CODEWITHSUNDEEP
actionscript-3typesparameters
BladePoint
BladePoint

Reputation: 632

AS3: Function that determines if parameter is int or Number

I want to write a function that accepts either an int or a Number as a parameter and does different things depending on what type it is. My first question is what to use in the signature, Object or Number? I was thinking Number because it covers both int and Number.

function myFunction(p:Number):void { //Should p be of type Object or Number?
    if (p is int) trace("Parameter is int.");
    else if (p is Number) trace("Parameter is Number.");
}

The problem is I want it to be classified as a Number if the parameter has a decimal point like 1.00. That will still come up as int. Does anyone have any ideas how to do that? I suppose I could convert p to a String and then check to see if it contains a decimal point, but I was hoping there was an easier way.

Upvotes: 0

Views: 126

Answers (1)

Panzercrisis
Panzercrisis

Reputation: 4750

The main problem I see is with the following sentence:

The problem is I want it to be classified as a Number if the parameter has a decimal point like 1.00.

Let's say we have an int variable called x, and we set it to 1. Does it look like 1, 1.00, or 1x10^-1? The answer is always no. Even if somebody were to type this:

myFunction(1.00);

the number still wouldn't actually look like anything. It's just the number one. Its only representation basically is however it looks in the actual machine bit representation (either floating point-style or just 000...001).

All it is is a number - whether stored in a Number variable or an int variable. Trying to convert it to a String won't help, as the information isn't there to begin with. The closest you're going to be able to come to this is pretty much going to be to use a String as the parameter type and see if somebody calls myFunction("1") or myFunction("1.00").

Only do something like this if you really have to, due to the wide range of stuff that could actually be stored in a String. Otherwise your is keywords should be the best way to go. But whichever one you choose, do not use an Object or untyped parameter; go with either a String or (much more preferably) a Number.

Upvotes: 1

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