Plugin array to a Xojo array bridging leads to compiler ambiguity?

SDKs Plugins
1

Given

REALarray BassClass_Files(REALobject instance)
{
    ClassData(BasClass, instance, BasData, data);
    REALLockObject((REALobject)data->files);
    return data->files;
}

and the method definition

{ (REALproc) BassClass_Files, REALnoImplementation, "Files as FolderItem()", REALconsoleSafe }

In Xojo you can’t do

for i as integer = 0 to UBound(Basic1.Files)
  FileList.AddFolder(Basic1.Files(i).Name)
next

because the compiler says “Too many arguments, got 2, expected 0” for “Basic1.Files(i).Name”. You need to do the following:

for i as integer = 0 to UBound(Basic1.Files)
  dim ff() as FolderItem = Basic1.Files
  FileList.AddFolder(ff(i).Name)
next

Why? How can you make it happen that the compiler is not getting confused? A different method definition, or add a setter like

    { (REALproc) BassClass_Files, REALnoImplementation, "Files as FolderItem()", REALconsoleSafe },
    { (REALproc) BassClass_SetFiles, REALnoImplementation, "Files(assigns f() as FolderItem", REALconsoleSafe },

?
That does not cut it because Xojo has difficulty to choose which of the two is meant:

FileList.AddFolder(Basic1.Files(i).Name)

“There is more than one item with this name and it’s not clear to which this refers”. Btw, FileList is a Listbox.

2

We have this problems since we got array support.

I often fix it by putting my own method there taking index and returning one object from array.

3

Nobody filed this as a bug?

4

not as far as I know, please do yourself.

5

<https://xojo.com/issue/47593>

6

Been there, done that. Given up trying to use arrays in my custom plugin. I’ve instead moved on to use Dictionaries instead…they’re a little more work but I’m having none of the problems noted here, and they’re more versatile, and I can use them as a property, not a method.

Cheers
Grant

7

A sample plugin that demonstrates this would let me look at the plugin bridging side of things quickly to see what gets generated

8

For the sake of completeness, Norman figured that this behavior can be reproduced without a plugin. So it has nothing to do with the introduction of the REALarray in the plugin SDK. See the updated Feedback case for the details.

9

Would be great if they can fix the compiler to see that there is a property/method not taking the parameter and returns an array which can take the parameter as index.