Change Read Key - Double, Int, Bool

[Yamaeda]

Background:

"If the key does not exist, the VI returns the default value. "

What happens if the key is empty isn't described in the help, and in fact it results in "Error 19 - Read key.vi" or Error 1 - GPIB (sic) in the boolean case. Not a very helpful error message as it doesn't mention which section and key was faulty nor the call chain so it can be easily found.

Suggestion:

If the key is empty, return default. Alternativly add an input "Return error on empty" to make it optional.

Include section and key in error message

Include call chain (now that's a general improvement needed in many VIs)

How to reproduce?

Read an empty parameter from an ini-file as double, int or boolean.

/Y

[Yamaeda]

Addition:

The default on float should be NaN since there's no number present.

For referrence you can check Bug-Inifile-read

/Y

[AristosQueue (NI)]

This is a good suggestion. We would have to introduce a new VI rather than change the behavior of the existing one in order to avoid breaking existing code, but some sort of change seems reasonable.

I have no idea when that API is next slated for review. In the meantime, you might want to create a wrapper VI around Read Key that checks for the error immediately and changes the outputs as you desire to make your issue easier to find in your own code.

[Oligarlicky]

You mean if the value is empty, not if the key is empty.

=value  ;example of empty key

key=     ;example of empty value

Currently, it does return the default value on error. Are you saying if the value is empty and you ask for a number, it shouldn't throw an error? Seems like a valid error.

[Yamaeda]

@Oli yes, I mean if the key is empty, not missing. Yes, it is in a sense valid as it is (though bad error text), that's why i'm suggesting the "error on empty"-option, in which case it'd work like now else it would just return the default. /Y

[Darren]

Any idea that has received less than 3 kudos within 3 years after posting will be automatically declined.