New feature - inline casting

[Erel]

Dim Buttons As List = Array(Button1, Button2, Button3, Button4, Button5)
Dim btn As B4XView = Buttons.Get(1)
btn.Text = "boring" 

Buttons.Get As B4XView(2).Text = "less boring"
Button5.Text = Buttons.Get As B4XView(2).Text
 Dim m As Map = CreateMap("ttt": " 123 ;lkasd  ")
Button4.Text = m.Get As String("ttt").Trim
Root.GetView As WebView(8).LoadURL("https://www.b4x.com") '8 is the view's index

 

[Alexander Stolte]

'8 is the view's index

A numbering in the designer would be very useful to find out faster the index of a view, with 20 views this is often exhausting.
0
1
2
___0
___1
___2
3
4

 

[MarcoRome]

Hi @Erel is very interesting.
On which version will it be available ( B4A/B4i/B4J?) ?
Will there be any examples ?
Thank you

 

[Star-Dust]

Great!! Does it also affect non-indexed variables?

Example

Sub TicToc(Ob as object)
     Ob as B4xView.Text = "try"
End sub

if Sub TicTac(Ob as object)
     if Ob as B4xView.Text = "try" then log("ok")
End sub

if Sub TicTec(Ob as String)
     if Ob as int = 12 then log("12")
End sub

 

[agraham]

I know you will have made up your mind and this might not fit your parser easily but I would find it more intuitive as

Dim Buttons As List = Array(Button1, Button2, Button3, Button4, Button5)
Dim btn As B4XView = Buttons.Get(1)
btn.Text = "boring" 

(Buttons.Get(2) As B4XView).Text = "less boring"
Button5.Text =(Buttons.Get(2) As B4XView).Text
 Dim m As Map = CreateMap("ttt": " 123 ;lkasd  ")
Button4.Text = m.Get As String("ttt").Trim
(Root.GetView(8) As WebView).LoadURL("https://www.b4x.com") '8 is the view's index

 

[AnandGupta]

A numbering in the designer would be very useful to find out faster the index of a view, with 20 views this is often exhausting.
0
1
2
___0
___1
___2
3
4

@Erel I would request you to consider @Alexander Stolte request too, if possible. As I too have to count them one by one.

 

[EnriqueGonzalez]

This is nice sintatic sugar is always welcome!

 

[Erel]

Great!! Does it also affect non-indexed variables?

Currently it can only be added after methods.

A numbering in the designer would be very useful to find out faster the index of a view, with 20 views this is often exhausting.

It isn't really related to this thread but it will be solved in one of the next versions.

On which version will it be available ( B4A/B4i/B4J?) ?

The next version of each IDE.

 

[aeric]

Dim Buttons As List = Array(Button1, Button2, Button3, Button4, Button5)
Dim btn As B4XView = Buttons.Get(1)
btn.Text = "boring"

Buttons.Get As B4XView(2).Text = "less boring"
Button5.Text = Buttons.Get As B4XView(2).Text
Dim m As Map = CreateMap("ttt": " 123 ;lkasd  ")
Button4.Text = m.Get As String("ttt").Trim
Root.GetView As WebView(8).LoadURL("https://www.b4x.com") '8 is the view's index

Wait, is this B4X version 2.0? ?

What I know is we use “As” when declaring a variable with Public/Private/Dim or when defining the return type of a function.
1. I never know we can declare something As array(x) and directly to it’s property.
2. I think I need a new introduction to .Get and .Get(x) methods.
3. SomeMap.Get As String("xxx").Trim is crazy. What is this type String(“Some Text”)?
4. Root.GetView As WebView(8).LoadURL("http...”)?
Oh no... my brain can’t process anymore!!!
Object.Method As View(i).Method(“xxx”) ?

Now, I am new to B4X. ?

 

[Sandman]

Now, I am new to B4X. ?

Yeah, I also feel very confused by this new feature.

 

[Alexander Stolte]

Yeah, I also feel very confused by this new feature.

I think the feature will make that a little easier and more readable:

xpnl_item_3.GetView(0).Color = BackgroundColor
xpnl_item_3.GetView(1).GetView(0).Text = Text
xpnl_item_3.GetView(1).GetView(1).GetView(0).Text = Amount & "€"
xpnl_item_3.GetView(1).GetView(1).GetView(0).Text = xpnl_item_3.GetView(1).GetView(1).GetView(0).Text.Replace(".",",")
xpnl_item_3.GetView(4).GetView(0).Text = GetItem3Count(CardType) +1

And if I have a customview, I have to declare a variable because otherwise I can't access the properties. And through the feature this is simplified, I think.

 

[udg]

Personally, I find that the syntax suggested by @agraham is more readable

(Buttons.Get(2) As B4XView).Text = "less boring"

But, then, shouldn't it be

Dim m As Map = CreateMap("ttt": " 123 ;lkasd  ")
Button4.Text = (m.Get("ttt")As String).Trim

Anyway, I'm sure that once we get used to this new feature we will love it (as it always happened in the past..)
Go B4X, go!

 

[Sandman]

Personally, I find that the syntax suggested by @agraham is more readable

Yes, I find it to be a big improvement.

But, then, shouldn't it be

Yep, it should. And that's also a big improvement in my opinion.

Anyway, I'm sure that once we get used to this new feature we will love it

I'm not so sure, I'm really trying to like the syntax that Erel showed, but I'm not feeling it yet.

Go B4X, go!

Agreed!

 

[agraham]

But, then, shouldn't it be

Yes, I missed that one

 

[LucaMs]

?

 

[JordiCP]

Also will have to adapt my old brain's structure to this, but seems a good addition

Would the 'concept' be equivalent to this (incorrect) code?

buttons.Get(2).CastTo(B4XView).Text = "less boring"

 

[alwaysbusy]

is this limited to Views or will this be possible too?

MyClass:

Sub Class_Globals
    Public Name As String
End Sub

Public Sub Initialize(mName as String)
    Name = mName
End Sub

Dim lst as List
lst.Initialize

for i = 0 to 5
    Dim cls as MyClass
    cls.Initialize("Name" & i)
    lst.Add(cls)
next

for i = 0 to lst.Size - 1
    Log(lst.Get as MyClass(i).Name)
next

My preference would've been:

for i = 0 to lst.Size - 1
    Log((MyClass)lst.Get(i).Name)
next

But I also do like @agraham's suggestion a lot!

for i = 0 to lst.Size - 1
    Log((lst.Get(i) As MyClass).Name)
next

EDIT: The more I look into Erels implementation, the more I start to like it! It will probably even be the easiest one to parse for e.g. BANano ?, as for JavaScript the Type is irrelevant and can just be ignored anyway:

for (var i = 0; i < lst.length; i++)  {
    console.log(lst[i]["Name"]);
}

Alwaysbusy

 

[agraham]

Would the 'concept' be equivalent to this (incorrect) code?

yes.

 

[Sandman]

Would the 'concept' be equivalent to this (incorrect) code?

I like, nice alternative.

 

[LucaMs]

I know you will have made up your mind and this might not fit your parser easily but I would find it more intuitive as

Dim Buttons As List = Array(Button1, Button2, Button3, Button4, Button5)
Dim btn As B4XView = Buttons.Get(1)
btn.Text = "boring"

(Buttons.Get(2) As B4XView).Text = "less boring"
Button5.Text =(Buttons.Get(2) As B4XView).Text
Dim m As Map = CreateMap("ttt": " 123 ;lkasd  ")
Button4.Text = m.Get As String("ttt").Trim
(Root.GetView(8) As WebView).LoadURL("https://www.b4x.com") '8 is the view's index

It is such a special thing that it would be even better to use square brackets (although typing these is more cumbersome).

[Buttons.Get(2) As B4XView].Text = "less boring"