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2. Access - Access functions

Value handle provides an access operation in order to access elements within an array. More over, access functions allow setting values in elementary or complex value instances or arrays.

When accessing array attributes, one may access the complete array or a single value within an array. In order to access array elements, the [] operator has to be used. The operator turns the array into a single element, which behaves not as array anymore.

Access functions also allow assigning values to a elementary or complex attributes or arrays. Assigning values performs implicit data conversion, i.e. before assigning the right operand or parameter (source) to the left operand (target), it will be converted into the format of the left operand.

Since data conversion also supports complex values in string format, one may assign complex and array values by assigning a string constants.

Access functions also include handling oversize properties, which may store more data than defined as property size. Oversize property support partial data access reading or writing instances block by block.

//  names[2] - refers to the third element in the names array

//  names    - refers to the complete array

  names[2] = "Paul";        // sets third name to Paul

  names    = "Jean;Pierre"; // names[0] --> 'Jean',

                            // names[1] --> 'Pierre',

                            // names[2] --> ''

Functions