finding the right data structure...?

[Robert Brewer]

David Hoare wrote:
> I have an application in VB that I was using as a sample to 
> 're-create' 
> it using python. It involved storing information about sound 
> and light 
> cues (this was for a lighting / sound theater controller).
> 
> The data was stored like this:
> - a custom 'type' called lightCue which looked like this:
> > Type lightCue
> >     Name As String 'optional short name
> >     Description As String 'optional longer description
> >     CueLine As String 'optional line in script where cue occurs
> >     upTime As Single 'time for lights fading UP
> >     downTime As Single 'time for lights fading down
> >     chanLevel(0 To maxChan) As Single 'stored intensity 
> level (0 to 100) for each channel on the lighting console
> > End Type
> 
> I then created an array...
> 	dim lq(1 to 200) as lightCue
> ...allowing me to iterate through the list of cues for any 
> information I 
> needed
> 
> I am struggling to come up with a similar (in function) way 
> to do this 
> in Python. Any ideas? I think I understand about classes, but then I 
> need to 'name' each instance of that class when they are 
> created, don't I?

No, you don't need to name each instance. Start with a simple class like
this:

class LightCue(object):
    def __init__(self, name='', description=''):
        self.name = name
        self.description = description
        self.cueLine = ''
        self.upTime = 0.0
        self.downTime = 0.0
        self.chanLevel = [0.0] * maxChan


...then create a Python list of them instead of a VB array...possibly:

cues = []
for name in names:
    newCue = LightCue(name)
    cues.append(newCue)

...in which case, "cues[44]" will return the appropriate LightCue.
Embellish as necessary.


Robert Brewer
MIS
Amor Ministries
fumanchu at amor.org