This chapter describes the use of collection and list objects defined within the Maxsurf Automation Interface. List objects are an important class of object as they provide a means of rapidly accessing and modifying data for a large group of objects with only a small number of subroutine calls between Maxsurf and the host. A good understanding of the behaviour and use of list objects will ensure that scripts execute efficiently. The first two sections of this chapter describe the properties and methods of collection and list objects.
Figure 11 Shows the relation between Items, Collections and Lists. An item represents a single entity, such as a Marker or a Surface. A Collection is the group defining all of the Items. Within the collection it is possible to define a sub-set of the collection, known as a List. Using lists can be advantageous as they can improve the execution speed of an automation procedure.
Figure 11 Relations between Items, Collections and Lists