hi all,

i've got a UDT structured as such

Private Type DataListing
    Date                         As String * 19
    TimeZone                     As String * 5
    PredictedValue               As String * 7
    ObservedValue                As String * 7
    ResidualValue                As String * 7
    Windspeed                    As String * 5
    WindDirection                As String * 5
    WindGust                     As String * 5
    BarPressure                  As String * 7
    AirTemperature               As String * 6
    WaterTemperature             As String * 6
    CRLineFeed                   As String * 2
End Type

with a datalisting entry (read from a text file) as follows

05/21/2005 13:36:00  CDT   1.39   1.46
  0.07 -999 -999 -999 -999.9 -99.9 -99.9

the problem (inconvenience, really) is that i've got many, many calculations
to perform with these value within the structure (and the are hundreds of
datalistings).  basically, for each calculation, i'm currently using
datatype conversions (ie., Csng, Cdbl, Cdate, etc.) and it's starting to get
pretty ugly.  is there a more efficient way to breakdown the datalisting?
ideally, it would be

Private Type DataListing
    Date                         As Date
    TimeZone                     As String * 5
    PredictedValue               As Single
    ObservedValue                As Single
    ResidualValue                As Single
    Windspeed                    As Single
    WindDirection                As Single
    WindGust                     As Single
    BarPressure                  As Single
    AirTemperature               As Single
    WaterTemperature             As Single
    CRLineFeed                   As String * 2
End Type

so calculations could be perform without converting them from strings, but
the only way i can think of to do this is to restructure the datalisting
into the structure above.  is that basically what i'm going to have to do or
am i completely overlooking an easier way?

lance

<code snipped>
<code snipped>
Open the file in Binary mode and you can read and write this structure type directly.

'*** Warning; air-code..
Dim FNum As Integer
Dim MyStruct As DataListing

' Populate MyStruct here..

FNum = FreeFile() ' Write structure to disk
Open FileName For Binary Access Write Lock Read Write As #FNum
    Put #FNum, , DataListing
Close #FNum

FNum = FreeFile() ' Read structure from disk
Open FileName For Binary Access Read Lock Write As #FNum
    Get #FNum, , DataListing
Close #FNum
'***

You'll also find that in most cases this makes the files you're working with a lot smaller and since they're just raw
binary data a lot more difficult to tamper with for 'average' users.
Hope this helps,

    Mike


- Microsoft Visual Basic MVP -
E-Mail: ED***@mvps.org
WWW: Http://EDais.mvps.org/

hi mike,

i should note that the file is already existing on disk.

lance

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hi mike,

i should note that the source file containing the datalistings is already on
disk.  it is this file that is read into the structure.

lance

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If you have control over the format of the file then just perform the conversion once and start using binary files from
now on, it will also increase the I/O performance of your application not just calculation speed.  If the file is being
generated by something else that you don't have control over then unfortunately there's not a great deal you can do.
Personally I would perform the conversion at the time the file is read and written though and just use the second
structure internally - performing mathematical calculation by coercing variable into string is not just inefficient,
it's also prone to errors due to the rounding performed on floating point numbers.
Hope this helps,

    Mike


- Microsoft Visual Basic MVP -
E-Mail: ED***@mvps.org
WWW: Http://EDais.mvps.org/

thanks mike.  it is indeed already generated by someone else, but i guess
there is no reason i can't  copy and restructure it to something that will
work with your suggestion.

thanks,
lance


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