Convert style definition to string [MapBasic]

Hi

You should be able to convert a string to a Symbol variable.

But the string needs to look like this:

Dim symNew As Symbol
Dim sSym As String
sSym = CurrentSymbol()
symNew = sSym

Alternatively, you can use a function that takes your string and then converts that into a symbol.

In the STYLELib that is part of my MapBasicLib, there are functions that helps you cast from styles to string and from strings to styles.

They take a comma separated string with elements and create new styles from these.

Here’s one example:

Function STLText2Symbol(ByVal sSymbol As String) As Symbol

Dim   arrItems() As String,

      nNumItems As Integer

OnError GoTo ErrorOccured

STLText2Symbol = CurrentSymbol()

      nNumItems = STRINGSplit(sSymbol, ",", arrItems)

      If nNumItems = 3 Then

            'MapInfo 3.0 symbol set

            STLText2Symbol = MakeSymbol(Val(arrItems(1)), Val(arrItems(2)), Val(arrItems(3)))

      ElseIf nNumItems > 3 Then

            Do Case arrItems(1)

                  Case "1"

                        'MapInfo 3.0 symbol set

                        STLText2Symbol = MakeSymbol(Val(arrItems(2)), Val(arrItems(3)), Val(arrItems(4)))

                  Case "2"

                        'TrueType font as the symbol

                        STLText2Symbol = MakeFontSymbol(Val(arrItems(2)), Val(arrItems(3)), Val(arrItems(4)), arrItems(5), Val(arrItems(6)), Val(arrItems(7)))

                  Case "3"

                        'Symbol value based on a bitmap file

                        STLText2Symbol = MakeCustomSymbol(arrItems(2), Val(arrItems(3)), Val(arrItems(4)), Val(arrItems(5)))

            End Case

      End If

      Exit Function

'-------------------------

ErrorOccured:

      Call ERRCreate(Err(), Error$(), "STLText2Symbol: " & sSymbol)

      Call ERRShow()

      STLText2Symbol = CurrentSymbol()

End Function

Find the MapBasicLib on Github.