Structs in ActionScript

Structs in ActionScript

Actionscript’s Object class provides a way to create data structures similar to structs. Below is a translation and explanation of the provided example.

Creating a Struct-Like Object

package {
    import flash.display.Sprite;
    import flash.text.TextField;

    public class Main extends Sprite {
        public function Main() {
            // Creating a new struct-like object for person
            var person:Object = {
                name: "Bob",
                age: 20
            };
            trace(person.name + " " + person.age);

            // Naming fields when initializing
            var person2:Object = {
                name: "Alice",
                age: 30
            };
            trace(person2.name + " " + person2.age);

            // Omitted fields will be undefined
            var person3:Object = {
                name: "Fred"
            };
            trace(person3.name + " " + person3.age);

            // Creating a pointer is not applicable in ActionScript, but accessing reference
            var person4:Object = {
                name: "Ann",
                age: 40
            };
            trace(person4.name + " " + person4.age);

            // Using a factory function to create new struct-like objects
            var newPerson:Object = createPerson("Jon");
            trace(newPerson.name + " " + newPerson.age);

            // Accessing struct fields with a dot
            var s:Object = {
                name: "Sean",
                age: 50
            };
            trace(s.name);
            trace(s.age);

            // Structs are mutable
            s.age = 51;
            trace(s.age);

            // Using an anonymous struct-like object
            var dog:Object = {
                name: "Rex",
                isGood: true
            };
            trace(dog.name + " " + dog.isGood);
        }

        private function createPerson(name:String):Object {
            var p:Object = {
                name: name,
                age: 42
            };
            return p;
        }
    }
}

Explanation

  1. Creating a New Object: In ActionScript, an object can be created using the Object class. This is somewhat similar to a struct in other languages.

  2. Object Fields Initialization: You can initialize fields when setting up an object, just like structs. If fields are omitted, they will be undefined.

  3. Factory Function: A common idiom is to use a factory function to create objects. This is similar to using a constructor function in languages that support structs.

  4. Accessing Fields: Fields of objects can be accessed using the dot . operator. Objects in ActionScript are mutable, meaning their fields can be changed after creation.

  5. Anonymous Objects: It is possible to create anonymous objects without giving them a specific type name. This is often used in table-driven tests or similar situations.

Running the Code

To run this ActionScript code, you will need to set up an environment that supports ActionScript 3.0 (e.g., Adobe Flash Professional or Apache Flex SDK). The output will be displayed in the console or traced output depending on your setup.