[UIMA-2379] can't intuit meaning of copyFromArray and copyToArray methods on FSArray

• Type: Bug
• Status: Resolved
• Priority: Minor
• Resolution: Fixed
• Affects Version/s: 2.3
• Fix Version/s: 2.4.1SDK
• Component/s: Core Java Framework
• Assignee: Marshall Schor
• Reporter: Mike Barborak
• Created: 08/Mar/12 16:51
• Updated: 29/Apr/13 20:56
• Resolved: 29/Apr/13 20:55

Description

Regarding this method on org.apache.uima.jcas.cas.FSArray:

public void copyFromArray(String[] src, int srcOffset, int destOffset, int length)

I read in the 2.3.0 documentation, "Description copied from interface: CommonArrayFS. Copy the contents of an external string array into this array. The strings are parsed and converted to floats."

This seems incorrect.

It also does not seem informative enough. If I have a feature that is an FSArray of feature structures, what does it mean to copy from an array of strings?

Related is what it means to copy such an FSArray of feature structures to an array of strings. Is there some contract implied here?