Fast string

BarryG · **Joined:** Thu Apr 18, 2019 8:17 am **Posts:** 1007

+1 for faster native strings.

Cyllceaux · **Joined:** Mon Jun 23, 2014 1:18 pm **Posts:** 214

@forumuser

I don't know what you mean… do you have an example?

Btw. These are my string-tools at the moment.

Code:

EnableExplicit

Procedure StringAppend(*sb,string.s)
   If string=""
      ProcedureReturn *sb
   EndIf
   Protected size,*Offset
   If *sb
      size=MemorySize(*sb)
      *Offset=size
   EndIf
   size+StringByteLength(string)
   *sb=ReAllocateMemory(*sb,size,#PB_Memory_NoClear)
   PokeS(*sb+*offset,string,-1,#PB_String_NoZero)
   ProcedureReturn *sb
EndProcedure

Procedure AppendString(*sb,string.s)
   ProcedureReturn StringAppend(*sb,string)
EndProcedure

Procedure.s SBToString(*sb)
   If *sb
      ProcedureReturn PeekS(*sb,MemorySize(*sb)/SizeOf(Character),#PB_Unicode)
   Else
      ProcedureReturn ""
   EndIf
EndProcedure

Macro SB2String(n)
   SBToString(n)
EndMacro

Procedure SBClear(*sb)
   If *sb
      FreeMemory(*sb)
   EndIf
   *sb=0
EndProcedure

Macro SBFree(n)
   SBClear(n)
EndMacro

ImportC ""
   wcsstr.i(*str1, *str2)
   _wcslwr.i(*cs)
   wcslen.l(*cs)
EndImport

Procedure FastStringSplit(sString.s, sDelimiters.s, Array StringArray.i(1), Casesense = 1)  
   
   Protected String = @sString
   Protected Delimiters = @sDelimiters
   
   Protected StringSize = wcslen(String) * 2
   Protected DelimitersSize = wcslen(Delimiters) * 2
   
   Protected aString = AllocateMemory(StringSize + 2):CopyMemory(String,aString,StringSize)
   If Not aString:ProcedureReturn 0:EndIf
   
   If Casesense = 0
      _wcslwr(String)
      _wcslwr(Delimiters)
   EndIf
   
   Protected String2 = String
   Protected ElementStart ,ElementSize
   
   Protected aItem
   Repeat   
      
      String2 = wcsstr(String2,Delimiters)
      If String2 = 0
         ElementSize = StringSize - ElementStart
      Else
         ElementSize = String2 - (String + ElementStart)
      EndIf
      
      If ArraySize(StringArray()) < aItem : ReDim StringArray(aItem +99):EndIf
      
      StringArray(aItem) = aString + ElementStart
      aItem + 1
      
      PokeW(aString + ElementStart + ElementSize, 0)
      
      ElementStart + ElementSize + DelimitersSize
      
      String2 + DelimitersSize
      
   Until String2 = DelimitersSize
   
   If ElementSize = StringSize
      FreeMemory(aString)
      If ArraySize(StringArray())=1
         StringArray(0)=@sString
      EndIf
      ProcedureReturn 0
   EndIf
   
   ReDim StringArray(aItem-1)
   
   If ArraySize(StringArray())=0
      StringArray(0)=@sString
   EndIf
   ProcedureReturn aString
EndProcedure

Procedure.s makeParsebleNumber(value.s,post.s="",prefix.s="")
   Protected result.s=Trim(ReplaceString(Value,#DQUOTE$,""))
   If post<>""
      result=ReplaceString(result,post,"")
   EndIf
   If prefix<>""
      result=ReplaceString(result,prefix,"")
   EndIf
   Protected pp=FindString(result,".")
   Protected kk=FindString(result,",")
   If pp<kk
      result=ReplaceString(result,".","")
      result=ReplaceString(result,",",".")
   Else
      result=ReplaceString(result,",","")
   EndIf
   ProcedureReturn Trim(result)
EndProcedure


Procedure.d extValD(value.s,post.s="",prefix.s="")
   Protected result.s=makeParsebleNumber(value)
   ProcedureReturn ValD(Trim(result))
EndProcedure

Procedure.f extValF(value.s,post.s="",prefix.s="")
   Protected result.s=makeParsebleNumber(value)
   ProcedureReturn ValF(Trim(result))
EndProcedure

Procedure.b isLong(value.s)
   ProcedureReturn Bool(Str(Val(value))=value)
EndProcedure

DoubleDutch · **Posted:** Wed Jun 05, 2019 8:42 pm

davido · **Posted:** Wed Jun 05, 2019 8:52 pm

chi · **Posted:** Wed Aug 14, 2019 4:31 pm

Mijikai · **Joined:** Sun Sep 11, 2016 2:17 pm **Posts:** 727

Tenaja · **Joined:** Tue Nov 09, 2010 10:15 pm **Posts:** 1675

Rinzwind · **Posted:** Fri Aug 16, 2019 4:40 am

Possibly take a look at http://bstring.sourceforge.net (or fork https://github.com/msteinert/bstring) for inspiration. Better String Library (bstrlib) for c.

Or https://github.com/antirez/sds . Simple Dynamic Strings (SDS), a c-string compatible optimized library by putting a header with length info in front of the actual c string which makes it an easy insert into PB I guess?

Tenaja · **Joined:** Tue Nov 09, 2010 10:15 pm **Posts:** 1675

I do not work with very large strings, but mostly under 64 characters. It would be nice if we could set the minimum length for the initial allocation, so there would typically be no additional allocations.

I'm also considering using ropes, skeptically. This might be useful, especially for those of you using very long strings. Basically, they are a List of shorter strings treated as a single string. Ideal for long sets, since it can eliminate your large repetitive allocations. Likely overkill for me though...

zikitrake · **Posted:** Mon Nov 11, 2019 8:59 pm

I thought I'd be alone in this fight.

+1 to have a faster native option of string concatenation

pdwyer · **Posted:** Tue Jan 14, 2020 1:06 pm

This reminds me of the "Shlemiel the painter’s algorithm" from years (decades? ago)

https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2001/12/11/back-to-basics/
Joel had a long and interesting rant about this topic. :lol:

It'd be nice for PB to perform this better since I've come to expect good performance under the hood on these kinds of things from the PB Team but it is something that can be (and often is) handled by the developer

+1

nsstudios · **Joined:** Wed Aug 28, 2019 1:01 pm **Posts:** 77

+1 for faster strings

Tristano · **Posted:** Sat Feb 08, 2020 6:45 pm

Quite interesting, in this whole thread no one mentioned (nor tested) that PureBasic natively supports Fixed Strings ".s{Length}".

I'v rarely seen fixed-size strings used in real case examples, and I wonder if it has any benefits over "normal" strings.

Since the ".s{Length}" is a fixed width string, does it use Zero terminator? or does it store it's length somewhere?

I never quite understood why this alternative notation was added, and whether it has any benefits over the other notation.

Any ideas?

Josh · **Joined:** Sat Feb 13, 2010 3:45 pm **Posts:** 1132

Tristano wrote:

... I wonder if it has any benefits over "normal" strings.

A 'normal' string is a pointer to a pointer to a memory area. Every time you change the string, this memory area is newly allocated.

A fix string is a pointer to a memory area that never changes. So the background overhead is much less. In structures a fixed string is stored directly in the structure.

Tristano wrote:

Since the ".s{Length}" is a fixed width string, does it use Zero terminator? or does it store it's length somewhere?

With a fixed string you can use the full specified length. A reservation for a null terminator is not necessary. However, you can make the string shorter by using a null terminator.

Tenaja · **Joined:** Tue Nov 09, 2010 10:15 pm **Posts:** 1675

Quote:

A 'normal' string is a pointer to a pointer to a memory area. Every time you change the string, this memory area is newly allocated.

I believe it's only reallocated when necessary, not every time.

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Fast string

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