PROPERTY_TO_STRING()

Syntax

String as C = PROPERTY_TO_STRING( Dot_Variable as P )

Argument	Description
Dot_Variable	The name of a dot variable.

Description

The PROPERTY_TO_STRING() function converts a "dot" variable to a string. Dot_Variable is the dot variable's root name. The dot variable can be of arbitrary complexity.

Once a dot variable has been converted to a string, it is easy to save the string, in effect, saving the current values of all of the dot variable's sub-elements.

The PROPERTY_FROM_STRING()function allows you to restore a dot variable and all of its sub-elements from a string that was previously created using PROPERTY_TO_STRING().

For example, assume that you have this "dot" variable:

dim p as P

p.lastname = "smith"

p.firstname = "john"

str = property_to_string(p)

If you examine the contents of the str variable, you see the following string:

The above example is fairly trivial. Consider the case of a more complex dot variable:

dim f as P

dim f.family[3] as P

dim f.family[1].kids[3] as P

dim f.family[2].kids[3] as P

f.Family[1].father = "John"

f.Family[1].mother = "Joan"

f.Family[1].kids[1].NAME = "Sammy"

f.Family[1].kids[1].age = 4

f.Family[1].kids[2].NAME = "Sonia"

f.Family[1].kids[2].age = 3

f.Family[1].kids[3].NAME = "Samantha"

f.Family[1].kids[3].age = 2

f.Family[2].father = "Andrew"

f.Family[2].mother = "Andrea"

f.Family[2].kids[2].NAME = "Cloe"

f.Family[2].kids[2].age = 14

f.Family[2].kids[2].NAME = "Colin"

f.Family[2].kids[2].age = 13

str = property_to_string(f)

In this case, if you examine the 'str' variable, you will see the following string:

<family<[1]<father = "John">

<kids<[1]<name = "Sammy">

<[2]<name = "Sonia">

<[3]<name = "Samantha">

<[2]<father = "Andrew">

<kids<[1]>

<[2]<name = "Colin">

<[3]>

Supported By

Alpha Five Version 5 and Above

Examples

This example convert the contents of a record to a string, then writes them out in a duplicate record.

dim t as P

dim t2 as P

dim str as C

t = table.open("customer")

t.fetch_goto(targetRecord)

str = property_to_string(t)

t2 = table.open("customer")

t2.enter_begin()

property_from_string(t2,str)

t2.enter_end(.t.)

t.close()

t2.close()

Convert the elements of a dot variable to a string, then save the string to a file so that the values of the dot variables can be preserved.

dim p as P

p.lastname = "smith"

p.firstname = "john"

str = property_to_string(p)

'save the string to a file

save_TO_FILE(str,"c:\mydata\dot_variables.txt")