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The Running Object Table (ROT) is a system global table where objects can register themselves. This makes the objects accessible in processes other than the process where the object was created. IRunningObjectTable and related interfaces provides access to register and maintain objects in the ROT. ThreadsOther threads related to ROT objects: Non-blocking data display functions IPC Techniques through ROT Objects AutoIt and Perl integration through ROT objects Access AutoIt by trancexx is about executing AutoIt commands in other programming languages. The AutoIt command is executed by calling a Call method of the ROT object. The example is based on the AutoItObject UDF. Posts (2021-01-03)This is a list of the most interesting posts below: Usage section with typical examples of the use of ROT objects with the following subsections: Passing array between AutoIt programs Passing array between AutoIt and VBScript Passing data through ROT Objects Executing Object Methods through VBScript VBScript (2021-01-03)VBScript is used as a consistent programming language to demonstrate the ROT technique for communicating between AutoIt and other languages. This is a list of the VBScript posts: Passing array between AutoIt and VBScript (in middle of post) Executing Object Methods through VBScript BasicRegister an objectExamples\1) Basic\0) ROT_RegisterObject.au3 #include <Array.au3> #include "..\..\Includes\IRunningObjectTable.au3" Example() Func Example() Local $sNameId = "DataTransferObject" & ROT_CreateGUID() Local $iHandle = ROT_RegisterObject( Default, $sNameId ) ; Default => Object = Dictionary object If Not $iHandle Then Return ConsoleWrite( "ROT_RegisterObject ERR" & @CRLF ) ConsoleWrite( "ROT_RegisterObject OK" & @CRLF ) Local $aROT_List = ROT_Enumerate() _ArrayDisplay( $aROT_List, "ROT_RegisterObject" ) EndFunc Output in _ArrayDisplay looks like this: DataTransferObject-{05DCB964-FD4B-40EC-A95A-999491347D20} $sNameId (similar to ProgID) is the identification of the ROT object and is used in the ObjGet() function to access the object in this way: Local $oDataTransferObject = ObjGet( "DataTransferObject-{05DCB964-FD4B-40EC-A95A-999491347D20}" ) ROT_CreateGUID() is used to make $sNameId unique. See below. ROT_RegisterObject() is the function that registers the object in the ROT. The Dictionary object is the actual object that is registered in the ROT. The Add method allows you to add a new key/item pair to the object. The key is often a string. The item property can be any COM compatible data type which includes most AutoIt data types. An exception is the DllStruct type which must be converted to a compatible type. Because many different data types can be used in the item property and the item can be identified through a key, the Dictionary object is generally applicable for many different purposes. More information about registering objects in the ROT can be found in this Microsoft documentation. ROT_Enumerate() enumerate the objects, that are registered in the ROT. The program that registers an object in the ROT plays the role of server. One or more programs that access the ROT object with the ObjGet() function play the role of clients. The ROT object is only available as long as the server program is running or until the server program deletes the object with the ROT_Revoke() function. You can find examples of using the functions in Examples\1) Basic\. ROT objects (2020-07-11)The Dictionary object is the default object in the ROT_RegisterObject() function. The object that's passed to this function is the actual object that's registered in the ROT. The Dictionary object works fine when passing data between AutoIt scripts, between AutoIt and VBScript, and between AutoIt and Perl. However, situations may easily arise where it can be an advantage to pass data with a very simple object with just a single property. There are several options for creating such a simple object. This can be done through C# and VB.NET code, as demonstrated in Using C# and VB Code in AutoIt through .NET Framework. And it can be done through the AutoItObject UDF. Examples\4) ROT Objects\ contains examples for creating the ROT object in these three ways. Client.au3 is the same script in all examples: #include <Array.au3> Example() Func Example() Local $sNameId = "DataTransfer" Local $oDataTransfer = ObjGet( $sNameId ) Local $aArray = $oDataTransfer.Item _ArrayDisplay( $aArray ) EndFunc Create object with C# code CSharp\Server.au3: #include "..\..\..\Includes\IRunningObjectTable.au3" #include "..\DotNetAll.au3" Example() Func Example() Local $aArray[1000][10] For $i = 0 To 1000 - 1 For $j = 0 To 10 - 1 $aArray[$i][$j] = $i & "/" & $j Next Next Local $oNetCode = DotNet_LoadCScode( FileRead( "Object.cs" ), "System.dll" ) Local $oCSObject = DotNet_CreateObject( $oNetCode, "CSObjClass" ) $oCSObject.Item = $aArray Local $sNameId = "DataTransfer" ROT_RegisterObject( Ptr( $oCSObject ), $sNameId ) RunWait( @AutoItExe & " /AutoIt3ExecuteScript " & "Client.au3" ) EndFunc CSharp\Object.cs: using System; public class CSObjClass { public object Item { get; set; } } Create object with VB.NET code VB.NET\Server.au3: #include "..\..\..\Includes\IRunningObjectTable.au3" #include "..\DotNetAll.au3" Example() Func Example() Local $aArray[1000][10] For $i = 0 To 1000 - 1 For $j = 0 To 10 - 1 $aArray[$i][$j] = $i & "/" & $j Next Next Local $oNetCode = DotNet_LoadVBcode( FileRead( "Object.vb" ), "System.dll" ) Local $oVBObject = DotNet_CreateObject( $oNetCode, "VBObjClass" ) $oVBObject.Item = $aArray Local $sNameId = "DataTransfer" ROT_RegisterObject( Ptr( $oVBObject ), $sNameId ) RunWait( @AutoItExe & " /AutoIt3ExecuteScript " & "Client.au3" ) EndFunc VB.NET\Object.vb: Imports System Public Class VBObjClass Public Property Item As Object End Class In AutoIt/Perl integration, the very first attempts were performed with the VB.NET object. Check for recognition of the ROT object with this Client.pl script (copied from the AutoIt/Perl example) : use strict; use Win32::OLE; my $oObj = Win32::OLE->GetObject( "DataTransfer" ); Win32::OLE->EnumAllObjects( sub { my $Object = shift; my $Class = Win32::OLE->QueryObjectType( $Object ); printf "Object = %s, Class = %s\n", $Object, $Class; } ); Gave the following output: Object = Win32::OLE=HASH(0x72a51c), Class = _VBObjClass ; VB.NET object Object = Win32::OLE=HASH(0x71b5a8), Class = IDictionary ; Dictionary object Create object with AutoItObject AutoItObject\Server.au3: #include "..\..\..\Includes\IRunningObjectTable.au3" #include "AutoitObject.au3" Example() Func Example() Local $aArray[1000][10] For $i = 0 To 1000 - 1 For $j = 0 To 10 - 1 $aArray[$i][$j] = $i & "/" & $j Next Next _AutoItObject_StartUp() Local $oObject = NewObject(), $sNameId = "DataTransfer" ROT_RegisterObject( Ptr( $oObject ), $sNameId ) Local $oDataTransfer = ObjGet( $sNameId ) $oDataTransfer.Item = $aArray RunWait( @AutoItExe & " /AutoIt3ExecuteScript " & "Client.au3" ) _AutoItObject_Shutdown() EndFunc Func NewObject() Local $oClassObject = _AutoItObject_Class() $oClassObject.AddProperty( "Item" ) Return $oClassObject.Object EndFunc Unique objectsWhen using ROT objects in real code, there is a particular question that needs to be addressed. The question is how to make sure that $sNameId, which clients use to access the object with the ObjGet() function, actually identifies a unique object. Running a server program twice in succession can easily create two ROT objects with the same $sNameId. But how do you actually access the ROT object that was created first and the ROT object that was created last? The answer to the question is to make sure that $sNameId also becomes unique so that you can distinguish between the two objects. To that end, the ROT_CreateGUID() function is created (copy of _WinAPI_CreateGUID()). The function can ensure a unique $sNameId as shown in the example above. The problem and solution is demonstrated in Examples\1) Basic\2) Multiple ROT objects.au3. Time stampsUsing the NoteChangeTime() and GetTimeOfLastChange() methods of the IRunningObjectTable interface, you can set and get timestamps on a ROT object. But these timestamps do not seem particularly useful. Therefore, the methods are not implemented. The UDFThe IRunningObjectTable UDF, Includes\IRunningObjectTable.au3, is a very small UDF with less than 150 lines of code: #include-once ; --- Interface definitions --- Global Const $sIID_IRunningObjectTable = "{00000010-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}" Global Const $dtag_IRunningObjectTable = _ "Register hresult(dword;ptr;ptr;dword*);" & _ "Revoke hresult(dword);" & _ "IsRunning hresult(ptr);" & _ "GetObject hresult(ptr;ptr*);" & _ "NoteChangeTime hresult(dword;struct*);" & _ "GetTimeOfLastChange hresult(ptr;ptr*);" & _ "EnumRunning hresult(ptr*);" Global Const $ROTFLAGS_REGISTRATIONKEEPSALIVE = 0x1 Global Const $ROTFLAGS_ALLOWANYCLIENT = 0x2 Global Const $sIID_IEnumMoniker = "{00000102-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}" Global Const $dtag_IEnumMoniker = _ "Next hresult(ulong;ptr*;ulong*);" & _ "Skip hresult(ulong);" & _ "Reset hresult();" & _ "Clone hresult(ptr*);" Global Const $sIID_IPersist = "{0000010C-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}" Global Const $dtag_IPersist = _ "GetClassID hresult(ptr*);" Global Const $sIID_IPersistStream = "{00000109-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}" Global Const $dtag_IPersistStream = $dtag_IPersist & _ "IsDirty hresult();" & _ "Load hresult(ptr);" & _ "Save hresult(ptr;bool);" & _ "GetSizeMax hresult(uint*);" Global Const $sIID_IMoniker = "{0000000F-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}" Global Const $dtag_IMoniker = $dtag_IPersistStream & _ "BindToObject hresult();" & _ "BindToStorage hresult();" & _ "Reduce hresult();" & _ "ComposeWith hresult();" & _ "Enum hresult();" & _ "IsEqual hresult();" & _ "Hash hresult();" & _ "IsRunning hresult(ptr;ptr;ptr);" & _ "GetTimeOfLastChange hresult(ptr;ptr;ptr);" & _ "Inverse hresult();" & _ "CommonPrefixWith hresult();" & _ "RelativePathTo hresult();" & _ "GetDisplayName hresult(ptr;ptr;wstr*);" & _ "ParseDisplayName hresult();" & _ "IsSystemMoniker hresult(ptr*);" ; --- Windows API functions --- Func ROT_GetRunningObjectTable() Return DllCall( "Ole32.dll", "long", "GetRunningObjectTable", "dword", 0, "ptr*", 0 )[2] EndFunc Func ROT_CreateFileMoniker( $sNameId ) Return DllCall( "Ole32.dll", "long", "CreateFileMoniker", "wstr", $sNameId, "ptr*", 0 )[2] EndFunc Func ROT_CreateBindCtx() Return DllCall( "Ole32.dll", "long", "CreateBindCtx", "dword", 0, "ptr*", 0 )[2] EndFunc ; --- UDF functions --- ; Failure: Returns 0 ; Success: Returns $iHandle ; Registers an object and its identifying moniker in the ROT Func ROT_RegisterObject( $pObject, $sNameId, $iFlags = $ROTFLAGS_REGISTRATIONKEEPSALIVE ) If $pObject = Default Then Local $oDict = ObjCreate( "Scripting.Dictionary" ) $pObject = Ptr( $oDict ) EndIf If Not $pObject Or Not $sNameId Then Return 0 Local $oRunningObjectTable = ObjCreateInterface( ROT_GetRunningObjectTable(), $sIID_IRunningObjectTable, $dtag_IRunningObjectTable ) If Not IsObj( $oRunningObjectTable ) Then Return 0 Local $pMoniker = ROT_CreateFileMoniker( $sNameId ) If Not $pMoniker Then Return 0 Local $iHandle $oRunningObjectTable.Register( $iFlags, $pObject, $pMoniker, $iHandle ) Return $iHandle ? $iHandle : 0 EndFunc ; Returns unique GUID as string ; Copied from _WinAPI_CreateGUID Func ROT_CreateGUID() Local Static $tGUID = DllStructCreate( "struct;ulong Data1;ushort Data2;ushort Data3;byte Data4[8];endstruct" ) DllCall( "Ole32.dll", "long", "CoCreateGuid", "struct*", $tGUID ) Return "-" & DllCall( "Ole32.dll", "int", "StringFromGUID2", "struct*", $tGUID, "wstr", "", "int", 65536 )[2] EndFunc ; Failure: Returns 0 ; Success: Returns $aROT_List ; Enumerates objects and identifying monikers in the ROT Func ROT_Enumerate() Local $oRunningObjectTable = ObjCreateInterface( ROT_GetRunningObjectTable(), $sIID_IRunningObjectTable, $dtag_IRunningObjectTable ) If Not IsObj( $oRunningObjectTable ) Then Return 0 Local $pEnumMoniker $oRunningObjectTable.EnumRunning( $pEnumMoniker ) Local $oEnumMoniker = ObjCreateInterface( $pEnumMoniker, $sIID_IEnumMoniker, $dtag_IEnumMoniker ) If Not IsObj( $oEnumMoniker ) Then Return 0 Local $pMoniker, $oMoniker, $pBindCtx, $sMonikerName, $i = 0 Local $oDict = ObjCreate( "Scripting.Dictionary" ) While( $oEnumMoniker.Next( 1, $pMoniker, NULL ) = 0 ) $pBindCtx = ROT_CreateBindCtx() $oMoniker = ObjCreateInterface( $pMoniker, $sIID_IMoniker, $dtag_IMoniker ) $oMoniker.GetDisplayName( $pBindCtx, NULL, $sMonikerName ) $oDict.Add( "Key" & $i, $sMonikerName ) $i += 1 WEnd Local $aROT_List = $oDict.Items() Return $aROT_List EndFunc ; Failure: Returns 0 ; Success: Returns 1 ; Removes an object and its identifying moniker from the ROT Func ROT_Revoke( $iHandle ) If Not $iHandle Then Return 0 Local $oRunningObjectTable = ObjCreateInterface( ROT_GetRunningObjectTable(), $sIID_IRunningObjectTable, $dtag_IRunningObjectTable ) If Not IsObj( $oRunningObjectTable ) Then Return 0 Return Not $oRunningObjectTable.Revoke( $iHandle ) * 1 EndFunc 7z-fileThe 7z-file contains source code for the UDF and examples. You need AutoIt 3.3.12 or later. Tested on Windows 7 and Windows 10. Comments are welcome. Let me know if there are any issues. IRunningObjectTable.7z

I'm not everyone, but I wish you luck bud anyway ... get those juices flowing, climb those mountains, leap those hurdles, get down & dirty ... and most importantly have a beer believe in yourself.

UsageAn obvious use of ROT objects is in connection with tasks such as inter-process communication (IPC) and job processing. The advantage of using ROT objects for these tasks is partly that you can handle large amounts of data and partly that you can handle the vast majority of AutoIt data types. Using a ROT object it's very easy to transfer arrays between two different processes. At the same time, the internal data types of the array elements are preserved. If an array containing integers, floats, and strings is passed from a sender to a recipient, then it's still integers, floats, and strings at the recipient. This means that the recipient can sort the array with exactly the same result as a sort of the array at the sender. Not just simple data types are preserved. If an array element contains another array (embedded array) or an object (embedded object), then this embedded array or object is still valid at the recipient. ROT objects are based on COM techniques. How is it possible that proprietary AutoIt data types such as arrays, can be transferred between a sender process and a receiver process using a technique based on standard COM data types? This is possible because the AutoIt array is converted to a safearray of variants (default COM array) at the sender and converted back to an AutoIt array at the receiver. But en route between sender and recipient it's a safearray. These conversions are performed automatically by internal AutoIt code (compiled C/C++ code, very fast). If you are interested you can find more information on these topics in Accessing AutoIt Variables. Passing array between AutoIt programsExamples\2) IPC Demo\Array\ contains two files that very simply demonstrate the exchange of arrays between programs running in two different processes. The example is a copy of the example in this thread but implemented with the new IRunningObjectTable UDF. 1) Server.au3: #include <Array.au3> #include "..\..\..\Includes\IRunningObjectTable.au3" Example() Func Example() MsgBox( 0, "Server", "This is server" ) Local $sDataTransferObject = "DataTransferObject" & ROT_CreateGUID() ROT_RegisterObject( Default, $sDataTransferObject ) ; Default => Object = Dictionary object Local $oDataTransferObject = ObjGet( $sDataTransferObject ) ; Dictionary object ; Create array Local $aArray[1000][10] For $i = 0 To 1000 - 1 For $j = 0 To 9 $aArray[$i][$j] = $i & "/" & $j Next Next _ArrayDisplay( $aArray, "Array on server" ) ; Transfer data $oDataTransferObject.Add( "$aArray", $aArray ) ; Start client RunWait( @AutoItExe & " /AutoIt3ExecuteScript " & '"2) Client.au3" ' & $sDataTransferObject ) ; ------- Server waiting while client is executing ------- MsgBox( 0, "Server", "This is server again" ) ; Receive data on server $aArray = $oDataTransferObject.Item( "$aArray" ) _ArrayDisplay( $aArray, "Modified array on server" ) EndFunc 2) Client.au3: #include <Array.au3> Example() Func Example() MsgBox( 0, "Client", "This is client" ) ; Data transfer object Local $sDataTransferObject = $CmdLine[1] Local $oDataTransferObject = ObjGet( $sDataTransferObject ) ; Receive data on client Local $aArray = $oDataTransferObject.Item( "$aArray" ) _ArrayDisplay( $aArray, "Array on client" ) ; Modify array on client For $i = 0 To 100 - 1 $aArray[$i][0] = "Modified" $aArray[$i][1] = "on" $aArray[$i][2] = "client" Next _ArrayDisplay( $aArray, "Modified array on client" ) ; Transfer data $oDataTransferObject.Item( "$aArray" ) = $aArray EndFunc Passing array between AutoIt and VBScriptBecause ROT objects are based on standard COM code, it's possible to exchange data between an AutoIt program and other COM compatible programs e.g. VBScript. The files in Examples\3) IPC Demo2\VBScript\ demonstrate this: 1) Server.au3: #include <GUIConstantsEx.au3> #include "..\..\..\Includes\IRunningObjectTable.au3" Example() Func Example() Local $sArray = "ArrayData" ROT_RegisterObject( Default, $sArray ) ; Default => Object = Dictionary object Local $oArray = ObjGet( $sArray ) ; Dictionary object Local $aArray = [ 123, 123.123, "This is data from AutoIt" ] $oArray( "Array" ) = $aArray Local $sText = "Data exchange between AutoIt and VBScript" Local $hGui = GUICreate( $sText, 400, 300 ) $sText = "Run Client.vbs:" & @CRLF & _ "Open a Command Prompt in the current folder." & @CRLF & _ "Key in ""wscript Client.vbs"" and hit the Enter key." & @CRLF & @CRLF & _ "When you have seen the information in the MsgBox, press the button below." GUICtrlCreateLabel( $sText, 20, 60, 360, 80 ) $sText = "Press Button to continue" Local $idButton = GUICtrlCreateButton( $sText, 20, 180, 360, 30 ) GUISetState( @SW_SHOW, $hGui ) While 1 Switch GUIGetMsg() Case $idButton $aArray = $oArray( "Array" ) MsgBox( 0, "AutoIt: Array from VBScript", "Int: " & $aArray[0] & " (" & VarGetType( $aArray[0] ) & ")" & @CRLF & _ "Flt: " & $aArray[1] & " (" & VarGetType( $aArray[1] ) & ")" & @CRLF & _ "Str: " & $aArray[2] & " (" & VarGetType( $aArray[2] ) & ")" ) Case $GUI_EVENT_CLOSE ExitLoop EndSwitch WEnd GUIDelete( $hGui ) EndFunc Client.vbs: Dim oArray, iAnswer Set oArray = GetObject( "ArrayData" ) iAnswer = MsgBox( "Int: " & oArray( "Array" )(0) & vbCrLf & _ "Flt: " & oArray( "Array" )(1) & vbCrLf & _ "Str: " & oArray( "Array" )(2), 0, "VBScript: Array from AutoIt" ) Dim aArray aArray = Array( 234, 234.234, "This is data from VBScript" ) oArray( "Array" ) = aArray Examples with programs like C# and VB.NET are probably more interesting than VBScript. This way, you can transfer (large) arrays from AutoIt to C# and VB.NET, perform array calculations in compiled code, and return arrays or results back to AutoIt. Here, the AutoIt and C#/VB.NET code are standalone programs that run in their own processes and are connected only through the ROT object. It's a new option to execute code sections that are bottlenecks in interpreted AutoIt code as compiled and possibly multithreaded C#/VB.NET code. Note that such a technique is very different from the technique in Using C# and VB Code in AutoIt through the .NET Framework, where all code runs in the same process. Passing data through ROT Objects (2020-07-11)In IPC Techniques through ROT Objects (Data types section) the AutoIt data types have been tested based on the example for the VarGetType() function in the help file. The data types are sent from Sender to Receiver with these results: $aArray : Array variable type. $dBinary : Binary variable type. $bBoolean : Bool variable type. $pPtr : Int32 variable type. $hWnd : Int32 variable type. $iInt : Int32 variable type. $fFloat : Double variable type. $oObject : Object variable type. $sString : String variable type. $tStruct : Not recognized as a valid variable type. $vKeyword : Keyword variable type. fuMsgBox : Not recognized as a valid variable type. $fuFunc : Not recognized as a valid variable type. $fuUserFunc : Not recognized as a valid variable type. Only the $tStruct and the function data types are not received correctly. The Int32 types for $pPtr and $hWnd can easily be converted to pointer and window handles with the Ptr() and HWnd() functions. In the following section (DllStruct section) it's shown how the $tStruct can be sent by converting the DllStruct to Binary data. In the Large array section (still in the IPC Techniques example) it's shown that even very large arrays can be passed with ROT objects. AutoIt/Perl integration is an example showing how to pass data back and forth between AutoIt and Perl scripts. Also between different programming languages, the data types are preserved with this technique.

Sorry guys, I really dropped the ball. I could not write satisfactory code for parsing so I kept delaying work on it and then things happened. One of those things was the opportunity to work again, I have not done any freelance work since I lost my regular client due to the effect of COVID on their business, so I was excited. I finally convinced myself to make some progress today, and I did I have some not-so-good code which is able to parse comments... and only comments. That is the most basic thing I could find so I worked on it. Here is how it currently works: J:\Projects\EasyCodeIt\build_win>eci test.au3 ---### TOKEN ###--- Type: Comment Data: ; This is a single line comment ---### TOKEN ###--- Type: Comment Data: ; Mary had a little lamb ---### TOKEN ###--- Type: Comment Data: ; Wow comments Unknown token encountered and the source for test.au3: ; This is a single line comment ; Mary had a little lamb ; Wow comments MsgBox Here is the current parsing code that I have written: /* * This file is part of EasyCodeIt. * * Copyright (C) 2020 TheDcoder <TheDcoder@protonmail.com> * * EasyCodeIt is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by * the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or * (at your option) any later version. * * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the * GNU General Public License for more details. * * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License * along with this program. If not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>. */ #include <stdbool.h> #include <stdio.h> #include "parse.h" #include "utils.h" const char CHR_WHITESPACE[] = {' ', '\t', '\n'}; const char CHR_COMMENT = ';'; const char CHR_DIRECTIVE = '#'; struct TokenCharMapElem { enum TokenType type; union { const char chr; const char *chr_arr; }; }; static void print_token(struct Token *token) { puts("---### TOKEN ###---"); char *token_type; switch (token->type) { case TOK_WHITESPACE: token_type = "Whitespace"; break; case TOK_COMMENT: token_type = "Comment"; break; case TOK_DIRECTIVE: token_type = "Directive"; break; } fputs("Type: ", stdout); puts(token_type); fputs("Data: ", stdout); for (size_t c = 0; c < token->data_len; c++) putchar(token->data[c]); putchar('\n'); } void parse(char *code) { tokenize(code); } void tokenize(char *code) { char *curr_char = code; while (true) { // Check if whitespace if (chrcmp(*curr_char, (char *) CHR_WHITESPACE, sizeof CHR_WHITESPACE)) { // Advance to the next character ++curr_char; continue; } // Do it all manually // Comment if (*curr_char == CHR_COMMENT) { struct Token tok = { .type = TOK_COMMENT, .data = curr_char, }; for (++curr_char; *curr_char != '\n' && *curr_char != '\0'; ++curr_char); tok.data_len = (curr_char - tok.data); print_token(&tok); // Advance to the next character ++curr_char; continue; } // EOF (Null terminator) if (*curr_char == '\0') break; // Error die("Unknown token encountered"); } } There is definitely room for improvement, and I am working on it. Wish me luck everyone

Hello Again! I previously stumbled upon a topic asking for maps datatype's instructions... I too wasn't sure what a map is until I tried it... So I am making this topic to help other newbies (and some oldbies) better understand the Maps datatype of AutoIt! Lets start! A Note for Readers The maps datatype is still in development and is currently in Alpha Stage (More Risky than Beta) and its unstable, so AutoIt can crash indefinably while using Maps! I can't guarantee if this will be implemented in stable versions, this is a fairly new thing to AutoIt coders & in my honest opinion I don't see any use for it Maps are the best datatype in AutoIt, Very Useful ... Not hurting anyone though . Also the maps datatype is DISABLED IN STABLE VERSIONS, So you need to install the latest beta version of AutoIt to make maps work . If you find any bugs while using a map, please report it in the Official Bug Tracker Introduction To Maps Maps are just like arrays, instead they use "keys" to access elements inside them... A key can be either a string or an integer (Other datatypes work too but they are converted to a integer [Equivalent to Int($vKey)] before assignment [Source]). Although Integers don't represent the order of elements in a map unlike in an array... Declaring Maps Its similar to declaring an Array: ; This is the only way to declare a map ; You must have a declarative keyword like Dim/Global/Local before the declaration unless the map is assigned a value from a functions return Local $mMap[] ; Don't insert any numbers or strings it! Simple, Isn't it? Using Maps Using maps is similar to arrays (again!): Local $mMap[] ; Lets declare our map first! ; Adding data to maps is easy... ; This is our key ; | ; v $mMap["Key"] = "Value" ; <--- And our value! ; A key is Case-Sensitive meaning "Key" is not same as "key"! $mMap["key"] = "value" ; Not the same as $mMap["Key"]! ; There are 2 different ways to access an element in a map $mMap["Key"] ; 1st Method $mMap.Key ; 2nd Method Enumerating Maps Its quite easy to enumerate through arrays but what about maps? how can I enumerate through them!? #include <MsgBoxConstants.au3> ; Lets create our map first Local $mMap[] ; Lets add some information to the map, feel free to modify & add new elements $mMap["Name"] = "Damon Harris" $mMap["Alias"] = "TheDcoder" $mMap["Gender"] = "Male" $mMap["Age"] = 14 $mMap["Location"] = "India" $aMapKeys = MapKeys($mMap) ; MapKeys function returns all the keys in the format of an array Local $sProfile = "Profile of " & $mMap["Name"] & ':' & @CRLF ; We will use this string later For $vKey In $aMapKeys ; We use this to get the keys in a map :) $sProfile &= @CRLF & $vKey & ': ' & $mMap[$vKey] ; Add some details to the profile string using our map! Next MsgBox($MB_ICONINFORMATION + $MB_OK, "Profile", $sProfile) ; Finally display the profile :) It is easy as always Multi-Dimensional Maps Now now... I know that you are a little confused that how can an multi-dimensional maps exist... Although I am not 100% sure if its called that but lets continue: #include <MsgBoxConstants.au3> ; Multi-Dimensional maps are just maps in a map Local $mMapOfMapsvilla[] ; This map will store an other map Local $mParkMap[] ; This Park map will be inserted in the Mapsvilla's map :P $mMapOfMapsvilla["Map Item 1"] = "Town Hall" $mMapOfMapsvilla["Map Item 2"] = "Police Station" $mMapOfMapsvilla["Map Item 3"] = "Shopping Mall" $mMapOfMapsvilla["Map Item 4"] = "Residential Area" $mMapOfMapsvilla["Map Item 5"] = "Park" $mParkMap["Map Item 1"] = "Cottan Candy Stand" $mParkMap["Map Item 2"] = "Public Toilet" $mParkMap["Map Item 3"] = "Woods" $mMapOfMapsvilla.Park = $mParkMap MsgBox($MB_OK, "Map Location", $mMapOfMapsvilla["Map Item 1"]) ; Will display Town Hall MsgBox($MB_OK, "Map Location", $mMapOfMapsvilla.Park["Map Item 1"]) ; Will display Cottan Candy Stand I am sure its easy for you to understand now Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) & Their answers Q #1. Help! My code does not respond to anything (or) I get an "Variable subscript badly formatted" error on the line of declaration... A. DONT USE F5 or Go, Instead use Alt + F5 or Tools -> Beta Run in SciTE (Make sure that you have Beta installed) Q #2. Why are you using "m" in-front of every map variable? A. Best coding Practices: Names of Variables Q #3. What are "Elements" which you mention frequently??? A. This is a newbie question (I have no intention of insulting you ), so I guess you are new to programming. "Elements" are data slots inside a Map (or an Array), you can imagine elements as individual variable which are stored in a Map. You can access them using "keys", Please refer to "Introduction to Maps" section at the starting of this post Q #4. Are Maps faster than Arrays? A. You need to understand that Maps have different purpose than Arrays. Maps are designed to store data dynamically (like storing information for certain controlIDs of GUI) and Arrays are designed to store data in a order (for instance, Storing every character of a string in an element for easy access). If you still want to know then if Maps are faster, then the answer is maybe... Maps are *supposed* (I am not sure ) to be faster in addition of elements (while Arrays are painfully slow while adding or removing elements). Here (Post #24) is a benchmark (Thanks kealper! ) More FAQs coming soon! Feel free to ask a question in the mean while

GUICtrlSetData($Combo1, $aLDataTable[$i]) this table has two dimensions, not one.

#include <GUIConstantsEx.au3> Local $GUI = GUICreate(" My GUI input control", 320, 120, @DesktopWidth / 2 - 160, @DesktopHeight / 2 - 45, -1) Local $idInput = GUICtrlCreateInput("", 10, 5, 300, 20) Local $CurInfo GUISetState(@SW_SHOW) While 1 $CurInfo = GUIGetCursorInfo($GUI) If $CurInfo[4] = $idInput And $CurInfo[2] = 1 Then MsgBox(64 + 262144, '', '') EndIf ;============================================================================= Switch GUIGetMsg() Case $GUI_EVENT_CLOSE ExitLoop EndSwitch Sleep(100) WEnd Or like this

To build your own custom converter you might use FFmpeg which allows to directly convert from FLAC to MP3, to get tags etc Easy to manage using a gui and command line instructions Edit I globally agree with ripdad and thought so too ... until I had to convert mkv files in a way that NO free tool on the web was precisely able to go

An obvious use of ROT objects is in connection with tasks such as inter-process communication (IPC). The advantage of using ROT objects for these tasks is partly that you can handle large amounts of data and partly that you can handle the vast majority of AutoIt data types. This thread implements a UDF for inter-process communication between two AutoIt scripts based on ROT objects. Simple exampleExamples\0) Sample\ is a simple example. There are 4 files in the folder: Sender.au3: #include "..\..\Includes\IPCROT_Sender.au3" Example() Func Example() ; Create array Local $aArray[1000][10] For $i = 0 To 1000 - 1 For $j = 0 To 9 $aArray[$i][$j] = $i & "/" & $j Next Next ; Send array IPCROT_Sender( "Example", $aArray ) MsgBox( 0, "Sender", "@error = " & @error & ", @extended = " & @extended & @CRLF ) $aArray = 0 EndFunc Receiver.au3: #include <Array.au3> #include "..\..\Includes\IPCROT_Receiver.au3" Example() Func Example() ; Get array Local $aArray IPCROT_Receiver( "Example", $aArray ) MsgBox( 0, "Receiver", "@error = " & @error & ", @extended = " & @extended & @CRLF ) _ArrayDisplay( $aArray, "Receiver" ) $aArray = 0 EndFunc Start1.au3: Run( @AutoItExe & " /AutoIt3ExecuteScript Sender.au3", "" ) Run( @AutoItExe & " /AutoIt3ExecuteScript Receiver.au3", "" ) Start2.au3: Run( @AutoItExe & " /AutoIt3ExecuteScript Receiver.au3", "" ) Run( @AutoItExe & " /AutoIt3ExecuteScript Sender.au3", "" ) Start1.au3 and Start2.au3 shows that it doesn't matter if you start Sender.au3 first or Receiver.au3 first. Another way to start the programs is to double-click Receiver.au3 and then double-click Sender.au3 within 10 seconds. Or double-click Sender.au3 and then double-click Receiver.au3 within 10 seconds. 10 seconds because the default timeout for both IPCROT_Sender() and IPCROT_Receiver() functions is 10 seconds. Timeout can be set via a parameter. Debug exampleExamples\1) Debug\ is a debug example. There are 3 files in the folder: Sender.au3: #include "..\..\Includes\IPCROT_SenderDebug.au3" Example() Func Example() ; Create array Local $aArray[1000][10] For $i = 0 To 1000 - 1 For $j = 0 To 9 $aArray[$i][$j] = $i & "/" & $j Next Next ; Send array Local $hDebug IPCROT_Sender( $hDebug, "Debug", $aArray ) MsgBox( 0, "Sender", "@error = " & @error & ", @extended = " & @extended & @CRLF ) EndFunc Receiver.au3: #include <Array.au3> #include "..\..\Includes\IPCROT_ReceiverDebug.au3" Example() Func Example() ; Get array Local $aArray, $hDebug IPCROT_Receiver( $hDebug, "Debug", $aArray ) MsgBox( 0, "Receiver", "@error = " & @error & ", @extended = " & @extended & @CRLF ) _ArrayDisplay( $aArray, "Receiver" ) $aArray = 0 EndFunc Start.au3: Run( @AutoItExe & " /AutoIt3ExecuteScript Sender.au3", "" ) Run( @AutoItExe & " /AutoIt3ExecuteScript Receiver.au3", "" ) The difference between the debug and non-debug versions is the include files and the way the IPCROT_Sender() and IPCROT_Receiver() functions are called. The debug functions must be called with an initial $hDebug parameter that is a reference to the debug window. The Debug window contains an Edit control to display debug information. If you run Start.au3, debug information is generated in this way: Sender Debug output: Establish communication with Receiver() function Info - Check that the (hidden) window "DebugIPCROT_SenderGui" doesn't exist Checking... Info - The (hidden) window "DebugIPCROT_SenderGui" doesn't exist Checked OK Info - Create window to establish communication between Sender and Receiver Creating... Info - "DebugIPCROT_SenderGui" to establish communication is created 0x002003BE Info - Get $hReceiverGui from "DebugIPCROT_ReceiverGui" window Get $hReceiverGui... Info - Got $hReceiverGui from "DebugIPCROT_ReceiverGui" window 0x000503B8 Info - Verify communication with Receiver by sending $hSenderGui to Receiver Verifying... Info - Communication with Receiver has been verified so far Verified OK Info - Sender has been running for a total of (milliseconds) 340.758703766091 Pass data from Sender() to Receiver() through ROT object Info - Register ROT object: $sROTNameId = Debug-{43EDDFE3-7803-402A-AC63-A122164C1853} Info - ROT object is registered: $sROTNameId = Debug-{43EDDFE3-7803-402A-AC63-A122164C1853} Info - Copy $sROTNameId to Receiver Copying... Info - $sROTNameId is copied to Receiver Copied OK Info - Get the ROT object Get ROT object... Info - Got the ROT object ROT object OK Info - Store data in ROT object, may be time consuming for large amounts of data Store data... Info - Data is stored in ROT object, the storing time is (milliseconds) 8.8428446044186 Info - Send "Data is ready message" to Receiver Data ready... Info - "Data is ready message" is send to Receiver Data ready OK Info - Idle loop until data is received by Receiver or an error has occurred Waiting (max 100 sec)... Info - Informed by Receiver that data is received Data received OK Info - Removing ROT object Removed OK Info - Sender has been running for a total of (milliseconds) 550.850650732295 Receiver Debug output: Establish communication with Sender() function Info - Check that the (hidden) window "DebugIPCROT_ReceiverGui" doesn't exist Checking... Info - The (hidden) window "DebugIPCROT_ReceiverGui" doesn't exist Checked OK Info - Create window to establish communication between Sender and Receiver Creating... Info - "DebugIPCROT_ReceiverGui" to establish communication is created 0x000503B8 Info - Get $hSenderGui from "DebugIPCROT_SenderGui" window Get $hSenderGui... Info - Got $hSenderGui from "DebugIPCROT_SenderGui" window 0x002003BE Info - Verify communication with Sender by sending $hReceiverGui to Sender Verifying... Info - Communication with Sender has been verified so far Verified OK Info - Receiver has been running for a total of (milliseconds) 342.119567626512 Receive data from Sender() through ROT object Info - Idle loop until data is ready for Receiver or an error has occurred Waiting (max 100 sec)... Info - $sROTNameId is received: $sROTNameId = Debug-{43EDDFE3-7803-402A-AC63-A122164C1853} Info - Received "Data is ready message" from Sender Data ready OK Info - Get the ROT object Get ROT object... Info - Got the ROT object ROT object OK Info - Load data from ROT object Load data... Info - Data is loaded from ROT object, the loading time is (milliseconds) 36.1543184155466 Info - Inform Sender that data has been received Data received OK Info - Receiver has been running for a total of (milliseconds) 508.463010656406 Note that there is no message loop in the debug windows. It's the MsgBoxes that keeps the debug windows open. When you close the Receiver MsgBox, the array received from the Sender() function is displayed with _ArrayDisplay(). Now, the _ArrayDisplay() function keeps the Receiver debug window open. When you close the _ArrayDisplay() window, the Receiver debug window also closes. When you close the Sender() MsgBox, the Sender debug window also closes. If you double-click Sender.au3 and wait for 10 seconds until timeout, you'll see this information. Sender Debug output: Establish communication with Receiver() function Info - Check that the (hidden) window "DebugIPCROT_SenderGui" doesn't exist Checking... Info - The (hidden) window "DebugIPCROT_SenderGui" doesn't exist Checked OK Info - Create window to establish communication between Sender and Receiver Creating... Info - "DebugIPCROT_SenderGui" to establish communication is created 0x0005039C Info - Get $hReceiverGui from "DebugIPCROT_ReceiverGui" window Get $hReceiverGui... Error - Couldn't get $hReceiverGui from "DebugIPCROT_ReceiverGui" window @error = 2, @extended = 0 Error - Sender has been trying until timeout after 10 seconds If you double-click Receiver.au3 and wait for 10 seconds until timeout, you'll see this information. Receiver Debug output: Establish communication with Sender() function Info - Check that the (hidden) window "DebugIPCROT_ReceiverGui" doesn't exist Checking... Info - The (hidden) window "DebugIPCROT_ReceiverGui" doesn't exist Checked OK Info - Create window to establish communication between Sender and Receiver Creating... Info - "DebugIPCROT_ReceiverGui" to establish communication is created 0x000603A6 Info - Get $hSenderGui from "DebugIPCROT_SenderGui" window Get $hSenderGui... Error - Couldn't get $hSenderGui from "DebugIPCROT_SenderGui" window @error = 2, @extended = 0 Error - Receiver has been trying until timeout after 10 seconds How does it work?From the debug information it should be possible to get an impression of how the code works. The code in both the IPCROT_Sender() and IPCROT_Receiver() functions is divided into two sections. The first section is about establishing communication with the other function. The second section is about the actual data transfer. Function header for IPCROT_Sender(): ; Success: Returns 1 ; Failure: Returns 0 ; Sets @error and @extended ; @error = 1: SenderGui error ; @error = 2: $hReceiverGui error ; @error = 3: Communication with Receiver cannot be verified ; @error = 4: ROT_RegisterObject error ; @error = 5: IPCROT_SendCopyData error ; @error = 6: Get the ROT object error ; @error = 7: Data is ready message error ; @error = 8: Error occured in Receiver() function ; @error = 9: Idle loop timeout, most likely an error ; @extended = zero based error occurrence Func IPCROT_Sender( _ ; Pass data (usually an array or object) from Sender to Receiver through ROT object. $sNameId, _ ; $sNameId is a unique identifier to secure multiple concurrent data communications. $vData, _ ; $vData is the data to be sent from Sender to Receiver, usually an array or object. $iTimeOut = 10 ) ; Time window to establish communication between Sender() and Receiver() functions. ; Does not include time for the actual data transfer. Time setting in seconds. Function header for IPCROT_Receiver(): ; Success: Returns 1 ; Failure: Returns 0 ; Sets @error and @extended ; @error = 1: ReceiverGui error ; @error = 2: $hSenderGui error ; @error = 3: Communication with Sender cannot be verified ; @error = 4: Error occured in Sender() function ; @error = 5: Get the ROT object error ; @error = 6: Idle loop timeout, most likely an error ; @extended = zero based error occurrence Func IPCROT_Receiver( _ ; Pass data (usually an array or object) from Sender to Receiver through ROT object. $sNameId, _ ; $sNameId is a unique identifier to secure multiple concurrent data communications. ByRef $vData, _ ; $vData is the data to be sent from Sender to Receiver, usually an array or object. $iTimeOut = 10 ) ; Time window to establish communication between Sender() and Receiver() functions. ; Does not include time for the actual data transfer. Time setting in seconds. Note that the debug versions of the functions have an additional $hDebug parameter as the first parameter. It's a reference to the debug window. Establish communication Sender-Receiver communication is established through simple Window automation. IPCROT_Sender() creates a (hidden) window titled $sNameId & "IPCROT_SenderGui". IPCROT_Receiver() creates a (hidden) window titled $sNameId & "IPCROT_ReceiverGui". The other function establishes communication by identifying this window. To establish communication between multiple Sender-Receiver pairs at once, $sNameId must be unique for each Sender-Receiver pair. And both the Sender and Receiver window must be opened within the timeout period. Data transfer When communication is established, it's the Sender who plays the role of server. Sender creates the ROT object, sends $sROTNameId to Receiver via a WM_COPYDATA message, stores data in the ROT object and sends a "Data is ready message" to the Receiver. $sROTNameId is created uniquely in this way: $sROTNameId = $sNameId & ROT_CreateGUID(). The Receiver plays the role of client. Once the Receiver has received the "Data is ready message", the Receiver accesses the ROT object with ObjGet() and retrieves the data. Receiver informs Sender that data has been received, which terminates the communication. Internal communication Information in the form of integers sent via WM_USER messages controls the internal communication between Sender and Receiver. IPCROT_Messages.au3: #include-once ; WM_USER messages Global Const $IPCROTMSG_iMsgToSender = 0x7FFF Global Const $IPCROTMSG_iMsgToReceiver = $IPCROTMSG_iMsgToSender - 1 ; Messages to Sender from Receiver Global Const $IPCROTMSG_iReceiverHandle = 1 Global Const $IPCROTMSG_iReceiverDataReceived = 2 Global Const $IPCROTMSG_iReceiverError = 3 Global $IPCROTMSG_iReceiverErrorValue = 4 Global Const $IPCROTMSG_iCommnError = 1 ; ReceiverErrorValue Global Const $IPCROTMSG_iGetROTobject = 4 ; Messages to Receiver from Sender ; $WM_COPYDATA to send $sROTNameId Global Const $IPCROTMSG_iSenderHandle = 5 Global Const $IPCROTMSG_iDataIsReady = 6 Global Const $IPCROTMSG_iSenderError = 7 Global $IPCROTMSG_iSenderErrorValue = 8 ;Global Const $IPCROTMSG_iCommnError = 1 ; SenderErrorValues Global Const $IPCROTMSG_iRegisterROTobject = 2 Global Const $IPCROTMSG_iCopyROTNameId = 3 ;Global Const $IPCROTMSG_iGetROTobject = 4 ; Sender/Receiver errors Global Const $IPCROTMSG_aErrorValues = [ _ "RegisterROTobject", _ "CopyROTNameId", _ "GetROTobject" ] Data typesExamples\2) Data types\ is about data types. The example is based on the example for the VarGetType() function in the help file. DataTypes.au3 is a slightly modified version of this example. Note that all remaining examples run in debug mode so it's possible to see what's going on. In Sender.au3, the various data types are stored in a dictionary object and sent in this way: Local $oDict = ObjCreate( "Scripting.Dictionary" ) $oDict( "$aArray" ) = $aArray $oDict( "$dBinary" ) = $dBinary $oDict( "$bBoolean" ) = $bBoolean $oDict( "$pPtr" ) = $pPtr $oDict( "$hWnd" ) = $hWnd $oDict( "$iInt" ) = $iInt $oDict( "$fFloat" ) = $fFloat $oDict( "$oObject" ) = $oObject $oDict( "$sString" ) = $sString $oDict( "$tStruct" ) = $tStruct $oDict( "$vKeyword" ) = $vKeyword $oDict( "$fuMsgBox" ) = $fuMsgBox $oDict( "$fuFunc" ) = $fuFunc $oDict( "$fuUserFunc" ) = $fuUserFunc ; Send $oDict Local $hDebug IPCROT_Sender( $hDebug, "DataTypes", $oDict ) Receiver.au3: #include "..\..\Includes\IPCROT_ReceiverDebug.au3" Example() Func Example() ; Get $oDict Local $oDict, $hDebug IPCROT_Receiver( $hDebug, "DataTypes", $oDict ) MsgBox( 0, "Receiver: Variable Types", _ "$aArray : " & @TAB & @TAB & VarGetType( $oDict( "$aArray" ) ) & " variable type." & @CRLF & _ "$dBinary : " & @TAB & @TAB & VarGetType( $oDict( "$dBinary" ) ) & " variable type." & @CRLF & _ "$bBoolean : " & @TAB & VarGetType( $oDict( "$bBoolean" ) ) & " variable type." & @CRLF & _ "$pPtr : " & @TAB & @TAB & VarGetType( $oDict( "$pPtr" ) ) & " variable type." & @CRLF & _ "$hWnd : " & @TAB & @TAB & VarGetType( $oDict( "$hWnd" ) ) & " variable type." & @CRLF & _ "$iInt : " & @TAB & @TAB & VarGetType( $oDict( "$iInt" ) ) & " variable type." & @CRLF & _ "$fFloat : " & @TAB & @TAB & VarGetType( $oDict( "$fFloat" ) ) & " variable type." & @CRLF & _ "$oObject : " & @TAB & VarGetType( $oDict( "$oObject" ) ) & " variable type." & @CRLF & _ "$sString : " & @TAB & @TAB & VarGetType( $oDict( "$sString" ) ) & " variable type." & @CRLF & _ "$tStruct : " & @TAB & @TAB & "Not recognized as a valid variable type." & @CRLF & _ "$vKeyword : " & @TAB & VarGetType( $oDict( "$vKeyword" ) ) & " variable type." & @CRLF & _ "fuMsgBox : " & @TAB & "Not recognized as a valid variable type." & @CRLF & _ "$fuFunc : " & @TAB & @TAB & "Not recognized as a valid variable type." & @CRLF & _ "$fuUserFunc : " & @TAB & "Not recognized as a valid variable type." ) EndFunc And this is the text in the Receiver MsgBox: $aArray : Array variable type. $dBinary : Binary variable type. $bBoolean : Bool variable type. $pPtr : Int32 variable type. $hWnd : Int32 variable type. $iInt : Int32 variable type. $fFloat : Double variable type. $oObject : Object variable type. $sString : String variable type. $tStruct : Not recognized as a valid variable type. $vKeyword : Keyword variable type. fuMsgBox : Not recognized as a valid variable type. $fuFunc : Not recognized as a valid variable type. $fuUserFunc : Not recognized as a valid variable type. Only the $tStruct and the function data types are not received correctly by the Receiver function. The Int32 types for $pPtr and $hWnd can easily be converted to pointer and window handles with the Ptr() and HWnd() functions. DllStructThe DllStruct data type ($tStruct in the example above) isn't a COM compatible data type and is therefore not received correctly by the Receiver function. But the Binary data type is received correctly. One way to handle the DllStruct is to convert it to a Binary before it's sent by the Sender() function. And then convert the Binary back to a DllStruct after it's received by the Receiver() function. Examples\3) DllStruct\ is about the DllStruct data type. Binary data What is Binary data and how is Binary data stored in internal AutoIt code? in Accessing AutoIt Variables in Tests\Examples\1) Simple variables\Example3.au3 all the data types in the example for the VarGetType() function are examined. This is the result for the Binary data type: $dBinary Type = Binary ptr = 0x009C59A0 ($pVariant) vt = 0x2011 (VT_ARRAY+VT_UI1, array of 1 byte unsigned integers) data = 0x009DABF8 This means that Binary data is stored internally as a safearray of bytes (also known as a bytearray). When Binary data is passed to a COM method as a parameter, the pointer to this safearray is passed in a variant. Sender and Receiver Sender.au3: #include "AccVars.au3" #include "..\..\Includes\IPCROT_SenderDebug.au3" Example() Func Example() Local Const $tagStruct = "struct;int var1;byte var2;uint var3;char var4[128];endstruct" Local $tStruct1 = DllStructCreate( $tagStruct ) DllStructSetData( $tStruct1, "var1", -1 ) DllStructSetData( $tStruct1, "var2", 255 ) DllStructSetData( $tStruct1, "var3", -1 ) ; The -1 (signed int) will be typecasted to unsigned int. DllStructSetData( $tStruct1, "var4", "Hello" ) ; Change data of element var4 (char) in $tStruct1, DllStructSetData( $tStruct1, "var4", Asc( "h" ), 1 ) ; at the index 1 of the char array (1 based index). Local $dBinary AccVars_DllStructToBinary( $tStruct1, $dBinary ) ; Convert DllStruct to Binary Local $oDict = ObjCreate( "Scripting.Dictionary" ) $oDict( "$tagStruct" ) = $tagStruct $oDict( "$dBinary" ) = $dBinary ; Send $oDict Local $hDebug IPCROT_Sender( $hDebug, "DllStruct", $oDict ) Local $iError = @error, $iExtended = @extended If $iError Then MsgBox( 0, "Sender", "@error = " & $iError & ", @extended = " & $iExtended & @CRLF ) Return EndIf MsgBox( 0, "Sender: $tStruct1", _ "Struct Size: " & DllStructGetSize( $tStruct1 ) & @CRLF & _ "Struct pointer: " & DllStructGetPtr( $tStruct1 ) & @CRLF & _ "Data:" & @CRLF & _ " " & DllStructGetData( $tStruct1, "var1" ) & @CRLF & _ " " & DllStructGetData( $tStruct1, "var2" ) & @CRLF & _ " " & DllStructGetData( $tStruct1, "var3" ) & @CRLF & _ " " & DllStructGetData( $tStruct1, "var4" ) ) EndFunc The DllStruct is copied from the example for the DllStructCreate() function in the help file. AccVars_DllStructToBinary() converts the DllStruct to Binary using the techniques from Accessing AutoIt Variables. The function is discussed below. $tagStruct and $dBinary are stored in a dictionary object and sent using the Sender() function. The original data in $tStruct1 looks like this in a MsgBox: Struct Size: 140 Struct pointer: 0x00B64EA8 Data: -1 255 4294967295 hello Receiver.au3: #include "..\..\Includes\IPCROT_ReceiverDebug.au3" Example() Func Example() ; Get $oDict Local $oDict, $hDebug IPCROT_Receiver( $hDebug, "DllStruct", $oDict ) Local $iError = @error, $iExtended = @extended If $iError Then MsgBox( 0, "Receiver", "@error = " & $iError & ", @extended = " & $iExtended & @CRLF ) Return EndIf Local $tagStruct = $oDict( "$tagStruct" ) Local $dBinary = $oDict( "$dBinary" ) ; Convert Binary to DllStruct Local $iSize = BinaryLen( $dBinary ) Local $tBytes = DllStructCreate( "byte[" & $iSize & "]" ) DllStructSetData( $tBytes, 1, $dBinary ) Local $tStruct2 = DllStructCreate( $tagStruct, DllStructGetPtr( $tBytes ) ) MsgBox( 0, "Receiver: $tStruct2", _ "Struct Size: " & DllStructGetSize( $tStruct2 ) & @CRLF & _ "Struct pointer: " & DllStructGetPtr( $tStruct2 ) & @CRLF & _ "Data:" & @CRLF & _ " " & DllStructGetData( $tStruct2, "var1" ) & @CRLF & _ " " & DllStructGetData( $tStruct2, "var2" ) & @CRLF & _ " " & DllStructGetData( $tStruct2, "var3" ) & @CRLF & _ " " & DllStructGetData( $tStruct2, "var4" ) ) EndFunc The dictionary object is received by the Receiver() function and $tagStruct and $dBinary are extracted. Converting the Binary data back to a DllStruct is straightforward. The received data in $tStruct2 looks like this in a MsgBox: Struct Size: 140 Struct pointer: 0x00C80510 Data: -1 255 4294967295 hello AccVars_DllStructToBinary() AccVars_DllStructToBinary() is included in AccVars.au3, which is a mini version of Accessing AutoIt Variables UDF. The function is used to convert a DllStruct to Binary. Func AccVars_DllStructToBinary( ByRef $tStruct, ByRef $dBinary ) ; Convert $tStruct to a DllStruct of bytes Local $iSize = DllStructGetSize( $tStruct ) Local $tByteArray = DllStructCreate( "byte[" & $iSize & "]", DllStructGetPtr( $tStruct ) ) ; Create a safearray to store the $tByteArray struct Local $tsaBound = DllStructCreate( $tagSAFEARRAYBOUND ) DllStructSetData( $tsaBound, "cElements", $iSize ) ; Size of safearray = size of $tByteArray struct DllStructSetData( $tsaBound, "lLbound", 0 ) Local $pSafeArray = SafeArrayCreate( $VT_UI1, 1, $tsaBound ) ; $VT_UI1 = safearray of bytes ; Get access to safearray data Local $pArrayData, $tArrayData SafeArrayAccessData( $pSafeArray, $pArrayData ) ; Get access to safearray data through an AutoIt DllStruct $tArrayData = DllStructCreate( "byte[" & $iSize & "]", $pArrayData ) ; Store $tByteArray in the safearray data area DllStructSetData( $tArrayData, 1, DllStructGetData( $tByteArray, 1 ) ) ; Unaccess safearray data SafeArrayUnaccessData( $pSafeArray ) ; Convert the safearray to the native AutoIt binary data type AccessVariables02( AccVars_ByteArrayToBinary, $pSafeArray, $dBinary ) EndFunc Func AccVars_ByteArrayToBinary( $pvSafeArray, $pvBinary ) ; $pvSafeArray is a variant that contains a pointer to a safearray Local $pSafeArray = DllStructGetData( DllStructCreate( "ptr", $pvSafeArray + 8 ), 1 ) ; Set $pvBinary to match a standard COM bytearray. A standard ; COM bytearray is a safearray of bytes stored inside a variant. ; Set vt element to $VT_ARRAY + $VT_UI1 (safearray of bytes) DllStructSetData( DllStructCreate( "word", $pvBinary ), 1, $VT_ARRAY + $VT_UI1 ) ; Set data element to safearray pointer DllStructSetData( DllStructCreate( "ptr", $pvBinary + 8 ), 1, $pSafeArray ) ; On function exit, the standard COM bytearray is converted to the native AutoIt binary data type ; This conversion is performed by internal AutoIt functions implemented as compiled C/C++ code EndFunc AccessVariables02() is defined in AccVars.au3. The whole purpose of using the techniques of Accessing AutoIt Variables is to exploit the internal COM conversions implemented in compiled C/C++ code to do all the hard work. Alternatively, it's possible to make the same conversions in a loop in (slow) interpreted AutoIt code. The Variant and Safearray UDFs are copied directly from Variants and Safearrays. Large array In Examples\4) Large array\, an array of 250,000 rows and 10 columns is created and sent from Sender to Receiver. In the debug windows you can see how long each sub-task takes. At the Receiver, the array is displayed in a virtual ArrayDisplay. The array is created with the functions of Fast Array Sorting and Management Functions UDF. Although this example is mostly about compiled code, most functions are also implemented in pure AutoIt code. One of these functions, FAS_Random2DArrayAu3(), is used to create the array. The function is found in Examples\Data Display\Resources\. A few code lines have been added to generate progress bar information. Examples\8) Two concurrent data transfers\ is also about large arrays. Other examples5) Array of arrays\ and 6) Array of objects\ is about arrays with embedded data. You can also create an array of embedded DllStructs. But then the DllStructs must be converted to Binary before the array is sent from Sender to Receiver. Arrays in the examples are 1D and 2D arrays. But it can also be 3D and 4D arrays. All valid AutoIt arrays are likely to work. 7) Two way data transfer\ demonstrates how to implement two-way data transfer. 7z-fileThe 7z-file contains source code for the UDF and examples. You need AutoIt 3.3.12 or later. Tested on Windows 7 and Windows 10. Comments are welcome. Let me know if there are any issues. IPCviaROTobjects.7z

Do like with life: give birth to the baby and only then give him a name. In the mean time use the placeholder XXX to keep excitation at high level.

I am lucky because: The above post was my 1123rd post I completed the post just before deadline I hope you may enjoy the read, TD