read input from file

[short]

Hey there,

I was wondering if there was a way to convert all keyboard/button names from string to their enum.

I read in the tutorial that you can do a straight char representation -> sf::keyboard::key enum for characters/numbers, but what about things such as "Back."

In my situation, I'm reading key bindings from a file, such as this:

Code: [Select]

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<Root>
  <Keyboard>
    <a action="MoveLeft"></a>
    <s action="MoveDown"></s>
    <d action="MoveRight"></d>
    <w action="MoveUp"></w>
    <F12 action="whatevs"></F12>
  </Keyboard>
</Root>

I use xml to parse this the way I want it, but everything comes out as a string. I need to do a conversion from, say std::string("f12") -> sf::keyboard::F12. I didn't see anything, and the only constant-time way I can think to solve this is to create an std::map with all the key/values defined within it (the map of course allowing constant time lookup). This would allow me to do something such as return _myMap.at("F12") and have a sf::keyboard::key returned, or something similar.

This would however require a map with every keyboard / mouse "button/click" in it. I don't mind doing this, if there is no other way I have missed.

Thanks!!

[Laurent]

There's no other way, you must write your own function.

the map of course allowing constant time lookup

Searching in a map is O(ln(N))

[MorleyDev]

the map of course allowing constant time lookup

Searching in a map is O(ln(N))

Yeah, it's a tree search and pretty fast but it's not constant time. If you want constant time lookup then there's always a hash map (std::tr1::unordered_map or boost::unordered_map).

[Nexus]

I was wondering if there was a way to convert all keyboard/button names from string to their enum.

Since this is an often-needed feature for dynamic key assignment, I plan to add this in Thor. I have already gotten requests about serializations, a "bimap" from keys to strings and back is at least a start.

So if you can wait some time, we don't have to implement it both

[Silvah]

If you want constant time lookup then there's always a hash map (std::tr1::unordered_map or boost::unordered_map).

Standard hash maps are constant time only if you're extremely lucky. Collision are virtually guaranteed to happen, so the actual complexity is almost-but-not-really-constant.

Are the keys immutable? If they are, I'd consider using a perfect hash function, there are programs like gperf that generate them.

[Nexus]

Since this is an often-needed feature for dynamic key assignment, I plan to add this in Thor.

Done.