If you can restrict the tag names to valid dictionary names you could do something like:
TAGS DICT: 1052_MAKE 1052_MODEL 1052_AGE TAGS DATA: 001 Chrysler 002 LeBaron 003 7 years and 3 days David A. Green (480) 813-1725 DAG Consulting -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: Thursday, December 09, 2010 3:10 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [U2] Sparse array population in Pick Years ago I had written a system, far predating XML, where the element-tags were unpredictable. Essentially the user was allowed to create any tags they wished, and any number of tags they wished, attached to another item. Each tag had an associated value. So far example Zip Code = 95062 You could not however predict what tags a person would use, they were all free-form and user-supplied, but you still had to store the tag with their associated value. At the time I developed two ideas for how to do this in a Pick item TAGS1052 001 Make = Chrysler 002 Model = LeBaron 003 Age = 7 years and 3 days TAGS1052 001 Make]Model]Age 002 Chrysler 003 LeBaron 004 7 years and 3 days The first model is clear. Anyone with no programming background at all, can easily understand it, and also easily edit it. It suffers from requiring more elaborate programming than the second model, as you have to parse every element. The second model is not quite as clear. You determine the attibute position of the "value" by locate the tag in attribute 1 and then adding 1 to it. That gives you the attribute number where the value lives. Alternately you could simply pre-fill attribute 1 with an initial null to push everything forward 1 place, then you wouldn't have to add 1 after your locate. Comments? Critiques? Nasty cat-calls and grimaces? Will Johnson _______________________________________________ U2-Users mailing list [email protected] http://listserver.u2ug.org/mailman/listinfo/u2-users _______________________________________________ U2-Users mailing list [email protected] http://listserver.u2ug.org/mailman/listinfo/u2-users
