Const Records and Class/Property Attributes (decoration)

[mvanrijnen 123]

Hey guys, i'm trying to implement something with attributes, which for the most works, but stumble on some problems with something.

 

I have a setting class, which i use with class decoration, following works just fine:

type
 TMyClass = class
private
   fmyint : integer;
 public
  [Setting(666), SettingGroup('MySettingGroup1')]  
   property MyInt : integer read FMyInt write FMyInt;
 end;

So the property MyInt has a default value  of 666, and through a SettingWorker class i can store and retrieve settings from json, ini's, database or whatever, that works just fine.
(the SettingWorker class has methods like ApplyDefaults, LoadIni, SaveIni, etc etc)
 

 

so now the challenge, i want to use this for some more complex properties (records like TPoint etc, this works:

type
 TMyClass = class
private
   fmyPoint : TPoint;
 public
  [Setting(), SettingGroup('MySettingGroup1')]  
   property MyPoint : TPoint read FMyPoint write FMyPoint;
end;

 

so, i can store and retrieve the MyPoint value no problem, no i want to introduce the default value for this:

This does not work:

const
 CNST_MYPOINT : TPoint = (X: 35; Y: 55);

type
 TMyClass = class
private
   fmyPoint : TPoint;
 public
  [Setting(CNST_MYPOINT), SettingGroup('MySettingGroup1')]  
   property MyPoint : TPoint read FMyPoint write FMyPoint;
end;

(i get: E2026 Constant expression expected)

 

This also does not work:

type
 TMyClass = class
private
   fmyPoint : TPoint;
 public
  [Setting(TPoint = (X: 35; Y: 55)), SettingGroup('MySettingGroup1')]  
   property MyPoint : TPoint read FMyPoint write FMyPoint;
end;

(i get: E2029 '(' expected but '=' found)

 

Any thoughts, remark, ideas ?
 

Edited July 20, 2021 by mvanrijnen

[Lars Fosdal 1792]

I've butted my head against this, and sadly there currently is no way to pass a typed const to an attribute.

There are reports for problems with typed consts - so please vote.

https://quality.embarcadero.com/browse/RSP-13921

likewise, for dynamic arrays
https://quality.embarcadero.com/browse/RSP-32488

 

[David Heffernan 2345]

Attribute syntax demands true constants 

[mvanrijnen 123]

1 hour ago, David Heffernan said:

Attribute syntax demands true constants 

So we need true constants for records 🙂

 

Always  found it strange the variable constant construction in Delphi.

Try to explain it to someone:

* var
   x : integer;
  Variables: something from which the value can change throughout the execution of the application.
 

* const

    x = 5;

  Constant: something from which the value can not change throughout the execution of the application.
 

*  const

     X : integer = 5; 

   A constant from which the value can change throughout the execution of the application, so whats constant on this?
 

If i want to explain this to my mother, she be asking if everything is alright with me 🙂

(and she uses an iphone, ipad and a notebook)

 

Edited July 20, 2021 by mvanrijnen

[Fr0sT.Brutal 900]

13 minutes ago, mvanrijnen said:

const

     X : integer = 5; 

   A constant from which the value can change throughout the execution of the application, so whats constant on this?

Nope. It's a constant that couldn't be changed. But it is typed. Alas, structured constants could only be defined in this form so cannot be used in expressions where "pure" constants required.

From the compiler POV, true constants of simple types don't exist somewhere in code, their value is just substituted in-place. Typed constants, OTOH, are like read-only vars - they sit in memory and have their address.

Edited July 20, 2021 by Fr0sT.Brutal

[mvanrijnen 123]

Yes i'm mistaking it with something else, there is (or was) such a thing in Delphi, Have to check some very old code if i can find it.

 

Edited July 20, 2021 by mvanrijnen

[uligerhardt 18]

1 hour ago, mvanrijnen said:

Yes i'm mistaking it with something else, there is (or was) such a thing in Delphi, Have to check some very old code if i can find it.

 

There is http://docwiki.embarcadero.com/RADStudio/Sydney/en/Writeable_typed_constants_(Delphi). It's just off per default for some years now.

Edited July 20, 2021 by uligerhardt

[mvanrijnen 123]

ah ok, totally missed on that 🙂 sorry for the confusion 

[Fr0sT.Brutal 900]

Well, any typed const could be modified by pointer

2 hours ago, mvanrijnen said:

Yes i'm mistaking it with something else, there is (or was) such a thing in Delphi, Have to check some very old code if i can find it.

seems you recall ancient times when this was true indeed

Quote

In early versions of Delphi and Object Pascal, typed constants were always writeable

[David Heffernan 2345]

1 hour ago, Fr0sT.Brutal said:

Well, any typed const could be modified by pointer

Aren't they placed in read only memory? 

[Fr0sT.Brutal 900]

16 hours ago, David Heffernan said:

Aren't they placed in read only memory? 

I'm not sure what do you mean by read-only memory but this works:

const
  b: byte = 1;

procedure TForm1.Button2Click(Sender: TObject);
begin
  pbyte(@b)^ := 2;
end;

 

[Lars Fosdal 1792]

@Fr0sT.Brutal - Same for records.

 

{$WRITEABLECONST OFF}
const
  TypedConst: xlt = (no:'Norsk'; se: 'Svensk'; en:'English');
type
  pxlt = ^xlt;

procedure TForm1.TestTypedConst;
  procedure Show(const aConst: xlt);
  begin
    Memo1.Lines.Add(aConst.no +', '+ aConst.se +', '+ aConst.en);
  end;
begin
  Show(TypedConst);
  pxlt(@TypedConst)^.se := 'Deutsch';
  Show(TypedConst);
end;

Output

Norsk, Svensk, English
Norsk, Deutsch, English

 

16 hours ago, David Heffernan said:

Aren't they placed in read only memory? 

So, the answer is a definitive no.

 

Edit: Note that with WRITEABLECONST OFF

TypedConst.se := 'Deutsch';    gives a [dcc32 Error]: E2064 Left side cannot be assigned to

while it compiles with WRITEABLECONST ON.

 

[Lars Fosdal 1792]

We need a truly immutable typed const.

[Fr0sT.Brutal 900]

1 hour ago, Lars Fosdal said:

Same for records.

Yep, sure. I use this trick for some lookup tables that must be constant but can't be defined in code. I fill them via pointer at unit init

[David Heffernan 2345]

3 hours ago, Lars Fosdal said:

20 hours ago, David Heffernan said:

Aren't they placed in read only memory? 

So, the answer is a definitive no.

Yeah, you are right, I just assumed that typed constants would be placed in read only memory, as they are in other tool chains. Oh well.