@=> operator

[jirko]

Hi,

I have an issue with the @=> operator. I need to share the data of one array into a temporal array. So I thought that the assignment operator is the way to go, but it seems that using this assignment operator will bond the arrays. Please see the code below to see what I mean.

[Antimon]

Attaching an image descibing my take on how arrays work in ChucK. An array is a chunk of allocated memory, and the variable that you assign to point to the array is just a pointer to that chunk. Objects (instances of classes) work the same way.

There is no simple shorthand way to copy an array or an object in ChucK (much like the C-like languages it is inspired by), so you need to do something like this:

[jirko]

Ok, so this operator works like a pointer!
Very clear!

Thanks a lot Stefan for your help!

[Antimon]

Glad when I'm able to help!

ChucK's memory handling works pretty much like the one in Java, though the requirement that you sometimes need to use @=> whith pointers adds a visible distinction from regular assignment (or copying) in the code.

Come to think of it, this is a nice effort, in the spirit of making the assignment operator => distinctively different from the equals operator ==. These things are common sources for errors in other C-like languages, and tricky to troubleshoot.