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From: CDCKAB%EMUVM1.BITNET@cunyvm.cuny.edu ( Karl Brendel)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.pascal
Subject: Re: case (string) of
Message-ID: <27115@adm.brl.mil>
Date: 4 Jun 91 23:03:45 GMT
Sender: news@adm.brl.mil
Lines: 46

In article <1991Jun3.222059.16125@javelin.sim.es.com>,
  tpehrson@javelin.sim.es.com (Tim Clinkenpeel) writes:

>so i can't use case for strings, eh?  what are my alternatives?  a
>list of if-thens?  (tp5.0)

That's one option. Another is to test the strings against the
elements of an array, and use the matching index as the argument for
the case:

type
  strArray : array [1..5] of string[6];
const
  caseStrings : strArray =
    ('DELETE','INSERT','SORT','REPORT','QUIT');
var
  inputString : string[6];
  i : word;
begin
  GetInput(inputString);
  inputString := UpCaseString(inputString);
  i := 5;
  while (i > 0) and (inputString <> caseStrings[i]) do
    Dec(i);
  case i of
    0 : ; {no match}
    1 : procDelete;
    2 : procInsert;
    3 : procSort;
    4 : procReport;
    5 : Quit;
end.

If you have lengthy strings or many of them, or have other
objections to the "match the array" approach, then you can calculate
some type of value from the string (i.e., "hash" it) and use that
value as the case variable.

Cheers--                        --Karl

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| Karl Brendel                           Centers for Disease Control |
| Internet: CDCKAB@EMUVM1.BITNET         Epidemiology Program Office |
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