CapeArrayInterface

[jasper]

The IDL allows for an array of objects in the form of CapeArrayInterface?. In CAPE-OPEN 1.1 this was used only in passing an array of parameter specifications for a parameter array - CAPE-OPEN 1.2 has abandoned this approach.

Support for CapeArrayInterface? was overlooked; the basic data type, wrappers, adapters, code generation and marshaling for this type are not implemented. This remained unnoticed because it is not used in CAPE-OPEN 1.2.

It could be argued that in an interface design that supports collections, passing an array of objects is not required under any circumstance.

Are we dropping IDL support for this unused data type or are we implementing support for it throughout COBIA?

[jasper]

Decision was taken in the M&T SIG meeting to drop support for CapeArrayInterface? for the time being, and possibly re-introduce it in case a use case arises.

The underlying argument is that in principle an array of components can always be represented by a collection-type interface.

This implies currently removing CapeArrayInterface? from the IDL parser as a supported type.

Reintroduction would imply:

• adding support for CapeArrayInterface? to the IDL parser
• marking the IDL file format as a new version (older IDL parsers will not be able to parse it)
• defining ICapeArrayInterface
• making CapeArrayInterface? wrappers
• supporting code generation using this type
• making standard implementations (e.g. CapeArrayInterfaceImpl?)
• providing marshaling support for CapeArrayInterface?

As the type is not currently referenced by any CAPE-OPEN IDL, this does not lead to backward compatibility issues.

[jasper]

In [05d227141ae95b07fb726a244c51941ae64927ee]:

Fix #145

[jasper]

In [40726072fe0200918296000015165959c72574ac]:

Fix #145