 Alex...
This thread is done and in the future please read the whole thread before posting.

[Munair]

@Munair:
I'll take unnecessary posts for 100 Alex...
This thread is done and in the future please read the whole thread before posting.

fxm used the term exactly as he should. and nowhere in this thread did I read an apology or statement that fxm was absolutely right. With my post I want to make clear that it is totally correct English (not just French or Spanish):

Fantastic. Therefore this is a great line to use in the Spanish language version of the FreeBASIC documentation.

So my comment is not at all unnecessary IMO. A thread is only done when it is locked. ;-)

[sancho3]

Feel free to apologize to fxm anytime you want.

[Tourist Trap]

[quote="fxm"]At first:
KeyPgUnion → fxm [Added a first simple example]

edit:
see next

[badidea]

Maybe this wikipedia article helps to explain it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_typ ... _Structure
A simple drawing there of a 32-bit integer and a 32-bit float at the same memory location
I don't use union often, but for some uses they are awesome.

[Tourist Trap]

Maybe this wikipedia article helps to explain it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_typ ... _Structure

Thank you, at least the wikipedia's article confirms that there are some difficulties.
edit : In the wiki, it is said that in the union, all the elements starts at the same address relatively to the storage, it is not said that the union occupies the same space (size)... I must miss something, no?

edit:
see next

[Tourist Trap]

From what I've read tonight, if I had to summarize this step. There is a primary concern, and a secondary point, that require more details in my opinion:
What does memory space mean? Size or address in memory?
Why not use procedure rather than function in the wording of the syntax?

I leave further remarks until the primary question is answered or I feel I won't be able to go very further until then.
Thanks again.

This below seems to be some interesting testing:

Code: Select all

UNION U
    as byte d(2)
    TYPE
        as byte i(4)
    END TYPE
END UNION

dim as U uu

uu.d(0) = 111
? uu.d(0), "union size="; sizeOf(uu), "union address="; @(uu)
uu.i(0) = 999
? "union size="; sizeOf(uu), "union address="; @(uu)
for i as integer = 0 to 2
    ? uu.i(i); ":";
next i
? :?


uu.d(0) = 11
? uu.d(0), "union size="; sizeOf(uu), "union address="; @(uu)
uu.i(0) = 999
? "union size="; sizeOf(uu), "union address="; @(uu)
for i as integer = 0 to 2
    ? uu.i(i); ":";
next i
?

sleep

The kind of result obtained:

Code: Select all

 111          union size= 5 union address=1375648
union size= 5 union address=1375648
-25: 0: 0:

 21           union size= 5 union address=1375648
union size= 5 union address=1375648
-57: 0: 0:

[fxm]

UNION description update proposal:

Unions are similar to a Type structure, except that the elements of a union occupy the same a common space in memory (same memory address for all elements of the union).
Like Type, Union can use the optional Field = number specifier and supports also inheritance through the use of the Extends keyword.
Unlike Type, Union can not contain variable-length strings and arrays, and more generally fields (or can not have bases) with constructors or destructors. Therefore, Union does not support to inherit from the Object built-in type.
The size of the Union is the size of the largest data item. A data item can be an unnamed Type. Since they occupy the same a common memory space, only one element can usually be used at a given time.

Unions support member functions procedures including Constructor, Destructor, Function, Operator, Property and Sub. All members of a union are public and access control is not supported.

Nested unnamed type or union cannot have procedure members or static data members (same restriction for local named type/union).

A Union can be passed as a user defined type to overloaded operator functions.

Note: When Union extends a base, it can be confusing because no new fields are added to the base, but instead the base is added to the derived Union. This means that fields in the derived Union can share the same memory space like the base (here it doesn't matter whether the base is a Union or not). Of course it can be dangerous, but that is always the problem with Unions.
If only the base is a Union, then it won't be affected by fields from the derived UDT.
Since Union is not allowed to have complex fields (i.e. UDTs with constructor/destructor, or dynamic strings), a derived Union cannot be allowed to have (contain) a complex base.

Note:
In your above example, the nested unnamed TYPE is useless because it contains only one element.