PureBasic Forums - English

BorisTheOld wrote:After reading all the above comments I can't see what all the fuss is about.

In the 50+ years that I've been programming there have always been conflicts between internal and external data representation, and programmers have always had to work around them.

Second generation systems, right up to the early 1970s, typically used bytes of 6-bits. For example, the IBM 1401 and 1620 systems used four data bits, a word mark bit, and a check bit. Text required 2 bytes per character and numeric data used 1 byte per decimal digit.

When the IBM 360 arrived in 1964, not only were internal data formats completely different, every single program had to be re-written. Characters now used 1 byte and internal data formats could be binary or BCD. Programmers like myself wrote programs to simulate the 2nd generation hardware, in order to allow the old executable files to be used while programs were re-written. Some of these simulaters were in use for over 10 years.

Then when Windows, VB, and Unicode arrived, systems had to be converted from DOS to Windows. This required the new programs to correctly read and write Ascii file data, so programmers devised methods for handling the I/O. And it wasn't rocket science.

The latest changes to PB are just part of the evolutionary process that has been happening to software since computers were invented. And having to adapt to such changes is just part of being a programmer. It's not the end of the world. There are simple strategies for making the transition to Unicode, while at the same time handling Ascii data from external sources.

It's not a big issue.

bbanelli wrote:I am having an issue with my PCI-Z software.

By activating Unicode mode and moving all PeekS functions to proper #PB_Ascii parameter, when compiling in Debug mode, software works fine.

Little John wrote:Here is a simple module for working with ASCII strings, even when the program is compiled in Unicode mode.
Maybe it is useful for someone.
I wrote this in a short time, it can be done in a more sophisticated way, of course.

Code: Select all

; PB 5.22 LTS

DeclareModule ASCIIZ
   ; -- Null-terminated ASCII strings, even when the program is compiled in Unicode mode
   
   Macro Get (_addr_)
      PeekS(_addr_, -1, #PB_Ascii)
   EndMacro
   
   Declare   Put (*var.Integer, s$)
   Declare.i Length (addr.i)
   Declare   Free (addr.i)
   Declare   FreeAll ()
EndDeclareModule


Module ASCIIZ
   EnableExplicit
   
   Structure ASCIIZ
      *Var.Integer
      Len.i
   EndStructure
   
   Global NewMap String.ASCIIZ()
   
   
   Procedure Put (*var.Integer, s$)
      Protected.i length, new
      
      length = Len(s$)
      If *var\i = #Null Or MemorySize(*var\i) <= length
         new = ReAllocateMemory(*var\i, length+1)
         If new
            DeleteMapElement(String(), Str(*var\i))
            *var\i = new
            String(Str(*var\i))\Var = *var
            String()\Len = length
            PokeS(*var\i, s$, -1, #PB_Ascii)
         EndIf
      Else
         String(Str(*var\i))\Len = length
         PokeS(*var\i, s$, -1, #PB_Ascii)
      EndIf   
   EndProcedure
   
   
   Procedure.i Length (addr.i)
      ProcedureReturn String(Str(addr))\Len 
   EndProcedure
   
   
   Procedure Free (addr.i)
      FreeMemory(addr)
      String(Str(addr))\Var\i = 0
      DeleteMapElement(String())
   EndProcedure
   
   
   Procedure FreeAll ()
      ForEach String()
         FreeMemory(Val(MapKey(String())))
         String()\Var\i = 0
      Next
      ClearMap(String())
   EndProcedure
EndModule


CompilerIf #PB_Compiler_IsMainFile
   ;-- Module demo
   
   EnableExplicit
   
   Define.i a, b, c
   
   ASCIIZ::Put(@a, "Hello World")
   Debug "'" + ASCIIZ::Get(a) + "'"
   Debug "Length = " + ASCIIZ::Length(a)
   Debug ""
   
   ASCIIZ::Put(@a, "Hello")
   Debug "'" + ASCIIZ::Get(a) + "'"
   Debug "Length = " + ASCIIZ::Length(a)
   Debug ""
   
   ASCIIZ::Put(@a, "A somewhat longer text, used for testing.")
   Debug "'" + ASCIIZ::Get(a) + "'"
   Debug "Length = " + ASCIIZ::Length(a)
   Debug ""
   
   ASCIIZ::Put(@b, "This is another string.")
   Debug "'" + ASCIIZ::Get(b) + "'"
   Debug "Length = " + ASCIIZ::Length(b)
   Debug ""
   
   ASCIIZ::Put(@c, ASCIIZ::Get(a) + " " + ASCIIZ::Get(b))
   Debug "'" + ASCIIZ::Get(c) + "'"
   Debug "Length = " + ASCIIZ::Length(c)
   Debug ""
   
   Debug a
   ASCIIZ::Free(a)
   Debug a
   Debug ""
   
   Debug b
   Debug c
   ASCIIZ::FreeAll()
   Debug b
   Debug c
CompilerEndIf

Tenaja wrote:I ran it in 5.3, and on the third PUT, I got an error on the realloc line, "Trying to free or to reallocate a non-allocated memory block". I do not understand why; there seems to be a valid pointer in *var\i.

Little John wrote:Please try with the Purifier switched off.

chris319 wrote: What's wrong with:

string.s and string$ are ASCII

string.n is unicode?

chris319 wrote:

Code: Select all

Structure AsciiArr : a.a[0] : EndStructure

Length = 1024

*Buffer.Ascii = AllocateMemory(Length)

    Debug PeekS(*pointer, -1, #PB_Ascii)
   
    PokeS(*pointer, "Hello World", -1, #PB_Ascii)

Do you really think all these calls to AllocateMemory(), PokeS() and PeekS() and maintaining pointers make for more elegant code? Seriously? It's a butt-ugly hack IMO.

chris319 wrote:I've floated this idea a couple of times now but it seems to have gone over everyone's head.

chris319 wrote:Do you really think all these calls to AllocateMemory(), PokeS() and PeekS() and maintaining pointers make for more elegant code? Seriously? It's a butt-ugly hack IMO.

What's wrong with:

string.s and string$ are ASCII

string.n is unicode?

I've floated this idea a couple of times now but it seems to have gone over everyone's head.

ts-soft wrote: This breaks many codes!
string.s and string$ in most cases unicode on my pc

You are one of very few people that still don't get it: The decision has been made already, and it has been officially announced.

Fred has decided he will no longer support ascii strings due to the maintenance demands.

This breaks many codes!
string.s and string$ in most cases unicode on my pc

That is a fine idea, and I would support it. Unfortunately, Fred has decided

myString$ = ""
myString$ + StrU(65,#PB_Ascii)
myString$ + StrU(83,#PB_Ascii)
myString$ + StrU(67,#PB_Ascii)
myString$ + StrU(73,#PB_Ascii)
myString$ + StrU(73,#PB_Ascii)
Debug myString$

chris319 wrote:Look at the output of this silly program, both with the unicode switch on and off:

chris319 wrote:The "team" has made a unilateral decision without first obtaining input from the users

plouf wrote: there is any "hexeditor" unicode compatible
i.e. load exe and modify its non-ascii strings