Is n_params() supposed to behave this way?

[Mirko Vukovic <mvukovic(at)taz.telusa.com>]

Consider the following code:

pro sub1,arg1,arg2,arg3,arg4,arg5

   message,/info,string(n_params())

   return

end

pro sub,arg1,arg2,arg3,arg4,arg5

   message,/info,string(n_params())

   sub1,arg1,arg2,arg3,arg4,arg5

   return
end

If at the command prompt I do

sub,4

IDL will print out
IDL> sub,4
% SUB:            1
% SUB1:            5

In sub1 all arguments except the first one are still undefined.

The problem arose in my application where I am initializing an object
whose identity is determined at run-time.  Now, the number
of arguments that the objects need differs from one to the other,
and a single obj_new(ObjectName,arg1,arg2,arg3,,,) statement fails if
the init method for the object accepts only one argument (say).

Other than doing a case statement, is there some other way to
deal with this issue?

Thanks,

Mirko


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