Use CaptureHistory() instead of HistoryCarbonCopy

[Garados007]

We can use CaptureHistoryStart() and CaptureHistory() to capture all history output between the start of the capture and the current invocation. Igor can maintain multiple history captures at the same time and all we have to do is to remember the reference number returned by CatuptureHistoryStart() and provide it to CaptureHistory(). We can call CaptureHistory() multiple times and can stop a specific capture when there is no longer a need for it.

Function test()
    variable refNum = CaptureHistoryStart()
    print "Hello world!"

    string capture = CaptureHistory(refNum, 0) // 0 is to keep capture active
    print "🌲"
    print capture // should be "Hello world!"

    capture = CaptureHistory(refNum, 1) // 1 stops capture
    print capture // should be "Hello world!\n🌲\nHello world!"
End

We currently use a single notebook with the specific name HistoryCarbonCopy which contains magically all history output including the one there is no use for us (because its the output before the current test suite, test case, ...). We capture at the start and end of all test runs/suites/cases all historic output and create the desired string slices at the end of them.

I think we can improve our data collection when we use CaptureHistoryStart() and CaptureHistory() instead and do not rely on hidden magical notebooks.

[t-b]

Good idea, but right now IP6 does not support fancy things like CaptureHistoryStart/CaptureHistory.

[Garados007]

Good idea, but right now IP6 does not support fancy things like CaptureHistoryStart/CaptureHistory.

That's a pity. There was nothing in the Igor documentation about when it was introduced. Maybe keep this in mind and come back when we decide to drop support for Igor 6.

[Garados007]

Hmm. I started Igor 6 locally and I run the test code above. Apart from the unicode tree everything was fine:

And its also in the Igor 6 documentation.

[t-b]

Interesting, you are right it is present in IP6. So let's switch to that!