Speeding up array initialization

[Mark Brownell]

I'm kind of busy trying to integrate macToISO binary data with plain 
text for cross platform encryption data for file storage. It was the 
national past time on the Director users-list to solve list (array) 
issues... no prizes where ever awarded anyway.

So How about this idea?

Store data like this as plain text: in the Var (yourData)

on mouseUp
   put "<yourData[1][1]>Things about bob.</yourData[1][1]>" & return 
into yourData
   put "<yourData[1][1][1]>Bob has a big coat.</yourData[1][1][1]>" & 
return after yourData
   put "<yourData[1][1][2]>Bob has a big goat.</yourData[1][1][2]>" & 
return after yourData

   -- example calls:
   put empty into bobStuffHere

   put getArrayData("yourData[1][1][1]", yourData) into foundThis
   put foundThis & return into bobStuffHere

   put "Bob has a small cat." into tData
   put putArrayData("yourData[1][1][1]", yourData, tData) into yourData

   put getArrayData("yourData[1][1][1]", yourData) into foundThis
   put foundThis & return after bobStuffHere

   put "Bob has a small dog." into tData
   put putArrayData("yourData[1][1][3]", yourData, tData) into yourData

   answer bobStuffHere
   put yourData
end mouseUp

-- put getArrayData("yourData[1][1][1]", yourData) into foundThis
function getArrayData tStTag, stngToSch
   put empty into zapped
   put "<" & tStTag & ">" into sTag
   put "</" & tStTag & ">" into eTag
   put the number of chars in sTag into dChars
   put offset(sTag,stngToSch) into tNum1
   put offset(eTag,stngToSch) into tNum2
   if tNum1 < 1 then
     return "error"
     exit getArrayData
   end if
   if tNum2 < 1 then
     return "error"
     exit getArrayData
   end if
   put char (tNum1 + dChars) to (tNum2 - 1) of stngToSch into zapped
   return zapped
end getArrayData

-- put putArrayData("yourData[1][1][1]", yourData, tData) into yourData
function putArrayData tStTag, stngToSch, dataToPut
   put empty into zapped
   put "<" & tStTag & ">" into sTag
   put "</" & tStTag & ">" into eTag
   put sTag & dataToPut & eTag into changeZap
   put the number of chars in sTag into dChars
   put offset(sTag,stngToSch) into tNum1
   put offset(eTag,stngToSch) into tNum2
   if tNum1 < 1 then
     put changeZap after stngToSch
     return stngToSch
     exit putArrayData
   end if
   if tNum2 < 1 then
     put changeZap after stngToSch
     return stngToSch
     exit putArrayData
   end if
   put char tNum1 to (tNum2 + dChars + 1) of stngToSch into zapSpot
   replace zapSpot with changeZap in stngToSch
   return stngToSch
end putArrayData