Is it best to use a dynamic array?

[TheSynapse]

Hi there,

I'm trying to use some arrays in a demo I'm making. Basically using them as a way of referring to a table of figures (like looking at a table in excel) and pulling out a figure.

I've been trying to use the normal array with limited success. There's the excel to array converter from nivram's page which has been helpful, but this is clunky and slow if I want to balance and tweak my numbers.

I understand that dynamic arrays can read and output to text files. But I can't find any example files for it and I'm finding the help for it tough going - particularly when working how to refer to a place in the array (e.g. row 2, column 3 etc.)

I just want to load and refer to figures in a simple (4x4) table.

Am I looking at the correct extension? My thinking is if I use the dynamic array then I can quickly edit text files to adjust figures.

If there are any examples out there that would be great (have searched the forums already and there's very little on this topic - is that because no-one uses this extension?)

Many thanks

[TheSynapse]

Bump.

I can't find anything else in the forums on Dynamic Arrays, so am bumping this thread.

[nivram]

I have never used this array. I almost always use the Associative Array Extension or the standard inbuilt Array Object.

Marv

[TheSynapse]

Sure.

The only thing it seems very fiddly using the normal array object due to its proprietary format. It's a hassle using that converter every time I want to make a small change. If I wanted to adjust figures for balancing a game, would I be better off going with an associative array then? Is that the reason the dynamic array isn't used?

[Shawn]

I'm with Marv. I really like the associative array. Standard array makes certain things a bit simpler, especially when creating a level editor (though it's still pretty easy to do the exact same thing with the associative array, and in some ways adds more functionality when used properly)

[TheSynapse]

Okay, I'll go have a play with the associative array then.

Does it read and write to plain text files?

[Shawn]

Yeah it can write to whatever file extension you want. So if you want to save it as data.txt it will do that. The data won't be stored in a tidy format like an ini however.

[TheSynapse]

Maybe I want to look at an ini then. Hmm. It's just that a demo I was making was a 4x4 table and you clicked 2 radio buttons. The values of the buttons corresponded to columns and rows in the table and then the events would read off the corresponding value in the array. Would an ini be able to make a table like this?

[Phi]

If you use Groups for X, and Items for Y, I suppose.