[Rd] string comparison

[Duncan Murdoch]

On 8/7/2008 11:20 AM, Prof Brian Ripley wrote:
> It is not safe to rely on pointer comparisons until R 2.8.0.  Currently it 
> is easy to get CHARSXPs that are not in the cache: it is not impossible in 
> 2.8.0, but you have to know how to 'break and enter'.
> 
> In your code you are comparing a CHARSXP and a SYMSXP.  You want to 
> use charChance = mkChar("chance") and then make it precious 
> (R_PreciousObject).

That's R_PreserveObject (which puts the object into an internal 
structure called R_PreciousList).

Duncan Murdoch

> 
> On Thu, 7 Aug 2008, Kjell Konis wrote:
> 
>> Hi,
>>
>> I have a package where I do things like this a lot:
>>
>> if(strncmp(CHAR(asChar(Scategory)), "chance", 6) == 0)
>>   category = h_category_chance;
>> else if(strncmp(CHAR(asChar(Scategory)), "utility", 7) == 0)
>>   category = h_category_utility;
>> else if(strncmp(CHAR(asChar(Scategory)), "decision", 8) == 0)
>>   category = h_category_decision;
>> else if(strncmp(CHAR(asChar(Scategory)), "instance", 8) == 0)
>>   category = h_category_instance;
>> else
>>   category = h_category_error;
>>
>> I would like to replace the strncmps with pointer comparisons so I set up 
>> some global variables in the R_init_myDLL function like this:
>>
>> charChance = install("chance")
>> <etc.>
>>
>> but I can't seem to get the comparison to work. I want to do something like
>>
>> if(CHAR(asChar(Scategory)) == charChance)
>>   category = h_category_chance;
>>
>> but category always ends up being h_category_error. Any pointers would be 
>> appreciated.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Kjell
>>
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>