CreateSafeStringArray and CreateSafeDoubleArray

This is useful in various parts of COM programming:

// Call SafeArrayDestroy after you've finished with the array

SAFEARRAY* CreateSafeStringArray(long nElements, TCHAR *elements[])

{

    SAFEARRAYBOUND saBound[1];

    saBound[0].cElements = nElements;

    saBound[0].lLbound = 0;

    SAFEARRAY *pSA = SafeArrayCreate(VT_BSTR, 1, saBound);

    if (pSA == NULL)

    {

        return NULL;

    }

    for (int ix = 0; ix < nElements; ix++)

    {

        BSTR pData = SysAllocString(elements[ix]);

        long rgIndicies[1];

        rgIndicies[0] = saBound[0].lLbound + ix;

        HRESULT hr = SafeArrayPutElement(pSA, rgIndicies, pData);

    }

    return pSA;

}

For example in adding tables into sheets.

For doubles use:

// After use call SafeArrayDestroy

SAFEARRAY* CreateSafeDoubleArray(long nElements, double* pElements)

{

   SAFEARRAYBOUND rgsabound[1];

   rgsabound[0].lLbound = 0; // index starts at 0

   rgsabound[0].cElements = nElements; // number of elements

   SAFEARRAY FAR* psa = SafeArrayCreate(VT_R8, 1, rgsabound);

   if (psa == NULL) {

       return 0;

   }

   HRESULT hr = SafeArrayLock(psa);

   for (int i = 0 ; i < nElements ; i++) {

       LONG rgIndex = i ;

       double d = pElements[i];

       hr = SafeArrayPutElement(psa, &rgIndex, &d);

   }

   hr = SafeArrayUnlock(psa);

   return psa;

}

Here's an example.