Important autoit limitation.

[boludoz]

So far I only found one limitation, if I call a function that has Default in its arguments and add a byref at the end it won't accept the byref because "error: all params followed by optional params must be optional", then I can't add a default value to the byref but I can't call it either, what am I supposed to create a global variable to pass a single variable through? the incompatibility of byref with the rest of the forms seems to me a "senseless" limitation, I also can't call a byref that was previously called; why don't you guys just delete the byref, it seems to me not a complete function, maybe it's better to go back to the primitive global.

Guys I know that they do this from the heart, but I only have that gravity so that they become aware of how important byref is for us; I love you, thanks for all greetings.

Edited March 8, 2020 by boludoz

[mikell]

Could you please post a short sample script showing the issue ? thanks

[water]

Global $sParam3 = "Test"
_Func1("param1", Default, $sParam3)

Func _Func1($sParam1, $sParam2 = Default, $sParam3 = "")
EndFunc

Func _Func2($sParam1, $sParam2 = Default, ByRef $sParam3)
EndFunc

Func _Func3($sParam1, ByRef $sParam3, $sParam2 = Default)
EndFunc

returns error:

Quote

"C:\Local\Test_Limitations.au3"(7,49) : error: all params followed by optional params must be optional.
Func _Func2($sParam1, $sParam2 = Default, ByRef $sParam3
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^
"C:\Local\Test_Limitations.au3"(7,58) : error: syntax error
Func _Func2($sParam1, $sParam2 = Default, ByRef $sParam3 =
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^
C:\Local\Test_Limitations.au3 - 2 error(s), 0 warning(s)
!>11:19:27 AU3Check ended. Press F4 to jump to next error.rc:2

As ByRef for an optional parameter does not make sense, AutoIt expects the parameter to be mandatory.
Hence you need to first pass all mandatory, then the optional parameters. See _Func3.

[jchd]

@boludoz  is raising a good point, albeit in an unduly offensive way.

In AutoIt and by construction, an optional parameter has a default value.
Current ByRef modifier implies non-optional, but it could be more flexible: if a parameter is passed, then ByRef it else ByRef the default value.

The help file (Func ...) says "However, a literal cannot be passed to a ByRef parameter." but this is untrue:

what(123)
what("abc")
what(Null)
what(Default)

Func what(ByRef $a)
    ConsoleWrite(VarGetType($a) & @TAB & ($a = Null ? "Null" : $a) & @LF)
EndFunc

Here we're passing literals, which work fine.

What the OP expects is that this code:

which(123)
which("abc")
which()

Func which(ByRef $a = 5)
    ConsoleWrite(VarGetType($a) & @TAB & ($a = Null ? "Null" : $a) & @LF)
EndFunc

would work and produce:

Int32   123
String  abc
Int32   5

which is a perfectly legitimate feature request (whose place is in Trac, not agressively posted in Help).

11 hours ago, boludoz said:

I also can't call a byref that was previously called

I don't get this part. Show some code.

Edited February 24, 2020 by jchd

[Nine]

43 minutes ago, jchd said:

Here we're passing literals, which work fine.

I don't know what version you are using but I can't run this code :

+>07:06:08 Starting AutoIt3Wrapper v.19.102.1901.0 SciTE v.4.1.2.0   Keyboard:00001009  OS:WIN_7/Service Pack 1  CPU:X64 OS:X64  Environment(Language:040C)  CodePage:0  utf8.auto.check:4
+>         SciTEDir => C:\Program Files (x86)\AutoIt3\SciTE   UserDir => C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\AutoIt v3\SciTE\AutoIt3Wrapper   SCITE_USERHOME => C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\AutoIt v3\SciTE 
>Running AU3Check (3.3.14.5)  from:C:\Program Files (x86)\AutoIt3  input:C:\Applications\AutoIt\ZZTemp\Temp4.au3
"C:\Applications\AutoIt\ZZTemp\Temp4.au3"(6,20) : error: what() previously called with Const or expression on ByRef param(s).
Func what(ByRef $a)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^
"C:\Applications\AutoIt\ZZTemp\Temp4.au3"(1,9) : REF: first call to what().
what(123)
~~~~~~~~^
C:\Applications\AutoIt\ZZTemp\Temp4.au3 - 1 error(s), 0 warning(s)
!>07:06:09 AU3Check ended. Press F4 to jump to next error.rc:2
+>07:06:09 AutoIt3Wrapper Finished.
>Exit code: 2    Time: 0.8277

 

Edited February 24, 2020 by Nine

[RTFC]

AFAIK, passing literals to "ByRef  $varnameinfunc" should not work, as $varnameinfunc is used neither as a local variable nor as a pointer, but as a direct reference (which is different from a pointer, think of it as an alias) to the original parsed variable, meaning that the original variable is itself directly acted upon in the function. Also, since a literal is not a variable, no changes to it can be stored for future reference. "ByRef $varnameinfunc=Default" should similarly fail for the same reason ("Default" is not a $variable either).

[jchd]

1 hour ago, Nine said:

I don't know what version you are using but I can't run this code :

The "error" comes from Au3Check. Use #AutoIt3Wrapper_Run_AU3Check=n to actually run the code (which works).