Dynamically assigned table variables? - variables

Writing a function in Lua, which creates two tables. I want the tables to be assigned to the value name with an x added, and one with a y added. For example if name was line, it would create two tables linex and liney, but I can't figure out how to do it. The following obviously doesn't work (and is just for display purposes) but how would I go about doing this?
function makelinep(x,y,minrand,maxrand,name,length)
name..x = {}
name..y = {}
Later I hope to access "linex" and "liney" after values have been written.

If you want these in the global name space you would use
_G[name..'x']={}
_G[name..'y']={}
For a module you'd use _M in place of _G.

Related

Building a (process) variable in Appian using the value of another one?

As far as I understand, it is not possible in Appian to dynamically construct (process) variable names, just like you would do e.g. with bash using backticks like MY_OBJECT=pv!MY_CONS_`extract(valueOfPulldown)`. Is that correct? Is there a workaround?
I have set of Appian constants, let's call them MY_CONS_FOO, MY_CONS_BAR, MY_CONS_LALA, all of which are e.g. refering to an Appian data store entity. I would like to write an Appian expression rule which populates another variable MY_OBJECT of the same type (here: data store entity), depending e.g. of the options of a pull-down menu having the possible options stored in an array MY_CONS_OPTIONS looking as follows
FOO
BAR
LALA
I could of course build a lengthy case-structure which I have to maintain in addition to MY_CONS_OPTIONS, so I am searching for a more dynanmic approach using the extract() function depending on valueOfPulldown as the chosen value of the pulldown-menu.
Edit: Here the expression-rule (in pseudo-code) I want to avoid:
if (valueOfPulldown = 'FOO') then MY_OBJECT=pv!MY_CONS_FOO
if (valueOfPulldown = 'BAR') then MY_OBJECT=pv!MY_CONS_BAR
if (valueOfPulldown = 'LALA') then MY_OBJECT=pv!MY_CONS_LALA
The goal is to be able to change the data store entity via pulldown-menu.
This can help you find what is behind your constant.
fn!typeName(fn!typeOf(cons!YOUR_CONSTANT)).
Having in mind additional details I would do as follows:
Create separate expression that will combine details into list of Dictionary like below:
Expression results (er):
{
{dd_label: "label1", dd_value: 1, cons: "cons!YOUR_CONSTANT1" }
,{dd_label: "label2", dd_value: 2, cons: "cons!YOUR_CONSTANT2" }
}
on UI for your dropdown control use er.dd_label as choiceLabels and er.dd_value as choiceValues
when user selects value on Dropdown save dropdown value to some local variable and then use it to find your const by doing:
property( index(er, wherecontains(local!dropdownselectedvalue, tointeger(er.dd_value))), "cons")
returned value of step 3 is your constant
This might not be perfect as you still have to maintain your dictionary but you can avoid long if...else statements.
As a alternative have a look on Decisions Tables in Appian https://docs.appian.com/suite/help/21.1/Appian_Decisions.html

How to rename a list of variables

I generated a number of dummy variables from a variable indicating the the relevant quarter, labelled quarter, with the following command:
tabulate quarter, generate(timeq)
This generates a set of dummy variables that range from timeq1 to timeq68.
I am trying to think about a way to rename these variables to change the names in the following way
timeq1 into 1995q1
timeq2 into 1995q2
timeq3 into 1995q3
timeq4 into 1995q4
...
timeq68 into 2011q4
As has been pointed out, this question sorely lacks a good MCVE. but an answer is possible.
Note first that the ambition to create variable with names beginning with 1 and 2 is futile as it is a basic rule that such names are not legal. However, a beginning underscore is allowed.
The problem of renaming requires, I think, at least one loop. In fact, it seems easier to back up and create the variables from scratch.
The first part of the code just creates a sandbox for play.
clear
set obs 68
gen quarter = yq(1994, 4) + _n
format quarter %tq
The second part is ad hoc code for the problem. Note that variable labels can take the form desired.
forval y = 1995/2011 {
forval q = 1/4 {
gen _`y'q`q' = quarter == yq(`y', `q')
label var _`y'q`q' "`y'q`q'"
}
}

Putting the cursor in a specific place in a live template

I just wanted to know how you put a cursor in a specific place in a live template for IntelliJ
For example:
# $var$ is an insance of the $objectType$ class
assert isinstance($var$, $objectType$)$END$
What happens here is that your cursor gets dragged to $var$ in the comment string first and then to your other values inside assert. What I wanted to know is how you chose where the cursor goes first.
I've read the documentation, but this is not mentioned, although a lot of other things are.
You can arrange the order that your variables are visited in. You find the information under bullet number five in this IntelliJ help document: http://www.jetbrains.com/idea/webhelp/creating-and-editing-template-variables.html
To arrange variables in the order you want IntelliJ IDEA to switch between associated input fields, use the Move Up and Move Down buttons.
Edit
You have to update the macro definition to similar to this:
# $varComment$ is an insance of the $objectTypeComment$ class
assert isinstance($var$, $objectType$)$END$
And then you define the order and expression to something like this (I didn't have any good expression for the var and orderType for you):
Since you fill in the Skip if defined for the two comment variable they will just take the values from the var and orderType and fill it in. This will do exactly what you are looking for :-)

How to comment on MATLAB variables

When I´m using MATLAB, sometimes I feel the need to make comments on some variables. I would like to save these comments inside these variables. So when I have to work with many variables in the workspace, and I forget the context of some of these variables I could read the comments I put in every one of them. So I would like to comment variables and keep the comments inside of them.
While I'm of the opinion that the best (and easiest) approach would be to make your variables self-documenting by giving them descriptive names, there is actually a way for you to do what you want using the object-oriented aspects of MATLAB. Specifically, you can create a new class which subclasses a built-in class so that it has an additional property describing the variable.
In fact, there is an example in the documentation that does exactly what you want. It creates a new class ExtendDouble that behaves just like a double except that it has a DataString property attached to it which describes the data in the variable. Using this subclass, you can do things like the following:
N = ExtendDouble(10,'The number of data points')
N =
The number of data points
10
and N could be used in expressions just as any double value would. Using this example subclass as a template, you could create "commented" versions of other built-in numeric classes, with the exception of those you are not allowed to subclass (char, cell, struct, and function_handle).
Of course, it should be noted that instead of using the ExtendDouble class like I did in the above example, I could instead define my variable like so:
nDataPoints = 10;
which makes the variable self-documenting, albeit with a little more typing needed. ;)
How about declaring another variable for your comments?
example:
\>> num = 5;
\>> numc = 'This is a number that contains 5';
\>> whos
...
This is my first post in StackOverflow. Thanks.
A convenient way to solve this is to have a function that does the storing and displaying of comments for you, i.e. something like the function below that will pop open a dialog box if you call it with comments('myVar') to allow you to enter new (or read/update previous) comments to variable (or function, or co-worker) labeled myVar.
Note that the comments will not be available in your next Matlab session. To make this happen, you have to add save/load functionality to comments (i.e. every time you change anything, you write to a file, and any time you start the function and database is empty, you load the file if possible).
function comments(name)
%COMMENTS stores comments for a matlab session
%
% comments(name) adds or updates a comment stored with the label "name"
%
% comments prints all the current comments
%# database is a n-by-2 cell array with {label, comment}
persistent database
%# check input and decide what to do
if nargin < 1 || isempty(name)
printDatabase;
else
updateDatabase;
end
function printDatabase
%# prints the database
if isempty(database)
fprintf('no comments stored yet\n')
else
for i=1:size(database,1)
fprintf('%20s : %s\n',database{i,1},database{i,2});
end
end
end
function updateDatabase
%# updates the database
%# check whether there is already a comment
if size(database,1) > 0 && any(strcmp(name,database(:,1)))
idx = strcmp(name,database(:,1));
comment = database(idx,2);
else
idx = size(database,1)+1;
comment = {''};
end
%# ask for new/updated comment
comment = inputdlg(sprintf('please enter comment for %s',name),'add comment',...
5,comment);
if ~isempty(comment)
database{idx,1} = name;
database(idx,2) = comment;
end
end
end
Always always always keep the Matlab editor open with a script documenting what you do. That is, variable assignments and calculations.
Only exceptions are very short sessions where you want to experiment. Once you have something -- add it to the file (It's also easier to cut and paste when you can see your entire history).
This way you can always start over. Just clear all and rerun the script. You never have random temporaries floating around in your workspace.
Eventually, when you are finished, you will also have something that is close to 'deliverable'.
Have you thought of using structures (or cells, although structures would require extra memory use)?
'>> dataset1.numerical=5;
'>> dataset1.comment='This is the dataset that contains 5';
dataset1 =
numerical: 5
comment: 'This is the dataset that contains 5'

QTP, access to QC field by label

I want to update a custom user field in QC using the Label of field instead of the name
At the moment we are doing it this way
Set currentRun = QCUtil.CurrentRun
currentRun.Field("RN_USER_03") = 1
currentRun.Post
But I would like to do it this way
Set currentRun = QCUtil.CurrentRun
currentRun.Field("Data Rows Passed") = 4
currentRun.Post
But I can't find the method to do it with.
Any Ideas?
Implying all labels are unique (which I doubt..):
You could create a function which accepts a label, searches in QC's tables that define customized fields for the correct field definition, and returns the field name. Then use the function's result value as the indexed property's index.
Suppose that function would be called "GetNameOfLabel", then the Caller's code would look like:
Set currentRun = QCUtil.CurrentRun
currentRun.Field(GetNameOfLabel ("Data Rows Passed")) = 1
currentRun.Post
Of course, the function would not really be trivial, but easy enough after some digging in the QC data model and finding an efficient way to fetch the name from the DB via SQL.
Or, the function could look up the name in an array, or a dictionary, then you would have to maintain that dictionary, but you would not have to go to the database for each lookup.
Disadventages:
Scripts with the wrong label might be harder to be debug
If labels are not unique, it might be real "fun" to debug
If looking up on the DB:
All scripts slow down if you don't cache, or pre-load, SQL query results for those lookups;
complexity, as you have to do the right SQL query, and you depend on QC's data model in a quite peculiar way (usually a horror when you're upgrading)
If looking up in an array, or dictionary:
You either must maintain its initialization (bet other admin guys adding a cust field will forget that easily), or must "load" it from QC's table (which is a bit like the SQL solution above, and has the same downsides).
I'd go with the array/dictionary-initialized-from-db-idea. Or, if you can live with the constant idea already presented, that one is a good bet. Considering that there is no session-independent scope in QCs customizing scripts, the SQL access idea might really kill performance because it would have to be executed for every new user session. Which is why I, too, +1'd the constant idea.
Look at this:
Dim gFieldLabelToNameDICT: Set gFieldLabelToNameDICT = CreateObject("Scripting.Dictionary")
gFieldLabelToNameDICT.CompareMode = vbTextCompare
Function GetNameOfLabel (strFieldLabel)
' If it doesn't exist yet in fieldLabelToName dict -> search it using TDC and add it to the list to improve performance
If Not gFieldLabelToNameDICT.Exists(strFieldLabel) Then
Dim testSetFields As List
Dim testSetFields: Set testSetFields = QCUtil.QCConnection.Customization.Fields.Fields("RUN")
For Each aField in testSetFields
If aField.UserLabel = strFieldLabel Then
gFieldLabelToNameDICT.Item(strFieldLabel) = aField.ColumnName
End If
Next aField
End If
GetNameOfLabel = gFieldLabelToNameDICT.Item(strFieldLabel)
End Function
Maybe you shall want to add some more error handling, such us considering the case that the label is not found.