intermediate commit - it has been over a month since I touched

this...

src/AsciiInputOutput.cc

@@ -0,0 +1,149 @@
+// See the file "COPYING" in the main distribution directory for copyright.
+
+#include "config.h"
+
+
+bool AsciiInputOutput::ValToText(ODesc* desc, Value* val, const Field* field)
+	{
+	if ( ! val->present )
+		{
+		desc->AddN(unset_field, unset_field_len);
+		return true;
+		}
+
+	switch ( val->type ) {
+
+	case TYPE_BOOL:
+		desc->Add(val->val.int_val ? "T" : "F");
+		break;
+
+	case TYPE_INT:
+		desc->Add(val->val.int_val);
+		break;
+
+	case TYPE_COUNT:
+	case TYPE_COUNTER:
+		desc->Add(val->val.uint_val);
+		break;
+
+	case TYPE_PORT:
+		desc->Add(val->val.port_val.port);
+		break;
+
+	case TYPE_SUBNET:
+		desc->Add(Render(val->val.subnet_val));
+		break;
+
+	case TYPE_ADDR:
+		desc->Add(Render(val->val.addr_val));
+		break;
+
+	case TYPE_DOUBLE:
+		// Rendering via Add() truncates trailing 0s after the
+		// decimal point. The difference with TIME/INTERVAL is mainly
+		// to keep the log format consistent.
+		desc->Add(val->val.double_val);
+		break;
+
+	case TYPE_INTERVAL:
+	case TYPE_TIME:
+		// Rendering via Render() keeps trailing 0s after the decimal
+		// point. The difference with DOUBLEis mainly to keep the log
+		// format consistent.
+		desc->Add(Render(val->val.double_val));
+		break;
+
+	case TYPE_ENUM:
+	case TYPE_STRING:
+	case TYPE_FILE:
+	case TYPE_FUNC:
+		{
+		int size = val->val.string_val.length;
+		const char* data = val->val.string_val.data;
+
+		if ( ! size )
+			{
+			desc->AddN(empty_field, empty_field_len);
+			break;
+			}
+
+		if ( size == unset_field_len && memcmp(data, unset_field, size) == 0 )
+			{
+			// The value we'd write out would match exactly the
+			// place-holder we use for unset optional fields. We
+			// escape the first character so that the output
+			// won't be ambigious.
+			static const char hex_chars[] = "0123456789abcdef";
+			char hex[6] = "\\x00";
+			hex[2] = hex_chars[((*data) & 0xf0) >> 4];
+			hex[3] = hex_chars[(*data) & 0x0f];
+			desc->AddRaw(hex, 4);
+
+			++data;
+			--size;
+			}
+
+		if ( size )
+			desc->AddN(data, size);
+
+		break;
+		}
+
+	case TYPE_TABLE:
+		{
+		if ( ! val->val.set_val.size )
+			{
+			desc->AddN(empty_field, empty_field_len);
+			break;
+			}
+
+		desc->AddEscapeSequence(set_separator, set_separator_len);
+		for ( int j = 0; j < val->val.set_val.size; j++ )
+			{
+			if ( j > 0 )
+				desc->AddRaw(set_separator, set_separator_len);
+
+			if ( ! DoWriteOne(desc, val->val.set_val.vals[j], field) )
+				{
+				desc->RemoveEscapeSequence(set_separator, set_separator_len);
+				return false;
+				}
+			}
+		desc->RemoveEscapeSequence(set_separator, set_separator_len);
+
+		break;
+		}
+
+	case TYPE_VECTOR:
+		{
+		if ( ! val->val.vector_val.size )
+			{
+			desc->AddN(empty_field, empty_field_len);
+			break;
+			}
+
+		desc->AddEscapeSequence(set_separator, set_separator_len);
+		for ( int j = 0; j < val->val.vector_val.size; j++ )
+			{
+			if ( j > 0 )
+				desc->AddRaw(set_separator, set_separator_len);
+
+			if ( ! DoWriteOne(desc, val->val.vector_val.vals[j], field) )
+				{
+				desc->RemoveEscapeSequence(set_separator, set_separator_len);
+				return false;
+				}
+			}
+		desc->RemoveEscapeSequence(set_separator, set_separator_len);
+
+		break;
+		}
+
+	default:
+		Error(Fmt("unsupported field format %d for %s", val->type, field->name));
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	return true;
+	}
+

src/AsciiInputOutput.h

@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+// See the file "COPYING" in the main distribution directory for copyright.
+
+#ifndef AsciiInputOutput_h
+#define AsciiInputOutput_h
+
+class AsciiInputOutput {
+	public: 
+		// converts a threading value to the corresponding ascii representation
+		// returns false & logs an error with reporter in case an error occurs
+		bool ValToText(ODesc* desc, Value* val, const Field* field);
+
+};
+
+#endif /* AsciiInputOuput_h */