Multidimensional array issue

[David V Glasgow]

 Er, I think I have just reached the fourth level of array un-enlightenment.

Wait!…. I can see the cyberverse!  SCHLOOOooooppp!-ting!

> On 3/8/21 5:36 PM, Bob Sneidar via use-livecode wrote:
>> Are you testing for empty, or are you testing if there is a value in an array variable? If there is no key matching your array variable, LC will return an empty string. An empty string is a value.
>> 
>> Mark is using a different method, seeing if a key of an array is itself an array. If bobtest ["value"] contains another array so that bobtest ["value"] ["anumber"] contains 1, then bobtest ["value"] is an array. If bobtest ["value"] contains 1 then it is not an array.
>> 
>> But getting the value of bobtest ["value"] ["number"] will return empty whether or not bobtest '{value"] is an array. This is why Mark is testing for an array rather than the value.
>> 
>> It seems a bit wonky, you might think, "Why not return an error?" But trust me, when you work with arrays, especially when it comes to datagrid data, this is the best course.
>> 
>> Bob S
>> 
>> 
>>> On Mar 8, 2021, at 16:25 , HENRY LOWE via use-livecode <use-livecode at lists.runrev.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Thanks Mark. There are two possible states:
>>> 
>>> tArray[“status”] holds a value and tArray[“status”][“text”] does not
>>> 
>>> or
>>> 
>>> tArray[“status”][“text”] holds a value and tArray[“status”] does not
>>> 
>>> 
>>> My code is trying to do the following:
>>> 
>>> If tArray[“status”] does not hold a value then check if tArray[“status”][“text”] holds a value
>>> 
>>> 
>>> The crux is how one reliably determines that an array member (e.g. tArray[“status”]) holds a value?
>>> 
>>> I would have assumed that if the array member does not hold a value then  - if tArray[member] is empty would always return true. However that does not appear to be the case if the array is multidimensional.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> It appears that both tArray[“status”] is an array and tArray[“status”][“text”] is an array are true. Am I missing something about using this syntax?
>>> 
>>> Thanks,
>>> 
>>> Henry
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> On Mar 8, 2021, at 3:56 PM, Mark Wieder via use-livecode <use-livecode at lists.runrev.com> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> On 3/8/21 3:46 PM, HENRY LOWE via use-livecode wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> I have often used the form 'if tArray[“key1”] is empty' to determine whether an array element hold a value but this breaks if tArray[“key1”][“key2”] holds a value.
>>>> Same here. Not that I've every liked that paradigm, just that it's been that way since life crawled out of the ocean.
>>>> 
>>>> However this should do the trick.
>>>> 
>>>> if tArray["status"] is an array then
>>>> put tArray["status"]["text"] into tStatus
>>>> else
>>>> put tArray["status"] into tStatus
>>>> end if
>>>> 
>>>> -- 
>>>> Mark Wieder
>>>> ahsoftware at gmail.com
>>>> 
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> 
> -- 
> Phil Davis
> 503-307-4363
> 
> 
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