Compatibility note regarding getSwitchIndex(positionName)

[raphaelcoeffic]

As many things related to switches have changed in main post 2.9, I checked how getSwitchIndex(positionName) used to work, and how it works now.

I noticed the following regarding versions up to 2.9, which are more or less the same in main, and make certain uses of getSwitchIndex() fundamentally flawed:

• Switches: here getSwitchPositionName() is used, which computes a string that is dependent on custom switch names. This means that when using getSwitchIndex() to grab the index of a known switch, it won't work if a custom name has been defined for that switch.
• Trims: the exact string depends on the language used, and might thus be different for example in english and french versions. This makes it unusable for anything using a specific string (ex: CHAR_TRIM.."Rl"; in French that would be CHAR_TRIM.."Dg")

Post 2.9 (main), getSwitchIndex() works the same with the exception of trims which use a different string:

• Rudder trims*: Rud- / Rud+ (English; French translation uses Dir- / Dir+)

IMHO, there is little value in reproducing the same behaviour in main as it was in 2.9 because of the different strings based on the language used.

[raphaelcoeffic]

I believe one should not use getSwitchIndex() with pre-defined strings. Instead, the switches() functions should be used to offer the user a way to select a switch.