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**Michael Mattias** · 16 Dec 2005, 03:37 PM

Your conversion is correct.

References to [email protected] will retrieve a string, teminating in the first NUL character found.

What exactly is wrong here? I do UDT members AS ASCIIZ PTR (no length) all the time.

Note, you might need Pb/win 7+, I'm not sure 6x supported the 'ambiguous length' asciiz ptr.

But... with 6x you can always make that pointer something like..

Code:

TYPE MONSTER
  ....
  pName     AS ASCIIZ PTR * 32768 (or larger)
..

All that will do is limit the maximum length of the string you can retrieve. It still uses only 4 bytes of storage in your program.

**Don Ewald** · 16 Dec 2005, 04:10 PM

Greetings Michael!

Well, I may still be misunderstanding; but, my program crashes when I add the @ symbol to my PRINT statement. It crashes right during "PRINT [email protected]"...any thoughts?

Code:

DEFDWD A-Z

TYPE Monsters
  iNameL            AS INTEGER         ' Name size
  iNameL2           AS INTEGER         ' Name size again
  pName             AS ASCIIZ PTR      ' Name
  iAttack           AS INTEGER         
  iDefense          AS INTEGER         
  iUniqueID         AS INTEGER         
  iHP               AS INTEGER         ' hit points
  cGroups           AS BYTE            ' number of groups
  cU5               AS ASCIIZ  *   5   
  cFLevel           AS BYTE            ' find level
  cTrapP            AS BYTE            ' trap %
  iReFire           AS INTEGER         ' resists
  iReCold           AS INTEGER         
  iReElectrical     AS INTEGER         
  iReMind           AS INTEGER         
  iReDisease        AS INTEGER         
  iRePoison         AS INTEGER         
  iReMagic          AS INTEGER         
  iReStone          AS INTEGER         
  iReParalysis      AS INTEGER         
  iReDrain          AS INTEGER         
  iReAcid           AS INTEGER         
  cU7               AS ASCIIZ  *   2   
  fAbSeeInvisible   AS SINGLE          ' abilities
  fAbInvisible      AS SINGLE          
  fAbResistMagicAll AS SINGLE          
  fAbResistCharm    AS SINGLE          
  fAbResistWeapon   AS SINGLE          
  fAbResistCWeapon  AS SINGLE          
  cU8               AS ASCIIZ  *   4   
  fAtPoison         AS SINGLE          
  fAtDisease        AS SINGLE          
  fAtParalyze       AS SINGLE          
  fAtBreathFire     AS SINGLE          
  fAtBreathCold     AS SINGLE          
  fAtSpitAcid       AS SINGLE          
  fAtElectrocute    AS SINGLE          
  fAtDrain          AS SINGLE          
  fAtStone          AS SINGLE          
  fAtAge            AS SINGLE          
  fAtCriticalHit    AS SINGLE          
  fAtBackstab       AS SINGLE          
  fAtDestroyItem    AS SINGLE          
  fAtSteal          AS SINGLE          
  fAtBehead         AS SINGLE          
  cU9               AS ASCIIZ  *   4   
  iSpFire           AS INTEGER         ' spells
  iSpCold           AS INTEGER         
  iSpElectrical     AS INTEGER         
  iSpMind           AS INTEGER         
  iSpDamage         AS INTEGER         
  iSpElement        AS INTEGER         
  iSpKill           AS INTEGER         
  iSpCharm          AS INTEGER         
  iSpBind           AS INTEGER         
  iSpHeal           AS INTEGER         
  iSpMovement       AS INTEGER         
  iSpBanish         AS INTEGER         
  iSpDispell        AS INTEGER         
  iSpResistant      AS INTEGER         
  iSpVisual         AS INTEGER         
  iSpMagical        AS INTEGER         
  iSpLocation       AS INTEGER         
  iSpProtection     AS INTEGER         
  iSpMDamage        AS INTEGER         
  iSpMDeath         AS INTEGER         
  iSpMAlchemy       AS INTEGER         
  iSpMHealing       AS INTEGER         
  iSpMMovement      AS INTEGER         
  cU10              AS ASCIIZ  *   2   
  fRadius           AS SINGLE          ' Size; very small = 0.09, small = 0.18....
  cU3               AS ASCIIZ  *   8   
  cAlignment        AS BYTE            
  cU11              AS BYTE            
  cNumber           AS BYTE            
  cU6               AS BYTE            
  iMoney            AS LONG            
  cU4               AS ASCIIZ  *   4   
  iCLevel           AS INTEGER         
  iStr              AS INTEGER         
  iInt              AS INTEGER         
  iWis              AS INTEGER         
  iCon              AS INTEGER         
  iCha              AS INTEGER         
  iDex              AS INTEGER         
  cU13              AS ASCIIZ  *   2   
  iClass            AS INTEGER         
  cU12              AS ASCIIZ  *   12  
  iBreath           AS INTEGER         ' 0 = air, 1 = water, 2 = both
  cU1               AS ASCIIZ  *   96  
END TYPE

FUNCTION PBMAIN
  'Ignore first 12 bytes. NEXT IS "file version", "file revision" AND "number of monsters". THEN
  '"number of monsters" times the monster structure which can be seen below.

  DIM cHeader   AS ASCIIZ   * 12  ' header
  DIM cVersion  AS ASCIIZ   * 8   ' file version
  DIM iRev      AS INTEGER        ' file revision
  DIM iMonsters AS INTEGER        ' number OF monsters
  DIM Mon       AS Monsters       

  OPEN "DEMISEMonsters.DED" FOR BINARY AS #1
    GET #1, 1, cHeader
    GET #1, 13, cVersion
    GET #1, 21, iRev
    GET #1, 23, iMonsters
    
    Spot& = 25
    FOR I& = 0 TO iMonsters
      GET #1, Spot&, Mon

      PRINT LEN(Mon)
      PRINT Mon.iNameL
      PRINT [email protected]
      PRINT Mon.iAttack
      PRINT Mon.IDefense
      PRINT Mon.iUniqueID
      
      Spot& = Spot& + LEN(Mon)

      WAITKEY$
    NEXT I&
  CLOSE #1
END FUNCTION

------------------
Don Ewald
mailto:[email protected][email protected]</A>

**Adam J. Drake** · 16 Dec 2005, 04:48 PM

With your usage presented, it is an invalid pointer and will crash every time.

If you're retrieving data from a file, you'll need to pull the actual string.

Whatever data it's pulling is a 4 byte pointer off in memory "la-la" land, and Windows don't like that one bit.

------------------

**Don Ewald** · 16 Dec 2005, 06:02 PM

Thanks for the replies folks!

The problem that I have, Adam, is that I still don't understand. I was hoping that I could easily convert the C++ TYPE into a PB one. You tell me that I'll need to pull the actual string; but, I don't know how. I thought that the original code designated a pointer?

------------------
Don Ewald
mailto:[email protected][email protected]</A>

**Michael Mattias** · 16 Dec 2005, 06:11 PM

That original C++ type can't be getting that pointer from a file, either. (Well, OK, it "could" but that would be the second-dumbest thing I've ever seen in my life).

Betcha it gets that from a call.

**Don Ewald** · 16 Dec 2005, 07:36 PM

Well, I was able to churn something that's not too pretty, but it works. Right now, that's all that matters.

------------------
Don Ewald
mailto:[email protected][email protected]</A>

**Greg Lyon** · 16 Dec 2005, 09:37 PM

I thought that the original code designated a pointer?

Yes,

Code:

char* pName;

does designate a pointer.

So does

Code:

pName AS ASCIIZ PTR

The problem is, where is the actual string?

[This message has been edited by Greg Lyon (edited December 16, 2005).]

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