Ticket #0002144

Type	Wish	Status	reviewed	Date	22-Apr-2014 22:02
Version	r3 master	Category	Mezzanine	Submitted by	IngoHohmann
Platform	All	Severity	minor	Priority	normal

Summary	make extend bind function body to the object, add /only to not bind
Description	Currently, you need to 'bind the body of a function manually, to be able to access words in the object. Make this binding automatic, but add an /only refinement to not bind.
Example code	>> o: object [p: does [print 'hi]] == make object! [ p: make function! [[][print 'hi]] ] >> extend o 'q does [p] >> o/p hi >> o/q Script error: p has no value Where: q ** Near: o/q >> extend o 'q does bind [p] o >> o/q hi

Assigned to	n/a	Fixed in	-	Last Update	22-Jun-2014 03:08

Comments
(0004462) BrianH 22-Jun-2014 03:08	You might notice that when you bound the function in your example, you actually bound the code block before it was used to make the function. You can't actually rebind a function after it's created, at least not with BIND or IN - that only seems to happen as a side effect of object creation. I'm currently at a bit of a loss as to know how to do this in mezzanine form without rebuilding the function from its SPEC-OF and BODY-OF values; and that function-rebinding-rebuilding function would be cool to make, though it might be more useful separately. EXTEND was originally intended to make extending an object, a map, or a block in object spec form, more or less the same. It was originally intended for use in the R3 GUI, back before Saphirion started working on it, and I don't think it was used in the GUI code because the design was changed since then, even before Carl released it initially (that's why it won't add a value if it's not truthy, that was specific to something the GUI had to do before it was redesigned). I have no idea whether the GUI or any user code uses it today, but I doubt it (due to that truthy thing). EXTEND seems like too valuable a word to waste on what the function does now. I've always considered it to be up for removal so it doesn't reserve the name EXTEND, or replacement with a different function worthy of the name, or enhancement to the point where it's worth including. Any more ideas?

Comments

(0004462)
BrianH
22-Jun-2014 03:08

You might notice that when you bound the function in your example, you actually bound the code block before it was used to make the function. You can't actually rebind a function after it's created, at least not with BIND or IN - that only seems to happen as a side effect of object creation. I'm currently at a bit of a loss as to know how to do this in mezzanine form without rebuilding the function from its SPEC-OF and BODY-OF values; and that function-rebinding-rebuilding function would be cool to make, though it might be more useful separately.

EXTEND was originally intended to make extending an object, a map, or a block in object spec form, more or less the same. It was originally intended for use in the R3 GUI, back before Saphirion started working on it, and I don't think it was used in the GUI code because the design was changed since then, even before Carl released it initially (that's why it won't add a value if it's not truthy, that was specific to something the GUI had to do before it was redesigned). I have no idea whether the GUI or any user code uses it today, but I doubt it (due to that truthy thing).

EXTEND seems like too valuable a word to waste on what the function does now. I've always considered it to be up for removal so it doesn't reserve the name EXTEND, or replacement with a different function worthy of the name, or enhancement to the point where it's worth including. Any more ideas?

Date	User	Field	Action	Change
22-Jun-2014 03:09	BrianH	Comment : 0004462	Modified	-
22-Jun-2014 03:08	BrianH	Description	Modified	-
22-Jun-2014 03:08	BrianH	Code	Modified	-
22-Jun-2014 03:08	BrianH	Status	Modified	submitted => reviewed
22-Jun-2014 03:08	BrianH	Comment : 0004462	Added	-
22-Apr-2014 22:02	IngoHohmann	Ticket	Added	-