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Switch Case, Select Active, or If Else If?

Here are some results from my benchmark code for the various methods. Initial testing is being performed on switching based on a single character. If I have some time or inspiration, I will try the test with strings and also with plain integers. Here are the test parameters:

- 4 Different methods are being tested. They are Switch Case, Select Active, If Else If, and multiple If statements.

- The method is passed a data array filled with characters. The method then sets the indexed value of nInfo to an integer based on the character at the corresponding indexed position of the data array. The function uses a for loop to parse the entire data array.

- Each test timer is started immediately before the method is called, and ended immediately after the method returns.

- Each method is tested 4 ways. First is with a FUNCTION CALL using a data array filled only with 'A'. Second is with a FUNCTION CALL using a data array filled only with 'Z'. Third is with a FUNCTION CALL using a data array filled with random characters from 'A' to 'Z'. Last is a DEFINE_CALL called using the same random array from test 3.


This is what I think should logically happen:

- The difference between a DEFINE_FUNCTION and a DEFINE_CALL should be negligible. This is mainly because the function/call is only being called once for the test. (I will setup another test specifically to test this aspect after these tests finish)

- The first three test methods should be fastest when dealing with an array filled only with 'A', slowest with an array filled with only 'Z', and somewhere in between for the random characters.

- The fourth test (multiple If statements) Should be the same speed regardless of the array used.




And, here are the results:
Line      1 (18:33:27):: *********************************************************
Line      2 (18:33:27):: * TEST 1 REPORT: SwitchCase "A" Function
Line      3 (18:33:27):: * Most recent 5 runs:
Line      4 (18:33:27):: * 1: 2089ms
Line      5 (18:33:27):: * 2: 2096ms
Line      6 (18:33:27):: * 3: 2090ms
Line      7 (18:33:27):: * 4: 2088ms
Line      8 (18:33:27):: * 5: 2097ms
Line      9 (18:33:27):: *----------------------------------------------------------
Line     10 (18:33:27):: * Average run time: 2091ms - over 6 tests
Line     11 (18:33:27):: *********************************************************
Line     12 (18:33:27):: *********************************************************
Line     13 (18:33:27):: * TEST 2 REPORT: SwitchCase "Z" Function
Line     14 (18:33:27):: * Most recent 5 runs:
Line     15 (18:33:27):: * 1: 2258ms
Line     16 (18:33:27):: * 2: 2267ms
Line     17 (18:33:27):: * 3: 2258ms
Line     18 (18:33:27):: * 4: 2259ms
Line     19 (18:33:27):: * 5: 2264ms
Line     20 (18:33:27):: *----------------------------------------------------------
Line     21 (18:33:27):: * Average run time: 2259ms - over 6 tests
Line     22 (18:33:27):: *********************************************************
Line     23 (18:33:27):: *********************************************************
Line     24 (18:33:27):: * TEST 3 REPORT: SwitchCase "Random" Function
Line     25 (18:33:27):: * Most recent 5 runs:
Line     26 (18:33:27):: * 1: 2173ms
Line     27 (18:33:27):: * 2: 2177ms
Line     28 (18:33:27):: * 3: 2174ms
Line     29 (18:33:27):: * 4: 2173ms
Line     30 (18:33:27):: * 5: 2181ms
Line     31 (18:33:27):: *----------------------------------------------------------
Line     32 (18:33:27):: * Average run time: 2173ms - over 6 tests
Line     33 (18:33:27):: *********************************************************
Line     34 (18:33:27):: *********************************************************
Line     35 (18:33:27):: * TEST 4 REPORT: SwitchCase "Random" Call
Line     36 (18:33:27):: * Most recent 5 runs:
Line     37 (18:33:27):: * 1: 2202ms
Line     38 (18:33:27):: * 2: 2208ms
Line     39 (18:33:27):: * 3: 2204ms
Line     40 (18:33:27):: * 4: 2208ms
Line     41 (18:33:27):: * 5: 2210ms
Line     42 (18:33:27):: *----------------------------------------------------------
Line     43 (18:33:27):: * Average run time: 2205ms - over 6 tests
Line     44 (18:33:27):: *********************************************************
Line     45 (18:33:27):: *********************************************************
Line     46 (18:33:27):: * TEST 5 REPORT: SelectActive "A" Function
Line     47 (18:33:27):: * Most recent 5 runs:
Line     48 (18:33:27):: * 1: 2381ms
Line     49 (18:33:27):: * 2: 2381ms
Line     50 (18:33:27):: * 3: 2382ms
Line     51 (18:33:27):: * 4: 2379ms
Line     52 (18:33:27):: * 5: 2384ms
Line     53 (18:33:27):: *----------------------------------------------------------
Line     54 (18:33:27):: * Average run time: 2381ms - over 6 tests
Line     55 (18:33:27):: *********************************************************
Line     56 (18:33:27):: *********************************************************
Line     57 (18:33:27):: * TEST 6 REPORT: SelectActive "Z" Function
Line     58 (18:33:27):: * Most recent 5 runs:
Line     59 (18:33:27):: * 1: 2612ms
Line     60 (18:33:27):: * 2: 2614ms
Line     61 (18:33:27):: * 3: 2613ms
Line     62 (18:33:27):: * 4: 2614ms
Line     63 (18:33:27):: * 5: 2618ms
Line     64 (18:33:27):: *----------------------------------------------------------
Line     65 (18:33:27):: * Average run time: 2613ms - over 6 tests
Line     66 (18:33:27):: *********************************************************
Line     67 (18:33:27):: *********************************************************
Line     68 (18:33:27):: * TEST 7 REPORT: SelectActive "Random" Function
Line     69 (18:33:27):: * Most recent 5 runs:
Line     70 (18:33:27):: * 1: 2596ms
Line     71 (18:33:27):: * 2: 2595ms
Line     72 (18:33:27):: * 3: 2596ms
Line     73 (18:33:27):: * 4: 2594ms
Line     74 (18:33:27):: * 5: 2599ms
Line     75 (18:33:27):: *----------------------------------------------------------
Line     76 (18:33:27):: * Average run time: 2595ms - over 6 tests
Line     77 (18:33:27):: *********************************************************
Line     78 (18:33:27):: *********************************************************
Line     79 (18:33:27):: * TEST 8 REPORT: SelectActive "Random" Call
Line     80 (18:33:27):: * Most recent 5 runs:
Line     81 (18:33:27):: * 1: 2570ms
Line     82 (18:33:27):: * 2: 2571ms
Line     83 (18:33:27):: * 3: 2571ms
Line     84 (18:33:27):: * 4: 2571ms
Line     85 (18:33:27):: * 5: 2572ms
Line     86 (18:33:27):: *----------------------------------------------------------
Line     87 (18:33:27):: * Average run time: 2570ms - over 6 tests
Line     88 (18:33:27):: *********************************************************
Line     89 (18:33:27):: *********************************************************
Line     90 (18:33:27):: * TEST 9 REPORT: IfElseIf "A" Function
Line     91 (18:33:27):: * Most recent 5 runs:
Line     92 (18:33:27):: * 1: 2373ms
Line     93 (18:33:27):: * 2: 2372ms
Line     94 (18:33:27):: * 3: 2373ms
Line     95 (18:33:27):: * 4: 2373ms
Line     96 (18:33:27):: * 5: 2378ms
Line     97 (18:33:27):: *----------------------------------------------------------
Line     98 (18:33:27):: * Average run time: 2373ms - over 6 tests
Line     99 (18:33:27):: *********************************************************
Line    100 (18:33:27):: *********************************************************
Line    101 (18:33:27):: * TEST 10 REPORT: IfElseIf "Z" Function
Line    102 (18:33:27):: * Most recent 5 runs:
Line    103 (18:33:27):: * 1: 2606ms
Line    104 (18:33:27):: * 2: 2606ms
Line    105 (18:33:27):: * 3: 2607ms
Line    106 (18:33:27):: * 4: 2606ms
Line    107 (18:33:27):: * 5: 2611ms
Line    108 (18:33:27):: *----------------------------------------------------------
Line    109 (18:33:27):: * Average run time: 2606ms - over 6 tests
Line    110 (18:33:27):: *********************************************************
Line    111 (18:33:27):: *********************************************************
Line    112 (18:33:27):: * TEST 11 REPORT: IfElseIf "Random" Function
Line    113 (18:33:27):: * Most recent 5 runs:
Line    114 (18:33:27):: * 1: 2581ms
Line    115 (18:33:27):: * 2: 2580ms
Line    116 (18:33:27):: * 3: 2581ms
Line    117 (18:33:27):: * 4: 2580ms
Line    118 (18:33:27):: * 5: 2587ms
Line    119 (18:33:27):: *----------------------------------------------------------
Line    120 (18:33:27):: * Average run time: 2581ms - over 6 tests
Line    121 (18:33:27):: *********************************************************
Line    122 (18:33:27):: *********************************************************
Line    123 (18:33:27):: * TEST 12 REPORT: IfElseIf "Random" Call
Line    124 (18:33:27):: * Most recent 5 runs:
Line    125 (18:33:27):: * 1: 2588ms
Line    126 (18:33:27):: * 2: 2587ms
Line    127 (18:33:27):: * 3: 2586ms
Line    128 (18:33:27):: * 4: 2586ms
Line    129 (18:33:27):: * 5: 2586ms
Line    130 (18:33:27):: *----------------------------------------------------------
Line    131 (18:33:27):: * Average run time: 2586ms - over 6 tests
Line    132 (18:33:27):: *********************************************************
Line    133 (18:33:27):: *********************************************************
Line    134 (18:33:27):: * TEST 13 REPORT: If "A" Function
Line    135 (18:33:27):: * Most recent 5 runs:
Line    136 (18:33:27):: * 1: 2752ms
Line    137 (18:33:27):: * 2: 2754ms
Line    138 (18:33:27):: * 3: 2755ms
Line    139 (18:33:27):: * 4: 2754ms
Line    140 (18:33:27):: * 5: 2755ms
Line    141 (18:33:27):: *----------------------------------------------------------
Line    142 (18:33:27):: * Average run time: 2753ms - over 6 tests
Line    143 (18:33:27):: *********************************************************
Line    144 (18:33:27):: *********************************************************
Line    145 (18:33:27):: * TEST 14 REPORT: If "Z" Function
Line    146 (18:33:27):: * Most recent 5 runs:
Line    147 (18:33:27):: * 1: 2752ms
Line    148 (18:33:27):: * 2: 2753ms
Line    149 (18:33:27):: * 3: 2751ms
Line    150 (18:33:27):: * 4: 2753ms
Line    151 (18:33:27):: * 5: 2751ms
Line    152 (18:33:27):: *----------------------------------------------------------
Line    153 (18:33:27):: * Average run time: 2751ms - over 6 tests
Line    154 (18:33:27):: *********************************************************
Line    155 (18:33:27):: *********************************************************
Line    156 (18:33:27):: * TEST 15 REPORT: If "Random" Function
Line    157 (18:33:27):: * Most recent 5 runs:
Line    158 (18:33:27):: * 1: 2861ms
Line    159 (18:33:27):: * 2: 2861ms
Line    160 (18:33:27):: * 3: 2862ms
Line    161 (18:33:27):: * 4: 2861ms
Line    162 (18:33:27):: * 5: 2862ms
Line    163 (18:33:27):: *----------------------------------------------------------
Line    164 (18:33:27):: * Average run time: 2861ms - over 6 tests
Line    165 (18:33:27):: *********************************************************


It seems that Switch Case wins on a single character. Select Active and If Else If are almost identical. The big surprise to me is that multiple If statements are slower when the data coming to them is random. I thought for sure that each if() statement would need to be evaluated and since one of them is always evaluating to true, it should take the same amount of time for each run through regardless of the result.

The timing on the first three methods follows the patterns I was thinking they should.

If you would like a copy of the code to play with, let me know and I'll post it here.

I am going to check the differences between a function and a call real quick :)

Jeff

Comments

  • DHawthorneDHawthorne Posts: 4,584
    My guess on the IF statements would be that there is an internal optimization done by the compiler so that it is not actually evaluated again if the parameters haven't changed. It seems to me that would be an optimization well worth making in any case.
  • Spire_JeffSpire_Jeff Posts: 1,917
    DHawthorne wrote: »
    My guess on the IF statements would be that there is an internal optimization done by the compiler so that it is not actually evaluated again if the parameters haven't changed. It seems to me that would be an optimization well worth making in any case.

    I would agree if I were using a single variable, but I am using an array and setting each element of the array to the letter A. Altho, now that I think about it, maybe it is a matter of the processor caching the code block to be run? I'm thinking if I create an array where I use blocks of the same letter, the time should be close to the same as all one letter.

    Back in a few.

    Jeff
  • Spire_JeffSpire_Jeff Posts: 1,917
    As I was getting ready to test the last thought, I found an oversight in my code. It seems that I forgot to change the code that initializes the data arrays to initialize the entire array. I had it set to 1000 instead of referencing the constant that dictates the size of the array. This meant that after the first 1000 values, everything else was not necessarily a value of 'A' to 'Z'.

    Because of this, the tests were not run as I expected them to run because after the first 1000 iterations, all of the methods were probably going to the default condition which is the last condition. The new test results seem more inline with what I was expecting.

    I think this was what caused the multiple if statements method to vary between the random chars and fixed chars. The last if statement looks like this:
    		if(sData[x] < 'A' and sData[x] > 'Z')       
    			nInfo[x] = 0;
    

    I think the data in the arrays caused the fixed char arrays to fail the first condition in the if statement and as a result, the second condition was never tested because of the AND. This raises some more questions about if the processor is able to stop evaluating a condition as soon as it cannot be true.

    Regardless, here are the new results.
    Line      1 (09:34:41):: *********************************************************
    Line      2 (09:34:41):: * TEST 1 REPORT: SwitchCase "A" Function
    Line      3 (09:34:41):: * Most recent 5 runs:
    Line      4 (09:34:41):: * 1: 566ms
    Line      5 (09:34:41):: * 2: 567ms
    Line      6 (09:34:41):: * 3: 567ms
    Line      7 (09:34:41):: * 4: 566ms
    Line      8 (09:34:41):: * 5: 569ms
    Line      9 (09:34:41):: *----------------------------------------------------------
    Line     10 (09:34:41):: * Average run time: 566ms - over 5 tests
    Line     11 (09:34:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     12 (09:34:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     13 (09:34:41):: * TEST 2 REPORT: SwitchCase "Z" Function
    Line     14 (09:34:41):: * Most recent 5 runs:
    Line     15 (09:34:41):: * 1: 2266ms
    Line     16 (09:34:41):: * 2: 2263ms
    Line     17 (09:34:41):: * 3: 2266ms
    Line     18 (09:34:41):: * 4: 2266ms
    Line     19 (09:34:41):: * 5: 2265ms
    Line     20 (09:34:41):: *----------------------------------------------------------
    Line     21 (09:34:41):: * Average run time: 2264ms - over 5 tests
    Line     22 (09:34:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     23 (09:34:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     24 (09:34:41):: * TEST 3 REPORT: SwitchCase "Random" Function
    Line     25 (09:34:41):: * Most recent 5 runs:
    Line     26 (09:34:41):: * 1: 1429ms
    Line     27 (09:34:41):: * 2: 1429ms
    Line     28 (09:34:41):: * 3: 1430ms
    Line     29 (09:34:41):: * 4: 1427ms
    Line     30 (09:34:41):: * 5: 1428ms
    Line     31 (09:34:41):: *----------------------------------------------------------
    Line     32 (09:34:41):: * Average run time: 1428ms - over 5 tests
    Line     33 (09:34:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     34 (09:34:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     35 (09:34:41):: * TEST 4 REPORT: SwitchCase "Random" Call
    Line     36 (09:34:41):: * Most recent 5 runs:
    Line     37 (09:34:41):: * 1: 1427ms
    Line     38 (09:34:41):: * 2: 1426ms
    Line     39 (09:34:41):: * 3: 1427ms
    Line     40 (09:34:41):: * 4: 1426ms
    Line     41 (09:34:41):: * 5: 1428ms
    Line     42 (09:34:41):: *----------------------------------------------------------
    Line     43 (09:34:41):: * Average run time: 1426ms - over 5 tests
    Line     44 (09:34:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     45 (09:34:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     46 (09:34:41):: * TEST 5 REPORT: SelectActive "A" Function
    Line     47 (09:34:41):: * Most recent 5 runs:
    Line     48 (09:34:41):: * 1: 259ms
    Line     49 (09:34:41):: * 2: 260ms
    Line     50 (09:34:41):: * 3: 258ms
    Line     51 (09:34:41):: * 4: 261ms
    Line     52 (09:34:41):: * 5: 259ms
    Line     53 (09:34:41):: *----------------------------------------------------------
    Line     54 (09:34:41):: * Average run time: 258ms - over 5 tests
    Line     55 (09:34:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     56 (09:34:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     57 (09:34:41):: * TEST 6 REPORT: SelectActive "Z" Function
    Line     58 (09:34:41):: * Most recent 5 runs:
    Line     59 (09:34:41):: * 1: 2598ms
    Line     60 (09:34:41):: * 2: 2602ms
    Line     61 (09:34:41):: * 3: 2605ms
    Line     62 (09:34:41):: * 4: 2599ms
    Line     63 (09:34:41):: * 5: 2601ms
    Line     64 (09:34:41):: *----------------------------------------------------------
    Line     65 (09:34:41):: * Average run time: 2600ms - over 5 tests
    Line     66 (09:34:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     67 (09:34:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     68 (09:34:41):: * TEST 7 REPORT: SelectActive "Random" Function
    Line     69 (09:34:41):: * Most recent 5 runs:
    Line     70 (09:34:41):: * 1: 1442ms
    Line     71 (09:34:41):: * 2: 1446ms
    Line     72 (09:34:41):: * 3: 1445ms
    Line     73 (09:34:41):: * 4: 1443ms
    Line     74 (09:34:41):: * 5: 1442ms
    Line     75 (09:34:41):: *----------------------------------------------------------
    Line     76 (09:34:41):: * Average run time: 1442ms - over 5 tests
    Line     77 (09:34:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     78 (09:34:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     79 (09:34:41):: * TEST 8 REPORT: SelectActive "Random" Call
    Line     80 (09:34:41):: * Most recent 5 runs:
    Line     81 (09:34:41):: * 1: 1433ms
    Line     82 (09:34:41):: * 2: 1433ms
    Line     83 (09:34:41):: * 3: 1433ms
    Line     84 (09:34:41):: * 4: 1433ms
    Line     85 (09:34:41):: * 5: 1434ms
    Line     86 (09:34:41):: *----------------------------------------------------------
    Line     87 (09:34:41):: * Average run time: 1433ms - over 5 tests
    Line     88 (09:34:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     89 (09:34:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     90 (09:34:41):: * TEST 9 REPORT: IfElseIf "A" Function
    Line     91 (09:34:41):: * Most recent 5 runs:
    Line     92 (09:34:41):: * 1: 254ms
    Line     93 (09:34:41):: * 2: 255ms
    Line     94 (09:34:41):: * 3: 257ms
    Line     95 (09:34:41):: * 4: 254ms
    Line     96 (09:34:41):: * 5: 254ms
    Line     97 (09:34:41):: *----------------------------------------------------------
    Line     98 (09:34:41):: * Average run time: 254ms - over 5 tests
    Line     99 (09:34:41):: *********************************************************
    Line    100 (09:34:41):: *********************************************************
    Line    101 (09:34:41):: * TEST 10 REPORT: IfElseIf "Z" Function
    Line    102 (09:34:41):: * Most recent 5 runs:
    Line    103 (09:34:41):: * 1: 2607ms
    Line    104 (09:34:41):: * 2: 2606ms
    Line    105 (09:34:41):: * 3: 2607ms
    Line    106 (09:34:41):: * 4: 2606ms
    Line    107 (09:34:41):: * 5: 2606ms
    Line    108 (09:34:41):: *----------------------------------------------------------
    Line    109 (09:34:41):: * Average run time: 2606ms - over 5 tests
    Line    110 (09:34:41):: *********************************************************
    Line    111 (09:34:41):: *********************************************************
    Line    112 (09:34:41):: * TEST 11 REPORT: IfElseIf "Random" Function
    Line    113 (09:34:41):: * Most recent 5 runs:
    Line    114 (09:34:41):: * 1: 1439ms
    Line    115 (09:34:41):: * 2: 1440ms
    Line    116 (09:34:41):: * 3: 1440ms
    Line    117 (09:34:41):: * 4: 1439ms
    Line    118 (09:34:41):: * 5: 1440ms
    Line    119 (09:34:41):: *----------------------------------------------------------
    Line    120 (09:34:41):: * Average run time: 1439ms - over 5 tests
    Line    121 (09:34:41):: *********************************************************
    Line    122 (09:34:41):: *********************************************************
    Line    123 (09:34:41):: * TEST 12 REPORT: IfElseIf "Random" Call
    Line    124 (09:34:41):: * Most recent 5 runs:
    Line    125 (09:34:41):: * 1: 1446ms
    Line    126 (09:34:41):: * 2: 1448ms
    Line    127 (09:34:41):: * 3: 1448ms
    Line    128 (09:34:41):: * 4: 1446ms
    Line    129 (09:34:41):: * 5: 1446ms
    Line    130 (09:34:41):: *----------------------------------------------------------
    Line    131 (09:34:41):: * Average run time: 1446ms - over 5 tests
    Line    132 (09:34:41):: *********************************************************
    Line    133 (09:34:41):: *********************************************************
    Line    134 (09:34:41):: * TEST 13 REPORT: If "A" Function
    Line    135 (09:34:41):: * Most recent 5 runs:
    Line    136 (09:34:41):: * 1: 2813ms
    Line    137 (09:34:41):: * 2: 2814ms
    Line    138 (09:34:41):: * 3: 2813ms
    Line    139 (09:34:41):: * 4: 2813ms
    Line    140 (09:34:41):: * 5: 2811ms
    Line    141 (09:34:41):: *----------------------------------------------------------
    Line    142 (09:34:41):: * Average run time: 2812ms - over 5 tests
    Line    143 (09:34:41):: *********************************************************
    Line    144 (09:34:41):: *********************************************************
    Line    145 (09:34:41):: * TEST 14 REPORT: If "Z" Function
    Line    146 (09:34:41):: * Most recent 5 runs:
    Line    147 (09:34:41):: * 1: 2810ms
    Line    148 (09:34:41):: * 2: 2810ms
    Line    149 (09:34:41):: * 3: 2810ms
    Line    150 (09:34:41):: * 4: 2812ms
    Line    151 (09:34:41):: * 5: 2811ms
    Line    152 (09:34:41):: *----------------------------------------------------------
    Line    153 (09:34:41):: * Average run time: 2810ms - over 5 tests
    Line    154 (09:34:41):: *********************************************************
    Line    155 (09:34:41):: *********************************************************
    Line    156 (09:34:41):: * TEST 15 REPORT: If "Random" Function
    Line    157 (09:34:41):: * Most recent 5 runs:
    Line    158 (09:34:41):: * 1: 2811ms
    Line    159 (09:34:41):: * 2: 2813ms
    Line    160 (09:34:41):: * 3: 2813ms
    Line    161 (09:34:41):: * 4: 2812ms
    Line    162 (09:34:41):: * 5: 2813ms
    Line    163 (09:34:41):: *----------------------------------------------------------
    Line    164 (09:34:41):: * Average run time: 2812ms - over 5 tests
    Line    165 (09:34:41):: *********************************************************
    

    As you can see, in a real world situation where data is random, there is little difference between switch..case, select..active, and if..else..if. Interestingly enough, it seems that select..active and ifElseIf are faster than switch..case when the majority of values are the first condition, but slower when the majority of the values are the last condition.

    This reinforces my tendency to put conditions I think will occur most often first. Think about a device like a security panel. It would make sense to check for a status/blink message as the first condition, then maybe put zone status messages next, then put fire/burglary messages at the end of the line.

    Jeff
  • viningvining Posts: 4,368
    Spire_Jeff wrote:
    This reinforces my tendency to put conditions I think will occur most often first.
    I completely agree. Select Active, Switch Case and if/else should always be constructed in a hierarchical order since they will all exit upon first match. It only makes sense to put conditions that will match more frequently at the top and conditons that will match less frequently at the bottom.
  • ericmedleyericmedley Posts: 4,177
    vining wrote: »
    I completely agree. Select Active, Switch Case and if/else should always be constructed in a hierarchical order since they will all exit upon first match. It only makes sense to put conditions that will match more frequently at the top and conditons that will match less frequently at the bottom.

    Our instructor at PIII last August said that Switch/Case is actually a pretty spendy process. He mad eht statement that they found no significant differences between the methods of conditional searching. Of course, it's a little hard to compare apples to apples.

    I myself tend to use them based upon what strength they offer in the search I'm trying to accomplish.
  • viningvining Posts: 4,368
    ericmedley wrote:
    Our instructor at PIII last August said that Switch/Case is actually a pretty spendy process.
    What exactly did he mean by that? I haven't taken that close of a look at Spire_Jeff's test results but I thought it showed the three methods were reasonably similar in processing time.
    ericmedley wrote:
    He mad eht statement that they found no significant differences between the methods of conditional searching.
    I don't understand how that can be. If you have a switch with 100 cases in a parsing function and 99% of the time your parsing a KLS string for Lutron for example, putting the test for the KLS string in the last case position would obviously be waisting time since 99% of the time it will have to test 99 cases prior to getting to the case which tests for the KLS. It only makes sense to put that in the first case position and something like LOGIN: or login successful should be at the bottom of the switch since those are only tested once upon connection.
  • Spire_JeffSpire_Jeff Posts: 1,917
    I think the test results may change if I use strings instead of chars as the switch case arguments. If I have some time, I will try it out and see which is the better way to handle strings.

    Jeff
  • ericmedleyericmedley Posts: 4,177
    vining wrote: »
    What exactly did he mean by that? I haven't taken that close of a look at Spire_Jeff's test results but I thought it showed the three methods were reasonably similar in processing time.

    I'm not sure. It was just a curiosity at the time. I remember back in my old days of computer engineering and processor/compiler design that conditionals are notoriously time consuming. But we have to do them.

    As I said, I don't get too involved with how well the engine is running myself. I try to pick the method that makes the most programming sense to me. I'm not against using IF/ELSE if it works out to be the best method. I like to use it when you may have more than one condition be true in a given pass. I cannot remember in Netlinx but in other languages Switch/Case and/or Select Active jump out once a condition is met. There are times when you can get more than one set of data out of a pass by allowing for more than one case to be true.
  • Spire_JeffSpire_Jeff Posts: 1,917
    ericmedley wrote: »
    I'm not against using IF/ELSE if it works out to be the best method. I like to use it when you may have more than one condition be true in a given pass. I cannot remember in Netlinx but in other languages Switch/Case and/or Select Active jump out once a condition is met. There are times when you can get more than one set of data out of a pass by allowing for more than one case to be true.

    There are two ways to use the if to accomplish the same thing as a select/active. There is
    if(a) 
      do_1
    if(b)
      do_2
    if(c) 
      do_3
    if(d)
      do_4
    

    This method checks every statement all of the time.

    Then there is this:
    if(a)
      do_1
    else if(b)
      do_2
    else if(c)
      do_3
    else if(d)
      do_4
    

    The second way work just like select/active. In java, there is no select/active (that I am aware of), you have to use this method.



    As for other languages, in some of them, the switch case statement only jumps out if you include a break command at the end of the case. This is something that I wish NetLinx would allow as sometimes it would be helpful. I do understand that in most situations it is not the desired behavior, and I can understand why they automatically break the case.

    Jeff
  • Spire_JeffSpire_Jeff Posts: 1,917
    Ok, I just tested the various methods of parsing string data. According to the results, switch case is the most efficient method. This was tested on a random set of strings. Interestingly enough, putting full strings of varying length as the cases in a switch case was faster than using only the first three characters. I also tried switching based on the first character, then the second char if needed. Switching based on the entire string was still faster.

    Line      1 (14:50:41):: *********************************************************
    Line      2 (14:50:41):: * TEST 1 REPORT: Parse String SelectActive ==
    Line      3 (14:50:41):: * Most recent 5 runs:
    Line      4 (14:50:41):: * 1: 1254ms
    Line      5 (14:50:41):: * 2: 1254ms
    Line      6 (14:50:41):: * 3: 1254ms
    Line      7 (14:50:41):: * 4: 1254ms
    Line      8 (14:50:41):: * 5: 1252ms
    Line      9 (14:50:41):: *----------------------------------------------------------
    Line     10 (14:50:41):: * Average run time: 1253ms - over 5 tests
    Line     11 (14:50:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     12 (14:50:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     13 (14:50:41):: * TEST 2 REPORT: Parse String SelectActive find()
    Line     14 (14:50:41):: * Most recent 5 runs:
    Line     15 (14:50:41):: * 1: 6549ms
    Line     16 (14:50:41):: * 2: 6450ms
    Line     17 (14:50:41):: * 3: 6485ms
    Line     18 (14:50:41):: * 4: 6447ms
    Line     19 (14:50:41):: * 5: 6480ms
    Line     20 (14:50:41):: *----------------------------------------------------------
    Line     21 (14:50:41):: * Average run time: 6481ms - over 5 tests
    Line     22 (14:50:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     23 (14:50:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     24 (14:50:41):: * TEST 3 REPORT: Parse String SwitchCase Random
    Line     25 (14:50:41):: * Most recent 5 runs:
    Line     26 (14:50:41):: * 1: 1068ms
    Line     27 (14:50:41):: * 2: 1066ms
    Line     28 (14:50:41):: * 3: 1066ms
    Line     29 (14:50:41):: * 4: 1067ms
    Line     30 (14:50:41):: * 5: 1068ms
    Line     31 (14:50:41):: *----------------------------------------------------------
    Line     32 (14:50:41):: * Average run time: 1066ms - over 5 tests
    Line     33 (14:50:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     34 (14:50:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     35 (14:50:41):: * TEST 4 REPORT: Parse String SwitchCase short->long
    Line     36 (14:50:41):: * Most recent 5 runs:
    Line     37 (14:50:41):: * 1: 1074ms
    Line     38 (14:50:41):: * 2: 1073ms
    Line     39 (14:50:41):: * 3: 1073ms
    Line     40 (14:50:41):: * 4: 1072ms
    Line     41 (14:50:41):: * 5: 1072ms
    Line     42 (14:50:41):: *----------------------------------------------------------
    Line     43 (14:50:41):: * Average run time: 1072ms - over 5 tests
    Line     44 (14:50:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     45 (14:50:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     46 (14:50:41):: * TEST 5 REPORT: Parse String SwitchCase long->short
    Line     47 (14:50:41):: * Most recent 5 runs:
    Line     48 (14:50:41):: * 1: 1052ms
    Line     49 (14:50:41):: * 2: 1053ms
    Line     50 (14:50:41):: * 3: 1052ms
    Line     51 (14:50:41):: * 4: 1052ms
    Line     52 (14:50:41):: * 5: 1052ms
    Line     53 (14:50:41):: *----------------------------------------------------------
    Line     54 (14:50:41):: * Average run time: 1052ms - over 5 tests
    Line     55 (14:50:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     56 (14:50:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     57 (14:50:41):: * TEST 6 REPORT: Parse String SwitchCase 3Char
    Line     58 (14:50:41):: * Most recent 5 runs:
    Line     59 (14:50:41):: * 1: 1557ms
    Line     60 (14:50:41):: * 2: 1557ms
    Line     61 (14:50:41):: * 3: 1557ms
    Line     62 (14:50:41):: * 4: 1556ms
    Line     63 (14:50:41):: * 5: 1557ms
    Line     64 (14:50:41):: *----------------------------------------------------------
    Line     65 (14:50:41):: * Average run time: 1556ms - over 5 tests
    Line     66 (14:50:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     67 (14:50:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     68 (14:50:41):: * TEST 7 REPORT: Parse String SelectActive == 3Char
    Line     69 (14:50:41):: * Most recent 5 runs:
    Line     70 (14:50:41):: * 1: 5177ms
    Line     71 (14:50:41):: * 2: 5183ms
    Line     72 (14:50:41):: * 3: 5196ms
    Line     73 (14:50:41):: * 4: 5174ms
    Line     74 (14:50:41):: * 5: 5176ms
    Line     75 (14:50:41):: *----------------------------------------------------------
    Line     76 (14:50:41):: * Average run time: 5180ms - over 5 tests
    Line     77 (14:50:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     78 (14:50:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     79 (14:50:41):: * TEST 8 REPORT: Parse String SelectActive == stack 3char
    Line     80 (14:50:41):: * Most recent 5 runs:
    Line     81 (14:50:41):: * 1: 1571ms
    Line     82 (14:50:41):: * 2: 1571ms
    Line     83 (14:50:41):: * 3: 1572ms
    Line     84 (14:50:41):: * 4: 1569ms
    Line     85 (14:50:41):: * 5: 1576ms
    Line     86 (14:50:41):: *----------------------------------------------------------
    Line     87 (14:50:41):: * Average run time: 1571ms - over 5 tests
    Line     88 (14:50:41):: *********************************************************
    Line     89 (16:17:10):: *********************************************************
    Line     90 (16:17:10):: * TEST 9 REPORT: Parse String SwitchCase 3Char
    Line     91 (16:17:10):: * Most recent 5 runs:
    Line     92 (16:17:10):: * 1: 1117ms
    Line     93 (16:17:10):: * 2: 1110ms
    Line     94 (16:17:10):: * 3: 1110ms
    Line     95 (16:17:10):: * 4: 1113ms
    Line     96 (16:17:10):: * 5: 1109ms
    Line     97 (16:17:10):: *----------------------------------------------------------
    Line     98 (16:17:10):: * Average run time: 1111ms - over 5 tests
    Line     99 (16:17:10):: *********************************************************
    
    

    For those interested, here are the functions used in the test:
    define_function parseStringSelectEqual(){//Test 1
    	stack_var integer x;
    	for(x=MAX_CONDITIONAL;x;x--){
    		select{
    			active(sRandomStrings[x] == 'Dog'):
    				nInfo[x] = 1;
    			active(sRandomStrings[x] == 'Cat'):
    				nInfo[x] = 2;
    			active(sRandomStrings[x] == 'Wolf'):
    				nInfo[x] = 3;
    			active(sRandomStrings[x] == 'Long Animal Names'):
    				nInfo[x] = 4;
    			active(sRandomStrings[x] == 'Elephant'):
    				nInfo[x] = 5;
    			active(sRandomStrings[x] == 'Emu'):
    				nInfo[x] = 6;
    			active(sRandomStrings[x] == 'Whale'):
    				nInfo[x] = 7;
    			active(sRandomStrings[x] == 'Aardvark'):
    				nInfo[x] = 8;
    			active(sRandomStrings[x] == 'Ostrich'):
    				nInfo[x] = 9;
    			active(sRandomStrings[x] == 'Coyote'):
    				nInfo[x] = 10;
    			active(sRandomStrings[x] == 'Monkey'):
    				nInfo[x] = 11;
    			active(sRandomStrings[x] == 'Rhinoceros'):
    				nInfo[x] = 12;
    			active(sRandomStrings[x] == 'Kangaroo'):
    				nInfo[x] = 13;
    			active(sRandomStrings[x] == 'Penguin'):
    				nInfo[x] = 14;
    			active(sRandomStrings[x] == 'Seal'):
    				nInfo[x] = 15;
    			active(sRandomStrings[x] == 'Lion'):
    				nInfo[x] = 16;
    			active(sRandomStrings[x] == 'Tiger'):
    				nInfo[x] = 17;
    			active(sRandomStrings[x] == 'Another Long Name'):
    				nInfo[x] = 18;
    			active(sRandomStrings[x] == 'Lizard'):
    				nInfo[x] = 19;
    			active(sRandomStrings[x] == 'Boa Constrictor'):
    				nInfo[x] = 20;
    			active(1):
    				send_string 0,"'Problem in call'"
    		}                 
    	}
    }
    define_function parseStringSelectFind(){//test 2
    	stack_var integer x;
    	for(x=MAX_CONDITIONAL;x;x--){
    		select{
    			active(find_string(sRandomStrings[x],'Dog',1)):
    				nInfo[x] = 1;
    			active(find_string(sRandomStrings[x],'Cat',1)):
    				nInfo[x] = 2;
    			active(find_string(sRandomStrings[x],'Wolf',1)):
    				nInfo[x] = 3;
    			active(find_string(sRandomStrings[x],'Long Animal Names',1)):
    				nInfo[x] = 4;
    			active(find_string(sRandomStrings[x],'Elephant',1)):
    				nInfo[x] = 5;
    			active(find_string(sRandomStrings[x],'Emu',1)):
    				nInfo[x] = 6;
    			active(find_string(sRandomStrings[x],'Whale',1)):
    				nInfo[x] = 7;
    			active(find_string(sRandomStrings[x],'Aardvark',1)):
    				nInfo[x] = 8;
    			active(find_string(sRandomStrings[x],'Ostrich',1)):
    				nInfo[x] = 9;
    			active(find_string(sRandomStrings[x],'Coyote',1)):
    				nInfo[x] = 10;
    			active(find_string(sRandomStrings[x],'Monkey',1)):
    				nInfo[x] = 11;
    			active(find_string(sRandomStrings[x],'Rhinoceros',1)):
    				nInfo[x] = 12;
    			active(find_string(sRandomStrings[x],'Kangaroo',1)):
    				nInfo[x] = 13;
    			active(find_string(sRandomStrings[x],'Penguin',1)):
    				nInfo[x] = 14;
    			active(find_string(sRandomStrings[x],'Seal',1)):
    				nInfo[x] = 15;
    			active(find_string(sRandomStrings[x],'Lion',1)):
    				nInfo[x] = 16;
    			active(find_string(sRandomStrings[x],'Tiger',1)):
    				nInfo[x] = 17;
    			active(find_string(sRandomStrings[x],'Another Long Name',1)):
    				nInfo[x] = 18;
    			active(find_string(sRandomStrings[x],'Lizard',1)):
    				nInfo[x] = 19;
    			active(find_string(sRandomStrings[x],'Boa Constrictor',1)):
    				nInfo[x] = 20;
    			active(1):
    				send_string 0,"'Problem in call'"
    		}                 
    	}
    }
    define_function parseStringSwitchCase1(){//test 3
    	stack_var integer x;
    	for(x=MAX_CONDITIONAL;x;x--){
    		switch(sRandomStrings[x]){
    			case 'Dog':
    				nInfo[x] = 1;
    			case 'Cat':
    				nInfo[x] = 2;
    			case 'Wolf':
    				nInfo[x] = 3;
    			case 'Long Animal Names':
    				nInfo[x] = 4;
    			case 'Elephant':
    				nInfo[x] = 5;
    			case 'Emu':
    				nInfo[x] = 6;
    			case 'Whale':
    				nInfo[x] = 7;
    			case 'Aardvark':
    				nInfo[x] = 8;
    			case 'Ostrich':
    				nInfo[x] = 9;
    			case 'Coyote':
    				nInfo[x] = 10;
    			case 'Monkey':
    				nInfo[x] = 11;
    			case 'Rhinoceros':
    				nInfo[x] = 12;
    			case 'Kangaroo':
    				nInfo[x] = 13;
    			case 'Penguin':
    				nInfo[x] = 14;
    			case 'Seal':
    				nInfo[x] = 15;
    			case 'Lion':
    				nInfo[x] = 16;
    			case 'Tiger':
    				nInfo[x] = 17;
    			case 'Another Long Name':
    				nInfo[x] = 18;
    			case 'Lizard':
    				nInfo[x] = 19;
    			case 'Boa Constrictor':
    				nInfo[x] = 20;
    			default:
    				send_string 0,"'Problem in call'"
    		}                 
    	}
    }
    define_function parseStringSwitchCase2(){/test 4
    	stack_var integer x;
    	for(x=MAX_CONDITIONAL;x;x--){
    		switch(sRandomStrings[x]){
    			case 'Dog':
    				nInfo[x] = 1;
    			case 'Cat':
    				nInfo[x] = 2;
    			case 'Emu':
    				nInfo[x] = 6;
    			case 'Wolf':
    				nInfo[x] = 3;
    			case 'Seal':
    				nInfo[x] = 15;
    			case 'Lion':
    				nInfo[x] = 16;
    			case 'Whale':
    				nInfo[x] = 7;
    			case 'Tiger':
    				nInfo[x] = 17;
    			case 'Coyote':
    				nInfo[x] = 10;
    			case 'Monkey':
    				nInfo[x] = 11;
    			case 'Lizard':
    				nInfo[x] = 19;
    			case 'Ostrich':
    				nInfo[x] = 9;
    			case 'Penguin':
    				nInfo[x] = 14;
    			case 'Aardvark':
    				nInfo[x] = 8;
    			case 'Elephant':
    				nInfo[x] = 5;
    			case 'Kangaroo':
    				nInfo[x] = 13;
    			case 'Rhinoceros':
    				nInfo[x] = 12;
    			case 'Boa Constrictor':
    				nInfo[x] = 20;
    			case 'Another Long Name':
    				nInfo[x] = 18;
    			case 'Long Animal Names':
    				nInfo[x] = 4;
    			default:
    				send_string 0,"'Problem in call'"
    		}                 
    	}
    }
    define_function parseStringSwitchCase3(){//test 5
    	stack_var integer x;
    	for(x=MAX_CONDITIONAL;x;x--){
    		switch(sRandomStrings[x]){
    			case 'Another Long Name':
    				nInfo[x] = 18;
    			case 'Long Animal Names':
    				nInfo[x] = 4;
    			case 'Boa Constrictor':
    				nInfo[x] = 20;
    			case 'Rhinoceros':
    				nInfo[x] = 12;
    			case 'Aardvark':
    				nInfo[x] = 8;
    			case 'Elephant':
    				nInfo[x] = 5;
    			case 'Kangaroo':
    				nInfo[x] = 13;
    			case 'Ostrich':
    				nInfo[x] = 9;
    			case 'Penguin':
    				nInfo[x] = 14;
    			case 'Coyote':
    				nInfo[x] = 10;
    			case 'Monkey':
    				nInfo[x] = 11;
    			case 'Lizard':
    				nInfo[x] = 19;
    			case 'Whale':
    				nInfo[x] = 7;
    			case 'Tiger':
    				nInfo[x] = 17;
    			case 'Wolf':
    				nInfo[x] = 3;
    			case 'Seal':
    				nInfo[x] = 15;
    			case 'Lion':
    				nInfo[x] = 16;
    			case 'Dog':
    				nInfo[x] = 1;
    			case 'Cat':
    				nInfo[x] = 2;
    			case 'Emu':
    				nInfo[x] = 6;
    			default:
    				send_string 0,"'Problem in call'"
    		}                 
    	}
    }
    define_function parseStringSwitchCase4(){//test 6
    	stack_var integer x;
    	for(x=MAX_CONDITIONAL;x;x--){
    		switch(left_string(sRandomStrings[x],3)){
    			case 'Dog':
    				nInfo[x] = 1;
    			case 'Cat':
    				nInfo[x] = 2;
    			case 'Wol':
    				nInfo[x] = 3;
    			case 'Lon':
    				nInfo[x] = 4;
    			case 'Ele':
    				nInfo[x] = 5;
    			case 'Emu':
    				nInfo[x] = 6;
    			case 'Wha':
    				nInfo[x] = 7;
    			case 'Aar':
    				nInfo[x] = 8;
    			case 'Ost':
    				nInfo[x] = 9;
    			case 'Coy':
    				nInfo[x] = 10;
    			case 'Mon':
    				nInfo[x] = 11;
    			case 'Rhi':
    				nInfo[x] = 12;
    			case 'Kan':
    				nInfo[x] = 13;
    			case 'Pen':
    				nInfo[x] = 14;
    			case 'Sea':
    				nInfo[x] = 15;
    			case 'Lio':
    				nInfo[x] = 16;
    			case 'Tig':
    				nInfo[x] = 17;
    			case 'Ano':
    				nInfo[x] = 18;
    			case 'Liz':
    				nInfo[x] = 19;
    			case 'Boa':
    				nInfo[x] = 20;
    			default:
    				send_string 0,"'Problem in call'"
    		}                 
    	}
    }
    define_function parseStringSelectEqualLeft1(){//test 7
    	stack_var integer x;
    	for(x=MAX_CONDITIONAL;x;x--){
    		select{
    			active(left_string(sRandomStrings[x],3) == 'Dog'):
    				nInfo[x] = 1;
    			active(left_string(sRandomStrings[x],3) == 'Cat'):
    				nInfo[x] = 2;
    			active(left_string(sRandomStrings[x],3) == 'Wol'):
    				nInfo[x] = 3;
    			active(left_string(sRandomStrings[x],3) == 'Lon'):
    				nInfo[x] = 4;
    			active(left_string(sRandomStrings[x],3) == 'Ele'):
    				nInfo[x] = 5;
    			active(left_string(sRandomStrings[x],3) == 'Emu'):
    				nInfo[x] = 6;
    			active(left_string(sRandomStrings[x],3) == 'Wha'):
    				nInfo[x] = 7;
    			active(left_string(sRandomStrings[x],3) == 'Aar'):
    				nInfo[x] = 8;
    			active(left_string(sRandomStrings[x],3) == 'Ost'):
    				nInfo[x] = 9;
    			active(left_string(sRandomStrings[x],3) == 'Coy'):
    				nInfo[x] = 10;
    			active(left_string(sRandomStrings[x],3) == 'Mon'):
    				nInfo[x] = 11;
    			active(left_string(sRandomStrings[x],3) == 'Rhi'):
    				nInfo[x] = 12;
    			active(left_string(sRandomStrings[x],3) == 'Kan'):
    				nInfo[x] = 13;
    			active(left_string(sRandomStrings[x],3) == 'Pen'):
    				nInfo[x] = 14;
    			active(left_string(sRandomStrings[x],3) == 'Sea'):
    				nInfo[x] = 15;
    			active(left_string(sRandomStrings[x],3) == 'Lio'):
    				nInfo[x] = 16;
    			active(left_string(sRandomStrings[x],3) == 'Tig'):
    				nInfo[x] = 17;
    			active(left_string(sRandomStrings[x],3) == 'Ano'):
    				nInfo[x] = 18;
    			active(left_string(sRandomStrings[x],3) == 'Liz'):
    				nInfo[x] = 19;
    			active(left_string(sRandomStrings[x],3) == 'Boa'):
    				nInfo[x] = 20;
    			active(1):
    				send_string 0,"'Problem in call'"
    		}                 
    	}
    }
    define_function parseStringSelectEqualLeft2(){//test 8
    	stack_var integer x;
    	stack_var char sData[3];
    	for(x=MAX_CONDITIONAL;x;x--){
    		sData = left_string(sRandomStrings[x],3);
    		select{
    			active(sData == 'Dog'):
    				nInfo[x] = 1;
    			active(sData == 'Cat'):
    				nInfo[x] = 2;
    			active(sData == 'Wol'):
    				nInfo[x] = 3;
    			active(sData == 'Lon'):
    				nInfo[x] = 4;
    			active(sData == 'Ele'):
    				nInfo[x] = 5;
    			active(sData == 'Emu'):
    				nInfo[x] = 6;
    			active(sData == 'Wha'):
    				nInfo[x] = 7;
    			active(sData == 'Aar'):
    				nInfo[x] = 8;
    			active(sData == 'Ost'):
    				nInfo[x] = 9;
    			active(sData == 'Coy'):
    				nInfo[x] = 10;
    			active(sData == 'Mon'):
    				nInfo[x] = 11;
    			active(sData == 'Rhi'):
    				nInfo[x] = 12;
    			active(sData == 'Kan'):
    				nInfo[x] = 13;
    			active(sData == 'Pen'):
    				nInfo[x] = 14;
    			active(sData == 'Sea'):
    				nInfo[x] = 15;
    			active(sData == 'Lio'):
    				nInfo[x] = 16;
    			active(sData == 'Tig'):
    				nInfo[x] = 17;
    			active(sData == 'Ano'):
    				nInfo[x] = 18;
    			active(sData == 'Liz'):
    				nInfo[x] = 19;
    			active(sData == 'Boa'):
    				nInfo[x] = 20;
    			active(1):
    				send_string 0,"'Problem in call'"
    		}                 
    	}
    }
    
    
    define_function parseStringSwitchCase5(){//test 9
    	stack_var integer x;
    	for(x=MAX_CONDITIONAL;x;x--){
    		switch(sRandomStrings[x][1]){
    			case 'D':
    				nInfo[x] = 1;
    			case 'C':
    				nInfo[x] = 2;
    			case 'W':
    				nInfo[x] = 3;
    			case 'L':
    				nInfo[x] = 4;
    			case 'E':{
    				switch(sRandomStrings[x][2]){
    					case 'l':
    						nInfo[x] = 5;
    					case 'm':
    						nInfo[x] = 6;
    				}
    			}
    			case 'W':
    				nInfo[x] = 7;
    			case 'A':{
    				switch(sRandomStrings[x][2]){
    					case 'a':
    						nInfo[x] = 8;
    					case 'n':
    						nInfo[x] = 18;
    				}
    			}
    			case 'O':
    				nInfo[x] = 9;
    			case 'C':
    				nInfo[x] = 10;
    			case 'M':
    				nInfo[x] = 11;
    			case 'R':
    				nInfo[x] = 12;
    			case 'K':
    				nInfo[x] = 13;
    			case 'P':
    				nInfo[x] = 14;
    			case 'S':
    				nInfo[x] = 15;
    			case 'L':{
    				switch(sRandomStrings[x][3]){
    					case 'o':
    						nInfo[x] = 16;
    					case 'z':
    						nInfo[x] = 19;
    				}
    			}
    			case 'T':
    				nInfo[x] = 17;
    			case 'B':
    				nInfo[x] = 20;
    			default:
    				send_string 0,"'Problem in call'"
    		}                 
    	}
    }
    
    DEFINE_START
    SET_LENGTH_ARRAY (nInfo,70000)
    for(nLoop2=MAX_CONDITIONAL;nLoop2;nLoop2--){
    	cAChars[nLoop2] = 'A';
    	cZChars[nLoop2] = 'Z';
    	cRandomChars[nLoop2] = RANDOM_NUMBER(26)+65;
    	switch(RANDOM_NUMBER(20)){
    		case 0:
    			sRandomStrings[nLoop2] = 'Dog'
    		case 1:
    			sRandomStrings[nLoop2] = 'Cat'
    		case 2:
    			sRandomStrings[nLoop2] = 'Wolf'
    		case 3:
    			sRandomStrings[nLoop2] = 'Long Animal Names'
    		case 4:
    			sRandomStrings[nLoop2] = 'Elephant'
    		case 5:
    			sRandomStrings[nLoop2] = 'Emu'
    		case 6:
    			sRandomStrings[nLoop2] = 'Whale'
    		case 7:
    			sRandomStrings[nLoop2] = 'Aardvark'
    		case 8:
    			sRandomStrings[nLoop2] = 'Ostrich'
    		case 9:
    			sRandomStrings[nLoop2] = 'Coyote'
    		case 10:
    			sRandomStrings[nLoop2] = 'Monkey'
    		case 11:
    			sRandomStrings[nLoop2] = 'Rhinoceros'
    		case 12:
    			sRandomStrings[nLoop2] = 'Kangaroo'
    		case 13:
    			sRandomStrings[nLoop2] = 'Penguin'
    		case 14:
    			sRandomStrings[nLoop2] = 'Seal'
    		case 15:
    			sRandomStrings[nLoop2] = 'Lion'
    		case 16:
    			sRandomStrings[nLoop2] = 'Tiger'
    		case 17:
    			sRandomStrings[nLoop2] = 'Another Long Name'
    		case 18:
    			sRandomStrings[nLoop2] = 'Lizard'
    		case 19:
    			sRandomStrings[nLoop2] = 'Boa Constrictor'
    	}
    }
    

    Jeff
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