Need HELP! getAttr - type stringArray DOESNT work!

[stephg]

Help! Adding attribute of type stringArray, and then retrieving that data from the node later doesnt seem to work, even though the docs. dont seem to mention it!
I need a way to store multiple arrays of strings inside a node (per file), and then connect, update/manipulate and then re-connect that data later, based on other attributes, etc. Can some one help me, who has done this already? I may store the data in a delimited array inside a scriptNode, but that seems like an inefficient hack. What I really need is to add stringArray attributes... (if this does actually work, it would be almost exactly like having a struct to build an associative array - IN MEL! Wouldnt that be cool!) Do the attributes have to be numeric in order to read them? Am I doing something wrong?!? I am afraid that I may need to use the API, but I havent had a chance to touch it yet... so, here is the broken code, Thanks in advance for any help:

// this part works:
createNode unknown -n "stringListStoreNode";
addAttr -ln arrayOfStrings -dt stringArray;
setAttr stringListStoreNode.arrayOfStrings -type stringArray 7 "one" "two" "three" "four" "five" "six" "seven";
//so far so good... but then, I need to retrieve (and later even edit) the data:

string $brokenFeature[] = getAttr stringListStoreNode.arrayOfStrings;
//DOEST WORK:
// Error: line 1: The data is not a numeric or string value, and cannot be displayed. //

Is the data being associated with a numeric attr? Does the data need to be indexed?! There is nothing about it in the docs, they only cover matrix types with getAttr. OR, is this feature just broken ?

Any help much appreciated:
-erick

[stephg]

(Hi everyone, I found this post, after changing my search queries... not lookin too hopeful for getAttr -type stringArray)

Very little support in Mel for stringArray attributes(apart from the initial setup with setattr) and even the attribute editor will not display them, plus you can only create string attributes vai mel or the dev kit.
So I ended up having to written a MPxCommand to access them.
Come Alias pull your finger out.

(finger! ha!)

[stephg]

Ok. I found this post too, and now I am really getting discouraged. Can't these brainiacs at a|w imlement a simple getAttr for a simple stringArray! It's not like I'm asking for anything like dynamic multidimensional arrays or userdefined types (which by-the-way, should totally exisit, amongst many others) !!!!! Why in the world should I have to compile and load a friggin plugin just to input and output an array of strings inside a node!?!?!

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THIS MAKES NO SENSE, AND MAKES ME VERY UPSET FOR A $17THOUSAND DOLLAR COMPILER THAT CANT STORE STRING ARRAYS INSIDE A FRIGGIN NODE!!! Some one plese help me! I dont have time for this garbage anymore!

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I could never get the getAttr to read the stringArray, I could only create the attribute and read it in the plugin.
Code to create attribute:

MFnTypedAttribute nAttr;
MObject attrObject;
MFnIkJoint *JointPt;

JointPtr = returnJointPointer("ROOT");
attrObject = nAttr.create( AttribName, AttribName, MFnData::kStringArray );
JointPt->addAttribute( attrObject );

code to read attr:
MObject *jointNodeObj;
MObject Data;

JointNodeObj = returnJointPointerObject("ROOT");

MPlug plug( JointNodeObj, attrObject );
plug.attribute( &Status );
Status = plug.getValue( Data );

[jschleifer]

Yeah, bitch ain't it?

I always just end up saving the arrays as one long string separated by some easy to tokenize character.

blech.

---

jason schleifer
animator
weta digital

[stephg]

yeah... lame. But, if you want to iterate through an "array" of strings stored in a node, and dont want to delimit, rebuild the string and tokenize into a new array (which isn't terribly ineffecient, but sort of silly of maya), a guy from pixar on the dev list gives this very nice solution:

To: maya-dev@highend3d.com
Subject: Re: Help! getAttr BROKEN on -type stringArray?!
Reply-to: maya-dev@highend3d.com

I'm pretty sure that array attributes such as these can only be read via
API - it says on the getAttr help page:

"Currently, only numeric attributes, string attributes, matrix attributes,
and numeric compound attributes",

you could try instead:

createNode unknown -n "stringListStoreNode";
addAttr -ln arrayOfStrings -dt stringArray;
setAttr stringListStoreNode.arrayOfStrings -type stringArray 7 "one" "two"
"three" "four" "five" "six" "seven";

addAttr -dt "string" -ln "stringList" -sn "sLst" -m "stringListStoreNode";
setAttr -type "string" ("stringListStoreNode.sLst[0]") ("one");
setAttr -type "string" ("stringListStoreNode.sLst[1]") ("two");
setAttr -type "string" ("stringListStoreNode.sLst[2]") ("three");

then you can just access these as you would do point attributes e.g.

getAttr ("stringListStoreNode.sLst[1]")
// Result: two