Efficient Table Wiping

[sirann]

Good afternoon, I'm creating a function that will essentially, every 2.6s, determine how many targets have been hit by blade flurry. The text value will update every .25s, but every 2.6s the table will wipe to ensure the value is as accurate as possible with mobs moving in/out of range or dying.

This is dry coded, so I don't even know if this works, my main question revolves on methods of efficiently clearing all the table keys and values of bladeflurrytargets, is table.wipe() the best option? At the very most, I would expect <20 keys and values in the table at a time. Would it be more efficient to do a k,v delete?

local bftcf = CreateFrame('Button', 'BladeFlurryTargetCountFrame', UIParent)
        bftcf:SetSize(50,50)
        bftcf:SetPoint('CENTER', UIParent, 'CENTER')
    local bftcftext = bftcf:CreateFontString(nil, 'OVERLAY')
        bftcftext:SetFont(FONTSTRINGHERE, 11, 'OUTLINE')
        bftcftext:SetAllPoints()
        
        bftcf:SetScript('OnUpdate', function(self, elapsed, bladeflurrytargets)
            if (elapsed > 0.25 and < 2.6) then --update the text value every 1/4 second to give ~real time analysis
                bftcftext:SetText(#bladeflurrytargets)
            elseif elapsed >= 2.6 then  --update every main hand attack base line speed interval(way faster than this with slice and dice, but just to make sure) to be sure every target that's going to be hit has been hit
                bftcftext:SetText(#bladeflurrytargets)
                table.wipe(bladeflurrytargets)
                elapsed = 0
            end
        end)

[semlar]

I would just call wipe() on the table.

Also, "elapsed" from OnUpdate is the amount of time that has passed since the last frame/OnUpdate call.

To make a timer you need to create a variable outside of the OnUpdate function that you add the elapsed time to until it is greater than 2.6 or whatever and set it back to 0.

Checking if the elapsed time is > 0.25 and < 2.6 will have that executing every frame after 0.25 seconds has been reached until 2.6 seconds has elapsed, you should make 2 separate variables if you want something happening every 0.25 seconds and every 2.6 seconds.

Alternatively, you can use the C_Timer functions to execute something at periodic intervals.

[sirann]

Heh, I was just reading examples of OnUpdate and noticed that no one changed elapsed and were doing just as you described instead. I was about to ask if I can even alter elapsed's value but you already answered that.

Thanks!

e: I also changed the if's to while's to ensure the checks are as accurate as possible.

[sirann]

So here's a follow up question. Can I do a rolling table check? I plan on doing it like this:

Combat log event fires, first argument is time

table[arg1] = GUIDofTargetHitByBladeFlurry aka arg6
 
for k, v in pairs(table) do
     if GetTime() > k + 2.6 then
          k, v = nil, nil
     end
end

I may have to do arithmetic on the return of GetTime() so the equation essentially checks if more than 2.6s has past since that key was created, and it can check this because the value of the key is the timestamp at which it was created.

Is that possible/an efficient way to do more of a rolling check of blade flurry targets being hit instead of a blanket table wipe every 2.6s?

e: I'd have to check the table to see if value is unique for when I hit the target a 2nd, 3rd, or nth time after the initial key was made. If the GUID is already in the table, delete the old key, since this target his been more recently hit, and set the new k,v as the current time and the target's GUID respectively.

[Vrul]

Initialize as such:

local bladeFlurryTargets, numBladeFlurryTargets = { }, 0

To add or update a target:

bladeFlurryTargets[guid] = arg1 + 2.6

To update the count and purge old targets:

local time = GetTime()
numBladeFlurryTargets = 0
for guid, decayTime in next, bladeFlurryTargets, nil do
	if decayTime < time then
		numBladeFlurryTargets = numBladeFlurryTargets + 1
	else
		bladeFlurryTargets[guid] = nil
	end
end

[sirann]

Heh, much more elegant than this monstrosity I created:

local function handlebladeflurryevent(self, bladeflurrytargets, a6)
    for k, v in pairs(bladeflurrytargets) do
        if GetTime() > k + 2.6 then
             k, v = nil, nil
        else
            for i = 1,#bladeflurrytargets do
                for k,v in pairs(bladeflurry) do
                    if a6 == v then
                        k, v = nil, nil
                    else
                        bladeflurrytargets[a1] = a6
                    end
                end
            end
        end
    end
end

Thanks!

[SDPhantom]

Originally Posted by sirann Heh, I was just reading examples of OnUpdate and noticed that no one changed elapsed and were doing just as you described instead. I was about to ask if I can even alter elapsed's value but you already answered that.

Changing the value of elapsed doesn't do anything outside the scope of the function itself. Lua doesn't support sending values back through a function's parameters.

[sirann]

So as you might have been able to elucidate, I am coding a scrolling combat text addon, and figured this would be a decent time to finally make a blade flurry tracker.

Please find here: http://pastebin.com/aJMpCy4t my code thus far. So far I just have the blade flurry handler and the outgoing dmg section completed.

I still need to do incoming dmg and a special frame for blocks, dodges, immunes, and parries (indicative I'm not behind the boss or hitting something I shouldn't be.)

If anyone wants to comment on efficiency and optimization, I'd greatly appreciate it.

[Phanx]

I'll look at the actual code shortly, but:

Originally Posted by sirann So as you might have been able to elucidate....

This is not the droid you are looking for!

elucidate 1. To make clear; to clarify; to shed light upon.

[Phanx]

Okay, on to the actual code. First of all, your indentation is weird. These are at the same heirarchical level; why are they indented differently?

local bftcf = CreateFrame('Button', 'BladeFlurryTargetCountFrame', UIParent)
        bftcf:SetSize(50,50)
        bftcf:SetPoint('CENTER', UIParent, 'CENTER')
        bftcf:Hide()
        bftcf:RegisterEvent('PLAYER_ENTERING_WORLD')
        bftcf:RegisterUnitEvent('UNIT_AURA', 'player')

Unless you want to wrap all but the first line there in a do/end block, those lines shouldn't be indented.

Secondly, your code in its current state won't work at all, and should throw errors. For example:

bftcf:SetScript('OnEvent', function(self, elapsed, unit)
                if (event == 'PLAYER_ENTERING_WORLD' and InCombatLockdown()) or (event == 'UNIT_AURA' and InCombatLockdown()) then
                        if UnitBuff('player', 'Blade Flurry') then
                                bftcf:Show()
                                bftcf:SetScript('OnUpdate', bftcupdater)

...

local bftcupdater = function('OnUpdate', self, elapsed, updater, cleaner, bladeflurrytargets)
        updater = updater + elapsed
        cleaner = cleaner + elapsed

#1 - You're naming the second value passed into your OnEvent script "elapsed" and then referring to a variable "event" that isn't defined. The checks against "event" will always fail, either because "event" is nil, or because "event" is some random unknown value leaked by another addon. You should change "elapsed" to "event" here, because the second value passed into an OnEvent script is a string containing the name of the event being handled.

#2 - There's also no need to check the events, because those are the only events you're registered for. Your frame cannot receive any events other than those two.

#3 - Checking InCombatLockdown() here is very inefficient. If you don't want to handle aura events out of combat, you should register for PLAYER_REGEN_DISABLED (entering combat) and PLAYER_REGEN_ENABLED (leaving combat) and register/unregister UNIT_AURA as needed. If you do this then you will need to check the event in your OnEvent handler after all.

#4 - In the scope where you're setting your OnUpdate script, "bftcupdater" is nil, because it's not defined until about 20 lines further down in the file, and is defined as a local. Unless you're creating globals (don't) you must define your variables closer to the top of the file than where you use them.

#5 - When you define "bftcupdater" you wrote "OnUpdate" inside the parenthesis. This should generate an error, because you cannot write strings, numbers, etc. there -- you're defining a function, not calling it. When your function is called, each of the things you wrote there is assigned as a variable, and given a value according to what's passed into the function. What you wrote would be like trying to do local "OnUpdate" = 5 which just doesn't work.

#6 - If you're setting this as an OnUpdate script, then it will only ever receive two arguments. The first argument is a reference to the frame the script is set on, and is typically named "self". The second is a number describing how many seconds have passed since the last time the OnUpdate script was run, and is typically named "elapsed". You are assigning two variables with those names, but in the wrong positions, and you're also assigning three more variables ("updater", "cleaner", and "bladeflurrytargets") which will always be given nil values. The next two lines will fail and throw errors about attempting to perform arithmetic on nil values. I'm guessing you actually want to use the variables with the same names that you defined at the top of your file, in which case you need to remove them from the list of function arguments.

There's probably more, but there's no point in looking at anything else at this point. There's just no way this code could ever work as written. You should really at least load your code in-game and try to fix the errors before you ask for advice on optimization. Remember:

The First Rule of Program Optimization: Don't do it. The Second Rule of Program Optimization (for experts only!): Don't do it yet.

[Seerah]

Originally Posted by Phanx Okay, on to the actual code. First of all, your indentation is weird. These are at the same heirarchical level; why are they indented differently? local bftcf = CreateFrame('Button', 'BladeFlurryTargetCountFrame', UIParent) bftcf:SetSize(50,50) bftcf:SetPoint('CENTER', UIParent, 'CENTER') bftcf:Hide() bftcf:RegisterEvent('PLAYER_ENTERING_WORLD') bftcf:RegisterUnitEvent('UNIT_AURA', 'player') Unless you want to wrap all but the first line there in a do/end block, those lines shouldn't be indented.

I indent like that sometimes if I'm creating a bunch of frames/objects in a function. Helps to see where each one begins and which methods are being performed on that object. Either that or line breaks. If it helps him keep his code organized for his purposes, there's no harm in it.

[sirann]

Perhaps I'm just dumb, but I'm trying to compare time of an event that was stored via the first argument of CLEU with the current time. GetTime() doesn't seem to the the way to do it as it reports a number several thousand fold higher than the arg1 value.

BTW thank you for elucidating the definition of elucidate for me phanx. I still think it fits, deduce may have been better!

[Choonstertwo]

Originally Posted by sirann Perhaps I'm just dumb, but I'm trying to compare time of an event that was stored via the first argument of CLEU with the current time. GetTime() doesn't seem to the the way to do it as it reports a number several thousand fold higher than the arg1 value. BTW thank you for elucidating the definition of elucidate for me phanx. I still think it fits, deduce may have been better!

GetTime() returns the time since your computer booted up in milliseconds.

The first argument of CLEU is the number of seconds (with milliseconds) since the Unix epoch. The time() function also returns the number of seconds since the Unix epoch (without milliseconds), so this is what you'll want to use to get the current time rather than GetTime.

This is specifically mentioned in the Base Parameters section of the CLE/CLEU page on Wowpedia.