CompareArrays()
Summary
Compares two arrays, element by element.
Changes
Added to Version 2014.
Syntax
ret_array = CompareArrays (array arr1, array arr2, array options)
| Argument | Contents |
|---|---|
| Arr1 | The first of the two arrays to compare |
| Arr2 | The second of the two arrays to compare |
| Option | Type | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| Compare Macro | String | Name of a macro that will be called to compare elements in the array when comparing |
| Return Array | Boolean | If "True", the ArrayOfMatches array will be returned; the default is "False" |
| Return Booleans | Boolean | If "True", the return values in the returned ArrayOfMatches will be 1 for True and 0 for False as the result of the element by element comparison; the default is "False" |
Returns
An options array with the following possible options:
| Element | Type | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| Match | Boolean | 1, if all the values in the arrays are the same, otherwise 0 |
| ArrayOfMatches | Array | Array of values with the results of the element by element comparison; only returned when the "Return Array" input option is "True". |
Notes
-
The items in the arrays are compared in order. If the arrays need to be sorted before comparing them, they must first be sorted using SortArray().
-
The items in the arrays are compared using the same method as for SortArray(). If the "Return Array" option is specified without the "Return Booleans" option, each element in the returned array will be -1, 0 or 1.
-
CompareArrays() compares arrays with numeric or string contents.
-
If an array element is itself an array, the sort is performed using the value of the first element in the array.
-
If the arrays are of different lengths, the result returned in the "Match" option will always be "False"; if the "Return Array" option is specified, the length of the "ArrayOfMatches" returned array will be the length of the longer input array. The return values will depend on the lengths of the input arrays. For the length of the shorter array, the return values will be the same as for those returned when the input arrays are of the same length. For the remaining values, if the "Return Booleans" option is not specified, the values will be 1; if the "Return Booleans" option is specified, the values will be 0 for False.
Examples
Arr1 = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
Arr2 = {1, 2, 4, 4, 5}
Ret = CompareArrays(Arr1, Arr2, {{"Return Array", "True"}})
// Ret.Match = "False"
// Ret.ArrayOfMatches = {0, 0, -1, 0, 0}
Ret = CompareArrays(Arr1, Arr2, {{"Return Array", "True"}, {"Return Booleans", "True"})
// Ret.Match = "False"
// Ret.ArrayOfMatches = {1, 1, 0, 1, 1}
Arr1 = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
Arr2 = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6} Ret = CompareArrays(Arr1, Arr2,
{{"Return Array", "True"}})
// Ret.Match = "False"
// Ret.ArrayOfMatches = {0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1}Error Codes
| Error Type | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Error | Either Arr1 or Arr2 is null |
See Also
| Function | Summary |
|---|---|
| SortArray() | Sorts the elements of an array |