Consider addding support for sequence with variable element size?

[joachimmetz]

Consider addding support for sequence with variable element size? or add a higher (abstract) level data type for this?

For now, dtFabric will error on sequence with variable size element data type

[joachimmetz]

Structure that defines a string array

name: char
type: integer
attributes:
  format: signed
  size: 1
  units: bytes
---
name: uint32
type: integer
attributes:
  format: signed
  size: 4
  units: bytes
---
name: cstring
type: string
encoding: ascii
element_data_type: char
elements_terminator: "\x00"
---
name: string_array
type: structure
attributes:
  byte_order: little-endian
members:
- name: number_of_strings
  data_type: uint32
- name: strings
  type: sequence
  element_data_type: cstring
  number_of_elements: string_array.number_of_strings

Which currently raises:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "./dtfabric/tests/reader.py", line 1123, in testReadFileObjectStructureWithStringArray
    definitions_reader.ReadFileObject(definitions_registry, file_object)
  File "./dtfabric/reader.py", line 947, in ReadFileObject
    raise errors.FormatError(error_message)
FormatError: in: string_array in: strings unsupported variable size element data type: cstring

Check the element data type and allow string?

[joachimmetz]

Alternatively have specific type for a sequence of strings?

name: char
type: integer
attributes:
  format: signed
  size: 1
  units: bytes
---
name: uint32
type: integer
attributes:
  format: signed
  size: 4
  units: bytes
---
name: string_array
type: structure
attributes:
  byte_order: little-endian
members:
- name: number_of_strings
  data_type: uint32
- name: strings
  type: sequence_of_strings
  number_of_elements: string_array.number_of_strings
  string_encoding: ascii
  string_data_type: char
  string_terminator: "\x00"