DIAdem Idea Exchange

Sometimes it is necessary to call a procedure with an optional argument. VB provides an opportunity to do so: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/f25e2b6b.aspx. I created a little workaround which is not working in every case, for example not, when the optional parameter is at the last position of the argument list.

Call Example1(1,) 'throws an error message
Call Example1(1) 'throws an error message
Call Example2(1,,3) 'works

' Not working
Sub Example1(param1, param2)
    If VarType(param2) = 10 Then param2 = 0
End Sub

' Working
Sub Example2(param1, param2, param3)
    If VarType(param2) = 10 Then param2 = 0
End Sub

My idea is to introduce optional parameters for procedures in the argument list with the possibility to define a default value.

Sub Example1(param1, Optional ByVal param2 = 0)

Hello

When developing scripts, I frequently add channel groups for analysis results, using

call data.root.channelgroups.add("analysis")

However, when re-running the scripts, successive groups "analysis1", "analysis2" etc. are created. This is a handy feature that I should not want to miss at some times, BUT

at other times I want to skip the creation of new channel groups. As a work-around I litter my code with 'exist'-statements such as

If not call data.root.channelgroups.exists("analysis") then

       call data.root.channelgroups.add("analysis")

end if

Set oResGrp = data.root.channelgroups("analysis")

Now, my suggestion is to add a command such as "AddOrReplace" or "Use", which would use the existing group if it exists and creates a new group if not. Pretty much the same behaviour as with the calculator, where

CH("NewChannel")= CH("oldChannel") will create a new channel or overwrite an existing one.

So

call data.root.channelgroups.add("analysis")

would work as we know it and

call data.root.channelgroups.Use("analysis")

would create a new object or use the existing one.

Alternatively one could supply an optional paramter to the .Add-method like

call data.root.channelgroups.add("analysis",0)

 as default using the well-known behaviour whereas

call data.root.channelgroups.add("analysis",1)

would change to create or replace.

Obviously the same would come in handy for channels or other objects that use an .add-method.

Thank you

Michael