For with multiple in - objective-c

I want to use the basic Objective C stament for (id object in collection) with multiple objects and conditions like this:
for (Origin *origin in [self.fetchedOriginController fetchedObjects] AND Destiny *destiny in [self.fetchedDestinyController fetchedObjects]))
{
NSLog(#"This route starts from %# and ends in %#, origin.name, destiny.name);
}
So the log would be:
This route starts in London and ends in Sidney
This route starts in Madrid and ends in Barcelona
This route starts in Washington and ends in Vienna
(...)
How can this be done?

If you are looking for all combinations just nest:
for (object in collection)
{
for (object2 in collection2)
{
...
}
}
Or are you looking for pairs of objects from two same sized collections? If so create a loop which provides the index:
NSUInteger count = collection.count;
for (NSUInteger ix = 0; ix < count; ix++)
{
id object = collection[ix];
id object2 = collection2[ix];
...
}
If you want to loop over the common pairs of two different sized collections just change the first line to:
NSUInteger count = MIN(collection.count, collection2.count);
If you want something else edit your question to be more explicit.

Something like this would work for what you're trying I think:
for (NSUInteger i = 0; i < collection1.count; i++) {
id object1 = collection1[i];
id object2 = collection2[i];
// continue ...
}
As far as I know, there's no built in syntax to do what you're asking.
This solution makes the assumption that collection1 and collection2 have the same amount of objects, or at least collection2 doesn't exceed collection1 in count. Given your desired syntax, I think you have already planned for this, I just wanted to mention it in case someone else stumbles on this.

What order do you expect this enumeration to happen in? What kind of association between objects from each collection are you looking for?
If you want to take each object from collection and do something with both that object and each object2 in collection2, use nested loops:
for (object in collection) {
for (object2 in collection2) {
// ...
}
}
If you want to go through both collections in order, use two loops.
for (object in collection) { /* ... */ }
for (object2 in collection2) { /* ... */ }
If you expect some sort of mapping between the objects in collection and collection2 (which presumes they have the same count and at least one of them has unique entries), you might look into a data structure that captures that mapping. Then you can iterate across pairs.
NSDictionary *dictionary = [NSDictionary dictionaryWithObjects:collection2 forKeys:collection];
[dictionary enumerateKeysAndObjectsUsingBlock:^(id key, id obj, BOOL *stop){
// ...
}];

Related

how to setup IOServiceAddMatching for different product identifications

need to use IOServiceAddMatchingNotification routine for supporing multiple product identifications.
To show the concept, I got part of this code from a site and revised it.Kept it short.
// Set up matching dictionary.
NSMutableDictionary* matchingDictionary;
for (int n = 0; n < numberOfDevices; n++)
{
matchingDictionary = (NSMutableDictionary*)IOServiceMatching(kIOUSBDeviceClassName);
[matchingDictionary setObject:[NSNumber numberWithLong:myVid[n]] forKey:[NSString stringWithUTF8String:kUSBVendorID]];
[matchingDictionary setObject:[NSNumber numberWithLong:myPid[n]] forKey:[NSString stringWithUTF8String:kUSBProductID]];
// Set up a notification callback for device addition on first match.
IOServiceAddMatchingNotification(g_notificationPort, kIOFirstMatchNotification, (CFMutableDictionaryRef)matchingDictionary, deviceAddedCallback, (void*)self, &g_iteratorAdded);
}
I am not sure if it really is correct?. I did not see complains from the xcode and it works.
This requires a nuanced answer - there are three things to note here:
In principle, yes, you need to create distinct matching notifications for each independent match dictionary.
However, it looks like you're expecting only one io_iterator_t to be created and updated with each matching dictionary, as you only have a single variable to store it, g_iteratorAdded. This is not the case. The code shown suffers from a resource leak. Each successful call to IOServiceAddMatchingNotification will create a new iterator, so you will need to retain all of them in an array or so. And then, when you no longer need the notifications (at the latest, when self is dealloc'd, or you'll get callbacks on a freed object!), you need to release all of the iterators.
For matching multiple different USB product IDs but identical vendor IDs, you actually don't need to create multiple match dictionaries and notifications. Instead of kUSBProductID with a single NSNumber/CFNumber, provide a kUSBProductIdsArrayName (aka kUSBHostMatchingPropertyProductIDArray) and specify an array of numbers. (NSArray/CFArray containing a NSNumber/CFNumber for every product ID.)Alternatively, if your product IDs match some hex pattern, you can also use kUSBProductIDMask in conjunction with kUSBProductID: in this case, candidate devices' product IDs will be bitwise masked (&) with the number provided for kUSBProductIDMask before comparing to the kUSBProductID.
If you need to match multiple vendor IDs, you will still need to create a matching notification for each vendor ID, and provide the list of product IDs in the kUSBProductIdsArrayName value for each.
Update: Sample code for array PID match dictionaries
Some rough untested code for dealing with kUSBProductIdsArrayName, assuming your VIDs/PIDs are laid out like this:
static const uint16_t myVid[] = { 0x1234, 0x5555 };
static const size_t numberOfVids = sizeof(myVid) / sizeof(myVid[0]);
static const uint16_t myPid[] = {
// for VID 0x1234
0x1, 0x2, 0x3, 0x1001, 0x1002,
// for VID 0x555
0x100, 0x101,
};
static const unsigned pidsForVid[] = { 5, 2 };
Setting up the matching dictionaries would then look something like this:
unsigned next_pid_index = 0;
for (int n = 0; n < numberOfVids; n++)
{
NSMutableDictionary* matchingDictionary =
(__bridge_transfer NSMutableDictionary*)IOServiceMatching(kIOUSBDeviceClassName);
[matchingDictionary setObject:#(myVid[n]) forKey:#kUSBVendorID];
NSMutableArray* pid_array = [NSMutableArray arrayWithCapacity:pidsForVid[n]];
for (unsigned i = 0; i < pidsForVid[n]; ++i)
{
[pid_array addObject:#(myPid[next_pid_index])];
++next_pid_index;
}
[matchingDictionary setObject:pid_array forKey:#kUSBProductIdsArrayName];
// Set up a notification callback for device addition on first match.
IOReturn result = IOServiceAddMatchingNotification(
g_notificationPort,
kIOFirstMatchNotification,
(__bridge_retained CFMutableDictionaryRef)matchingDictionary,
deviceAddedCallback,
(__bridge void*)self,
&g_iteratorAdded[n]);
assert(result == kIOReturnSuccess);
}

SparkSQL - Error in Schema [duplicate]

What does ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException mean and how do I get rid of it?
Here is a code sample that triggers the exception:
String[] names = { "tom", "bob", "harry" };
for (int i = 0; i <= names.length; i++) {
System.out.println(names[i]);
}
Your first port of call should be the documentation which explains it reasonably clearly:
Thrown to indicate that an array has been accessed with an illegal index. The index is either negative or greater than or equal to the size of the array.
So for example:
int[] array = new int[5];
int boom = array[10]; // Throws the exception
As for how to avoid it... um, don't do that. Be careful with your array indexes.
One problem people sometimes run into is thinking that arrays are 1-indexed, e.g.
int[] array = new int[5];
// ... populate the array here ...
for (int index = 1; index <= array.length; index++)
{
System.out.println(array[index]);
}
That will miss out the first element (index 0) and throw an exception when index is 5. The valid indexes here are 0-4 inclusive. The correct, idiomatic for statement here would be:
for (int index = 0; index < array.length; index++)
(That's assuming you need the index, of course. If you can use the enhanced for loop instead, do so.)
if (index < 0 || index >= array.length) {
// Don't use this index. This is out of bounds (borders, limits, whatever).
} else {
// Yes, you can safely use this index. The index is present in the array.
Object element = array[index];
}
See also:
The Java Tutorials - Language Basics - Arrays
Update: as per your code snippet,
for (int i = 0; i<=name.length; i++) {
The index is inclusive the array's length. This is out of bounds. You need to replace <= by <.
for (int i = 0; i < name.length; i++) {
From this excellent article: ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException in for loop
To put it briefly:
In the last iteration of
for (int i = 0; i <= name.length; i++) {
i will equal name.length which is an illegal index, since array indices are zero-based.
Your code should read
for (int i = 0; i < name.length; i++)
^
It means that you are trying to access an index of an array which is not valid as it is not in between the bounds.
For example this would initialize a primitive integer array with the upper bound 4.
int intArray[] = new int[5];
Programmers count from zero. So this for example would throw an ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException as the upper bound is 4 and not 5.
intArray[5];
What causes ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException?
If you think of a variable as a "box" where you can place a value, then an array is a series of boxes placed next to each other, where the number of boxes is a finite and explicit integer.
Creating an array like this:
final int[] myArray = new int[5]
creates a row of 5 boxes, each holding an int. Each of the boxes has an index, a position in the series of boxes. This index starts at 0 and ends at N-1, where N is the size of the array (the number of boxes).
To retrieve one of the values from this series of boxes, you can refer to it through its index, like this:
myArray[3]
Which will give you the value of the 4th box in the series (since the first box has an index of 0).
An ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException is caused by trying to retrieve a "box" that does not exist, by passing an index that is higher than the index of the last "box", or negative.
With my running example, these code snippets would produce such an exception:
myArray[5] //tries to retrieve the 6th "box" when there is only 5
myArray[-1] //just makes no sense
myArray[1337] //way to high
How to avoid ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException
In order to prevent ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException, there are some key points to consider:
Looping
When looping through an array, always make sure that the index you are retrieving is strictly smaller than the length of the array (the number of boxes). For instance:
for (int i = 0; i < myArray.length; i++) {
Notice the <, never mix a = in there..
You might want to be tempted to do something like this:
for (int i = 1; i <= myArray.length; i++) {
final int someint = myArray[i - 1]
Just don't. Stick to the one above (if you need to use the index) and it will save you a lot of pain.
Where possible, use foreach:
for (int value : myArray) {
This way you won't have to think about indexes at all.
When looping, whatever you do, NEVER change the value of the loop iterator (here: i). The only place this should change value is to keep the loop going. Changing it otherwise is just risking an exception, and is in most cases not necessary.
Retrieval/update
When retrieving an arbitrary element of the array, always check that it is a valid index against the length of the array:
public Integer getArrayElement(final int index) {
if (index < 0 || index >= myArray.length) {
return null; //although I would much prefer an actual exception being thrown when this happens.
}
return myArray[index];
}
To avoid an array index out-of-bounds exception, one should use the enhanced-for statement where and when they can.
The primary motivation (and use case) is when you are iterating and you do not require any complicated iteration steps. You would not be able to use an enhanced-for to move backwards in an array or only iterate on every other element.
You're guaranteed not to run out of elements to iterate over when doing this, and your [corrected] example is easily converted over.
The code below:
String[] name = {"tom", "dick", "harry"};
for(int i = 0; i< name.length; i++) {
System.out.print(name[i] + "\n");
}
...is equivalent to this:
String[] name = {"tom", "dick", "harry"};
for(String firstName : name) {
System.out.println(firstName + "\n");
}
In your code you have accessed the elements from index 0 to the length of the string array. name.length gives the number of string objects in your array of string objects i.e. 3, but you can access only up to index 2 name[2],
because the array can be accessed from index 0 to name.length - 1 where you get name.length number of objects.
Even while using a for loop you have started with index zero and you should end with name.length - 1. In an array a[n] you can access form a[0] to a[n-1].
For example:
String[] a={"str1", "str2", "str3" ..., "strn"};
for(int i=0; i<a.length(); i++)
System.out.println(a[i]);
In your case:
String[] name = {"tom", "dick", "harry"};
for(int i = 0; i<=name.length; i++) {
System.out.print(name[i] +'\n');
}
For your given array the length of the array is 3(i.e. name.length = 3). But as it stores element starting from index 0, it has max index 2.
So, instead of 'i**<=name.length' you should write 'i<**name.length' to avoid 'ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException'.
So much for this simple question, but I just wanted to highlight a new feature in Java which will avoid all confusions around indexing in arrays even for beginners. Java-8 has abstracted the task of iterating for you.
int[] array = new int[5];
//If you need just the items
Arrays.stream(array).forEach(item -> { println(item); });
//If you need the index as well
IntStream.range(0, array.length).forEach(index -> { println(array[index]); })
What's the benefit? Well, one thing is the readability like English. Second, you need not worry about the ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException
The most common case I've seen for seemingly mysterious ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsExceptions, i.e. apparently not caused by your own array handling code, is the concurrent use of SimpleDateFormat. Particularly in a servlet or controller:
public class MyController {
SimpleDateFormat dateFormat = new SimpleDateFormat("MM/dd/yyyy");
public void handleRequest(ServletRequest req, ServletResponse res) {
Date date = dateFormat.parse(req.getParameter("date"));
}
}
If two threads enter the SimplateDateFormat.parse() method together you will likely see an ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException. Note the synchronization section of the class javadoc for SimpleDateFormat.
Make sure there is no place in your code that are accessing thread unsafe classes like SimpleDateFormat in a concurrent manner like in a servlet or controller. Check all instance variables of your servlets and controllers for likely suspects.
You are getting ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException due to i<=name.length part. name.length return the length of the string name, which is 3. Hence when you try to access name[3], it's illegal and throws an exception.
Resolved code:
String[] name = {"tom", "dick", "harry"};
for(int i = 0; i < name.length; i++) { //use < insteadof <=
System.out.print(name[i] +'\n');
}
It's defined in the Java language specification:
The public final field length, which contains the number of components
of the array. length may be positive or zero.
That's how this type of exception looks when thrown in Eclipse. The number in red signifies the index you tried to access. So the code would look like this:
myArray[5]
The error is thrown when you try to access an index which doesn't exist in that array. If an array has a length of 3,
int[] intArray = new int[3];
then the only valid indexes are:
intArray[0]
intArray[1]
intArray[2]
If an array has a length of 1,
int[] intArray = new int[1];
then the only valid index is:
intArray[0]
Any integer equal to the length of the array, or bigger than it: is out of bounds.
Any integer less than 0: is out of bounds;
P.S.: If you look to have a better understanding of arrays and do some practical exercises, there's a video here: tutorial on arrays in Java
For multidimensional arrays, it can be tricky to make sure you access the length property of the right dimension. Take the following code for example:
int [][][] a = new int [2][3][4];
for(int i = 0; i < a.length; i++){
for(int j = 0; j < a[i].length; j++){
for(int k = 0; k < a[j].length; k++){
System.out.print(a[i][j][k]);
}
System.out.println();
}
System.out.println();
}
Each dimension has a different length, so the subtle bug is that the middle and inner loops use the length property of the same dimension (because a[i].length is the same as a[j].length).
Instead, the inner loop should use a[i][j].length (or a[0][0].length, for simplicity).
For any array of length n, elements of the array will have an index from 0 to n-1.
If your program is trying to access any element (or memory) having array index greater than n-1, then Java will throw ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException
So here are two solutions that we can use in a program
Maintaining count:
for(int count = 0; count < array.length; count++) {
System.out.println(array[count]);
}
Or some other looping statement like
int count = 0;
while(count < array.length) {
System.out.println(array[count]);
count++;
}
A better way go with a for each loop, in this method a programmer has no need to bother about the number of elements in the array.
for(String str : array) {
System.out.println(str);
}
ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException whenever this exception is coming it mean you are trying to use an index of array which is out of its bounds or in lay man terms you are requesting more than than you have initialised.
To prevent this always make sure that you are not requesting a index which is not present in array i.e. if array length is 10 then your index must range between 0 to 9
ArrayIndexOutOfBounds means you are trying to index a position within an array that is not allocated.
In this case:
String[] name = { "tom", "dick", "harry" };
for (int i = 0; i <= name.length; i++) {
System.out.println(name[i]);
}
name.length is 3 since the array has been defined with 3 String objects.
When accessing the contents of an array, position starts from 0. Since there are 3 items, it would mean name[0]="tom", name[1]="dick" and name[2]="harry
When you loop, since i can be less than or equal to name.length, you are trying to access name[3] which is not available.
To get around this...
In your for loop, you can do i < name.length. This would prevent looping to name[3] and would instead stop at name[2]
for(int i = 0; i<name.length; i++)
Use a for each loop
String[] name = { "tom", "dick", "harry" };
for(String n : name) {
System.out.println(n);
}
Use list.forEach(Consumer action) (requires Java8)
String[] name = { "tom", "dick", "harry" };
Arrays.asList(name).forEach(System.out::println);
Convert array to stream - this is a good option if you want to perform additional 'operations' to your array e.g. filter, transform the text, convert to a map etc (requires Java8)
String[] name = { "tom", "dick", "harry" };
--- Arrays.asList(name).stream().forEach(System.out::println);
--- Stream.of(name).forEach(System.out::println);
ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException means that you are trying to access an index of the array that does not exist or out of the bound of this array. Array indexes start from 0 and end at length - 1.
In your case
for(int i = 0; i<=name.length; i++) {
System.out.print(name[i] +'\n'); // i goes from 0 to length, Not correct
}
ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException happens when you are trying to access
the name.length indexed element which does not exist (array index ends at length -1). just replacing <= with < would solve this problem.
for(int i = 0; i < name.length; i++) {
System.out.print(name[i] +'\n'); // i goes from 0 to length - 1, Correct
}
According to your Code :
String[] name = {"tom", "dick", "harry"};
for(int i = 0; i<=name.length; i++) {
System.out.print(name[i] +'\n');
}
If You check
System.out.print(name.length);
you will get 3;
that mean your name length is 3
your loop is running from 0 to 3
which should be running either "0 to 2" or "1 to 3"
Answer
String[] name = {"tom", "dick", "harry"};
for(int i = 0; i<name.length; i++) {
System.out.print(name[i] +'\n');
}
Each item in an array is called an element, and each element is accessed by its numerical index. As shown in the preceding illustration, numbering begins with 0. The 9th element, for example, would therefore be accessed at index 8.
IndexOutOfBoundsException is thrown to indicate that an index of some sort (such as to an array, to a string, or to a vector) is out of range.
Any array X, can be accessed from [0 to (X.length - 1)]
I see all the answers here explaining how to work with arrays and how to avoid the index out of bounds exceptions. I personally avoid arrays at all costs. I use the Collections classes, which avoids all the silliness of having to deal with array indices entirely. The looping constructs work beautifully with collections supporting code that is both easier to write, understand and maintain.
If you use an array's length to control iteration of a for loop, always remember that the index of the first item in an array is 0. So the index of the last element in an array is one less than the array's length.
ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException name itself explains that If you trying to access the value at the index which is out of the scope of Array size then such kind of exception occur.
In your case, You can just remove equal sign from your for loop.
for(int i = 0; i<name.length; i++)
The better option is to iterate an array:
for(String i : name )
System.out.println(i);
This error is occurs at runs loop overlimit times.Let's consider simple example like this,
class demo{
public static void main(String a[]){
int[] numberArray={4,8,2,3,89,5};
int i;
for(i=0;i<numberArray.length;i++){
System.out.print(numberArray[i+1]+" ");
}
}
At first, I have initialized an array as 'numberArray'. then , some array elements are printed using for loop. When loop is running 'i' time , print the (numberArray[i+1] element..(when i value is 1, numberArray[i+1] element is printed.)..Suppose that, when i=(numberArray.length-2), last element of array is printed..When 'i' value goes to (numberArray.length-1) , no value for printing..In that point , 'ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException' is occur.I hope to you could get idea.thank you !
You can use Optional in functional style to avoid NullPointerException and ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException :
String[] array = new String[]{"aaa", null, "ccc"};
for (int i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
String result = Optional.ofNullable(array.length > i ? array[i] : null)
.map(x -> x.toUpperCase()) //some operation here
.orElse("NO_DATA");
System.out.println(result);
}
Output:
AAA
NO_DATA
CCC
NO_DATA
In most of the programming language indexes is start from 0.So you must have to write i<names.length or i<=names.length-1 instead of i<=names.length.
You could not iterate or store more data than the length of your array. In this case you could do like this:
for (int i = 0; i <= name.length - 1; i++) {
// ....
}
Or this:
for (int i = 0; i < name.length; i++) {
// ...
}

Is there a way to set restrictions on arc4random()'s results?

I'm making three random choices between two classes, A and B. I need to avoid getting B all three times.
Is there a way to stop arc4random() from giving me that result?
One approach is: If your random routine gives you an unacceptable answer, run it again until it gives you an acceptable answer.
For example, in a solitaire game app of mine, I shuffle a deck and deal some of it into a layout which must be solvable. But what if it isn't solvable? I repeat that: I shuffle the deck again and deal it again. I keep doing that until the layout I've dealt is solvable. All of that happens before the user sees anything, so the user doesn't know what I've been up to behind the scenes to guarantee that the layout makes sense.
In your case, where the possibilities are so limited, another obvious alternative would be this: use a simple combinatorial algorithm to generate beforehand all acceptable combinations of three nodes. Now use arc4random to pick one of those combinations. So, for example:
var list = [[String]]()
let possibilities = ["A","B"]
for x in possibilities {
for y in possibilities {
for z in possibilities {
list.append([x,y,z])
}
}
}
list.removeLast()
Now list is an array of all possible triples of "A" or "B", but without ["B","B","B"]. So now pick an element at random and for each of its letters, if it is "A", use class A, and if it is "B", use class B. (Of course I suppose we could have done this with actual classes or instances, but it seems simplest to encode it as letters.)
BOOLs and loops to the rescue...
BOOL classA = false;
BOOL classB = false;
for (int i=0; i<3; i++) {
int r = arc4random() % 2;
if(i < 2) {
if(r == 0) {
NSLog(#"Class A");
classA = true;
} else {
NSLog(#"Class B");
classB = true;
}
} else {
if(classA == false)
NSLog(#"Class A");
if(classB == false)
NSLog(#"Class B");
}
}
The 2 BOOLs guarantee that each class has at least one member for each 3 cycle run.

Objective C: Using a BOOL to return 'YES' if a condition can be applied

Hi there I have some code at the moment that gives me the error ("0") is not equal to ("50") - condition not applied correctly Basically I am currently using a traditional for loop within a BOOL which goes through the list of items and checks whether or not the condition can be applied, if it can be applied to an item then the BOOL will return YES. I cannot see where I am currently going wrong and need guidance. My code is shown below:
-(BOOL)conditionCanBeApplied:(NSArray *)items{
bool itemConditionCanBeApplied = NO;
for (int i = 0; i < items.count; i++)
{
id myItem = [[items valueForKeyPath:#"itemId"]objectAtIndex: i];
if ([self.applicableItems containsObject:myItem]) {
itemConditionCanBeApplied = YES;
}
}
return itemConditionCanBeApplied;
}
First, don't mix BOOL and bool, they might be very similar but they aren't the same data type. Second, always use fast enumeration if you have a choice. I am assuming in the code below that your items collection is something like an NSArray. Also, there is no reason to test with an if statement just to set a BOOL since the test is a boolean statement. (I am doing it in my example to allow for the break) Lastly, short-circuiting your logic with a break keeps the processor from doing unnecessary work once you have at least one match.
Do something like this:
- (BOOL)conditionTest
{
BOOL itemConditionCanBeApplied = NO;
for (id item in items) {
if ([self.applicableItems containsObject:item]) {
itemConditionCanBeApplied = YES;
break;
}
}
return itemConditionCanBeApplied;
}

How to return a C-array from method in Objective-C?

I have a function that returns a variable and I want to know how to return an array the issue is it isn't an NSArray it is just an average C array like this...
-(b2Fixture*) addFixturesToBody:(b2Body*)body forShapeName:(NSString*)shape
{
BodyDef *so = [shapeObjects objectForKey:shape];
assert(so);
FixtureDef *fix = so->fixtures;
int count = -1;
b2Fixture *Fixi[4];
while(fix)
{
count++;
NSLog(#"count = %d",count);
Fixi[count]= body->CreateFixture(&fix->fixture);
if (Fixi[count]!=0) {
NSLog(#"Fixi %d is not 0",count);
}
if (body->CreateFixture(&fix->fixture)!=0) {
NSLog(#"body %d is not 0",count);
}
fix = fix->next;
}
return *Fixi;
}
If you see some variable types you don't know it's because I'm using cocos2d framework to make a game but I'm returning a variable of b2Fixture... This code compiles however only saves the value of the first block of the array "fixi[0]" not the whole array like I want to pass
anyhelp :) thankyou
You can't return a local array. You'll need to do some kind of dynamic allocation or pull a trick like having the array inside a structure.
Here is a link to an in-depth article that should help you out.
In general returning C arrays by value is a bad idea, as arrays can be very large. Objective-C arrays are by-reference types - they are dynamically allocated and a reference, which is small, is what is passed around. You can dynamically allocate C arrays as well, using one of the malloc family for allocation and free for deallocation.
You can pass C structures around by value, and this is common, as in general structures tend to be small (or smallish anyway).
Now in your case you are using a small array, it has just 4 elements. If you consider passing these 4 values around by value is reasonable and a good fit for your design then you can do so simply by embedding the C array in a C structure:
typedef struct
{
b2Fixture *elements[4];
} b2FixtureArray;
...
-(b2FixtureArray) addFixturesToBody:(b2Body*)body forShapeName:(NSString*)shape
{
BodyDef *so = [shapeObjects objectForKey:shape];
assert(so);
FixtureDef *fix = so->fixtures;
int count = -1;
b2FixtureArray Fixi;
while(fix)
{
count++;
NSLog(#"count = %d", count);
Fixi.elements[count]= body->CreateFixture(&fix->fixture);
if (Fixi.elements[count] != 0)
{
NSLog(#"Fixi %d is not 0",count);
}
if (body->CreateFixture(&fix->fixture) != 0)
{
NSLog(#"body %d is not 0", count);
}
fix = fix->next;
}
return Fixi;
}
...
// sample call outline
b2FixtureArray result = [self addFixturesToBody...]
Whether this standard C "trick" for passing arrays by value is appropriate for your case you'll have to decide.
Note: If b2fixture is an Objective-C object make sure you understand the memory management implications of having a C array of objects references depending on the memory management model (MRC, ARC, GC) you are using.
If you need to design function or method that has to return a fixed or limited size array, one possibility is to pass a pointer to the result array to the function or method as a parameter. Then the caller can take care of allocating space, or just use a local or instance variable array. You might want the called function to sanity check that the array parameter isn't NULL before using the array.