Frictional Game Wiki

array <typename T> has no public fields.

The array class is unique in the HPL3 API in that it uses what is called a generic template. What this means is, when you create an array, you need to specify what variable type the array will be holding. This ensures that all objects within a given array are guaranteed to be of that type, eliminating the need for redundant conversions and type checks.

To declare an array, you put the type the array will be holding between a less than operator ( < ) and a greater than operator ( > ).

// An array of integers
array<int> mvIntegerArray;
 
// An array of floats
array<float> mvFloatArray;
 
// An array of strings
array<tString> mvStringArray;

There are a number of ways to add values to your array. The simplest way is to use the push_back function. This automatically puts the given value at the end of the array.

mvIntegerArray.push_back(5);
mvIntegerArray.push_back(2);
mvIntegerArray.push_back(11);
 
// The contents of mvIntegerArray: { 5, 2, 11 }

Another common way is to assign a value to an existing index within the array, using the square bracket ( [ ] ) syntax. (Indeces start at 0.)

mvIntegerArray[0] = 29;
mvIntegerArray[2] = -12;
 
// The contents of mvIntegerArray: { 29, 2, -12 }

To retrieve an element from within the array, use the square bracket ([]) syntax with an integer index.

int lIntValue = mvIntegerArray[0];
 
// The value of lIntvalue: 29

Trying to assign a value to or retrieve a value from an index that does not exist in the array will result in an error.

// If the index at [100] doesn't exist, both of these lines
// of code will throw an error.
mvIntegerArray[100] = 5;
int lIntValue = mvIntegerArray[100];
 
// However, the following code will work just fine
mvIntegerArray.resize(101);
mvIntegerArray[100] = 5;
int lIntValue = mvIntegerArray[100];