Modifications to get rid of device index arrays

[GioCC]

Description of changes

Addresses issue #174 (which in turn refers to discussion #154).
The "index" arrays for each device type are suppressed, and devices are allocated completely in the already existing object buffer; this way, there is no longer a limit to the number of devices of a given type that can be allocated (e.g.: one can allocate exclusively shift registers, as many as the avaliable space allows). The max amounts need no longer to be defined.

Notes

• Modifications are broad (also because they involve all devices), but mostly fairly repetitive.
  Also, the refactoring contributes IMHO to a certain "modularization" of the structure of device-related code.
• The current allocateMem class is replaced by a slightly more complex stowManager, which has the same basic purpose but with more extended functions.
• There is a (slight) gain in RAM, although this is not the actual goal.

NOTE: This is a draft PR; the code, albeit complete, still requires testing and cleanup (and obviously also review).
If interested, please don't forget to have a look at the comments in the IODevice class, which is pivotal.

I will greatly appreciate any checking effort and suggestions.

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[elral]

Additional to my comment above, changes in config.cpp are required. Can't do it in the code, as this file is not changed within this Pull Request. Revert Back from pullrequest #173 is not merged here:

bool readRecordTailFromEEPROM(char **dest = NULL, char *cap = (char *)0xFFFF)
{
    char temp = 0;
    do {
        temp = MFeeprom.read_char(); // read the first character
        if (dest) {
            *((*dest)++) = temp;
            // TODO: this function should be buffer-agnostic -
            //  the specific constant for buffer size should not be hardcoded!
            if (*dest >= cap) break; // nameBuffer full: stop copying
        }
    } while (temp != ':'); // reads until limiter ':' and locates the next free buffer position
    if (dest) {
-------------------------------
//        *((*dest)--) = 0x00; // replace ':' by NULL, terminates the string
        *((*dest)-1) = 0x00; // replace ':' by NULL, terminates the string
    }
//    return (*dest >= cap);
    return (*dest <= cap);
------------------------------
}

I am not completly sure about *((*dest)-1) = 0x00; // replace ':' by NULL, terminates the string

Nevertheless my mega2560 crashes even with this changes (I tested them before reverting the main branch and they were OK). W/o them the config gets not loaded and the mega2560 doesn't crash.

[elral]

Hmhm, tested it again. Now the mega does not crash!?! Please don't ask me what I did wrong before. Sorry.
But it seems that the config get's still not loaded. No input and output device is working...

[GioCC]

Hmhm, tested it again. Now the mega does not crash!?! Please don't ask me what I did wrong before. Sorry. But it seems that the config get's still not loaded. No input and output device is working...

Ok, I think I'll have to take a step back and review it again myself first. I have been trying to follow late changes (basically PRs from #171 on) and it's getting a little confusing; I'd like to have a look to last-minute changes because there's definitely something that doesn't add up. Thanks for your effort so far, I will get back to you all once I figure out where it's at.

BTW, both the changes you pointed out are clearly correct!

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[elral]

What I found so far, Button::Add(params[0], nameBufPtr); leads to a crash.
With the above mentioned changes the readConfig() will be finished (w/o button configured), but then it seems to crash.

edit:/ checking Button::Add() gets out of my knowledge....

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