RE: Folder separator constant

[David Ringsmuth via 4D_Tech]

Tim,

😊

It seems possible to me that there is another option for the “Folder separator” 
character.

On startup the address for this character is populated with the correct value.

Thereafter it is retrieved as any other constant.

I’m guessing it is determined in runtime, most likely at startup.

I’m glad you think about such things.

David Ringsmuth

From: Tim Nevels via 4D_Tech
Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2017 8:24 PM
To: 4d_tech@lists.4d.com
Cc: Tim Nevels
Subject: Re: Folder separator constant

On Jul 13, 2017, at 6:47 PM,Wayne Stewart wrote:

> Mind you it took me a long time to discover the Folder separator constant!!

<rant>

Now here is a great feature implemented in the wrong way. It confuses a 
programmers logical sensibility. 

“Folder separator” constant. It is a “constant”. Constants have a single value. 
Right? 

“Folder separator” constant has whatever value it correct depending on the 
platform it is running on. If on macOS it is colon “:”. On Windows is it back 
slash “\”. 

Compile your database. Run a method on macOS and you get one value for “Folder 
constant” and a different value on Windows. Client side, server side, it 
doesn’t matter. Runtime determines the value not compiling. 

But I thought constants were evaluated and resolved at compile time. Isn’t that 
the way it works in all other programming languages? A constant is a single 
value hard coded into the program code by the compiler. 

So 4D Compiler must treat this “constant” differently from other constants. The 
4D compiler must code this as a function that gets evaluated at runtime. 4D 
what were you thinking! 

Was it so terrible to make “Folder separator” into a function like “Application 
type”? Or did some engineer have the intense need and desire to see “Folder 
separator” show up in the method editor as a constant. Damn the semantics of it 
all! It may look like a constant, but it’s not. It is secretly a function.

From a programmers point of view it sure seems like an odd decision to me. 
</rant>

This has always bugged me. I just had to finally get it off my chest. :)

Tim

********************************************
Tim Nevels
Innovative Solutions
785-749-3444
timnev...@mac.com
********************************************

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