Class PackedStringArray

A packed array of Strings.

PackedStringArray

Remarks

An array specifically designed to hold Strings. Packs data tightly, so it saves memory for large array sizes.

If you want to join the strings in the array, use String.join.

var string_array = PackedStringArray(["hello", "world"])
var string = " ".join(string_array)
print(string) # "hello world"

Differences between packed arrays, typed arrays, and untyped arrays: Packed arrays are generally faster to iterate on and modify compared to a typed array of the same type (e.g. PackedStringArray versus Array[String]). Also, packed arrays consume less memory. As a downside, packed arrays are less flexible as they don't offer as many convenience methods such as Array.map. Typed arrays are in turn faster to iterate on and modify than untyped arrays.

Note: Packed arrays are always passed by reference. To get a copy of an array that can be modified independently of the original array, use duplicate. This is not the case for built-in properties and methods. The returned packed array of these are a copies, and changing it will not affect the original value. To update a built-in property you need to modify the returned array, and then assign it to the property again.

See Also

Operating System Testing Demo

Constructors

PackedStringArray

Constructs an empty PackedStringArray.

PackedStringArray PackedStringArray

PackedStringArray(PackedStringArray)

Constructs a PackedStringArray as a copy of the given PackedStringArray.

PackedStringArray PackedStringArray(PackedStringArray from)

Parameters

from PackedStringArray

PackedStringArray(Array)

Constructs a new PackedStringArray. Optionally, you can pass in a generic Array that will be converted.

PackedStringArray PackedStringArray(Array from)

Parameters

from Array

Methods

append(String)

Appends an element at the end of the array (alias of PackedStringArray.push_back).

bool append(String value)

Parameters

value String

append_array(PackedStringArray)

Appends a PackedStringArray at the end of this array.

void append_array(PackedStringArray array)

Parameters

array PackedStringArray

bsearch(String, bool)

Finds the index of an existing value (or the insertion index that maintains sorting order, if the value is not yet present in the array) using binary search. Optionally, a before specifier can be passed. If false, the returned index comes after all existing entries of the value in the array.

Note: Calling PackedStringArray.bsearch on an unsorted array results in unexpected behavior.

int bsearch(String value, bool before)

Parameters

value String

before bool

clear

Clears the array. This is equivalent to using PackedStringArray.resize with a size of 0.

void clear

count(String)

Qualifiers: const

Returns the number of times an element is in the array.

int count(String value)

Parameters

value String

duplicate

Creates a copy of the array, and returns it.

PackedStringArray duplicate

fill(String)

Assigns the given value to all elements in the array. This can typically be used together with PackedStringArray.resize to create an array with a given size and initialized elements.

void fill(String value)

Parameters

value String

find(String, int)

Qualifiers: const

Searches the array for a value and returns its index or -1 if not found. Optionally, the initial search index can be passed.

int find(String value, int from)

Parameters

value String

from int

get(int)

Qualifiers: const

Returns the String at the given index in the array. This is the same as using the [] operator (array[index]).

String get(int index)

Parameters

index int

has(String)

Qualifiers: const

Returns true if the array contains value.

bool has(String value)

Parameters

value String

insert(int, String)

Inserts a new element at a given position in the array. The position must be valid, or at the end of the array (idx == size()).

int insert(int at_index, String value)

Parameters

at_index int

value String

is_empty

Qualifiers: const

Returns true if the array is empty.

bool is_empty

push_back(String)

Appends a string element at end of the array.

bool push_back(String value)

Parameters

value String

remove_at(int)

Removes an element from the array by index.

void remove_at(int index)

Parameters

index int

resize(int)

Sets the size of the array. If the array is grown, reserves elements at the end of the array. If the array is shrunk, truncates the array to the new size. Calling PackedStringArray.resize once and assigning the new values is faster than adding new elements one by one.

int resize(int new_size)

Parameters

new_size int

reverse

Reverses the order of the elements in the array.

void reverse

rfind(String, int)

Qualifiers: const

Searches the array in reverse order. Optionally, a start search index can be passed. If negative, the start index is considered relative to the end of the array.

int rfind(String value, int from)

Parameters

value String

from int

set(int, String)

Changes the String at the given index.

void set(int index, String value)

Parameters

index int

value String

size

Qualifiers: const

Returns the number of elements in the array.

int size

slice(int, int)

Qualifiers: const

Returns the slice of the PackedStringArray, from begin (inclusive) to end (exclusive), as a new PackedStringArray.

The absolute value of begin and end will be clamped to the array size, so the default value for end makes it slice to the size of the array by default (i.e. arr.slice(1) is a shorthand for arr.slice(1, arr.size())).

If either begin or end are negative, they will be relative to the end of the array (i.e. arr.slice(0, -2) is a shorthand for arr.slice(0, arr.size() - 2)).

PackedStringArray slice(int begin, int end)

Parameters

begin int

end int

sort

Sorts the elements of the array in ascending order.

void sort

to_byte_array

Qualifiers: const

Returns a PackedByteArray with each string encoded as UTF-8. Strings are null terminated.

PackedByteArray to_byte_array

Operators

!= (PackedStringArray)

Returns true if contents of the arrays differ.

bool != (PackedStringArray right)

Parameters

right PackedStringArray

+ (PackedStringArray)

Returns a new PackedStringArray with contents of right added at the end of this array. For better performance, consider using PackedStringArray.append_array instead.

PackedStringArray + (PackedStringArray right)

Parameters

right PackedStringArray

== (PackedStringArray)

Returns true if contents of both arrays are the same, i.e. they have all equal Strings at the corresponding indices.

bool == (PackedStringArray right)

Parameters

right PackedStringArray

[] (int)

Returns the String at index index. Negative indices can be used to access the elements starting from the end. Using index out of array's bounds will result in an error.

String [] (int index)

Parameters

index int