Language enhancement: DIMX now supports structures directly, for example:
DEFSTRUCT ST_MOVIE
MAP2 TITLE$,S,30
MAP2 GROSS,F,6
ENDSTRUCT
...
DIMX FILMS(COUNT),ST_MOVIE
This is effectively the same as:
DIMX FILMS(COUNT),X,36
Except that you may also access the individual members using a new form of the traditional array syntax:
FILMS(X).TITLE$ ! instead of FILMS.TITLE$(X)
FILMS(X).GROSS ! instead of FILMS.GROSS(X)
Note that if one of the structure members is itself an array (for example, if we make GROSS into a 2 element array for domestic and foreign gross), the syntax to reference an element of GROSS() array within the FILMS() array would be:
FILMS(X).GROSS(Y)
The prior workaround (allocating a single instance of the structure, plus an array of unformatted variables equal in size to the structure, and then copying the structure into or out of each unformatted element as needed) is still a viable approach, but the new technique is probably more natural. Maybe even more elegant.
Compatibility Warning: this is both a compiler (edit 490) and a runtime enhancement. Programs using it will only run on A-Shell 6.0 and above. (It's being released in 5.1.1235.0 to allow some field testing prior to release, but should be considered a 6.0 feature for production purposes.) Programs that use it will be given the header bit previously used to indicated a minimum requirement of 5.1.1160 (see VERSYS.LIT); that bit will also be re-labeled when 6.0 is released.
