NAME

       VistaIODecodeAttrValue - decode an attribute value

SYNOPSIS

       VistaIOBoolean VistaIODecodeAttrValue (str, dict, repn, value)
              VistaIOStringConst str;
              VistaIODictEntry *dict;
              VistaIORepnKind repn;
              VistaIOPointer value;

ARGUMENTS

       str       Specifies the attribute value to be decoded.

       dict      May  specify  a  dictionary  to  be  used in recognizing the value supplied as a
                 keyword, or it may be NULL

       repn      Specifies the representation in which the value is to be returned.  It  must  be
                 one  of  VistaIOBitRepn,  VistaIOUByteRepn,  VistaIOSByteRepn, VistaIOShortRepn,
                 VistaIOLongRepn,  VistaIOFloatRepn,  VistaIODoubleRepn,  VistaIOBooleanRepn,  or
                 VistaIOStringRepn.

       value     Specifies a location at which the value is be returned.

DESCRIPTION

       VistaIODecodeAttrValue  decodes  the string str, returning its value in the form specified
       by repn.

       If a dictionary, dict, has been provided, the routine determines whether str is a  keyword
       defined  in  the  dictionary. If so, it uses the value associated with that keyword rather
       than the attribute's original value. (See the VistaIOdictionary(3) manual page.)

       The value obtained directly from str, or indirectly via the dictionary,  is  converted  to
       the representation repn and then stored at the location pointed to by value.

RETURN VALUES

       VistaIODecodeAttrValue  returns  TRUE  if  successful and FALSE otherwise. It will fail if
       repn is invalid, or if the str cannot be interpreted as a value of the type  indicated  by
       repn.

SEE ALSO

       VistaIOEncodeAttrValue(3), VistaIOGetAttr(3), VistaIOattribute(3),

NOTES

       The  value  argument  must  point  to  sufficient  storage  to  contain  a  value  of  the
       representation  requested.  Neither  VistaIODecodeAttrValue  nor  the   C   compiler   can
       automatically check that this is so.

DIAGNOSTICS

       ``Can't decode to repn.''
              The   repn   argument   is   not  one  of  VistaIOBitRepn,  VistaIOUByteRepn,  ...,
              VistaIOBooleanRepn, or VistaIOStringRepn.

AUTHOR

       Art Pope <pope@cs.ubc.ca>

       Adaption to vistaio: Gert Wollny <gw.fossdev@gmail.com>