> Searching unknown locales/objects directly is a very difficult and time > consuming task and it is good to be able to do so but having that as the > only tool is like diving in muddy water.
Sorry, I disagree. With the right tool (a browser) the water's crystal-clear and it's quick and easy. So easy it's become my tool of choice, when perhaps I ought to be editing scripts directly. It's brilliant for unlocking the secrets of j602 JWD. Oleg wrote such a browser back in 2007. Cobrowse. http://www.jsoftware.com/jwiki/Addons/gui/util If I'd known about it soon enough (its designation: class browser, didn't click with me) I wouldn't have bothered writing my own. But it's allowed me to incorporate my own pet functionality. 2011/10/2 Björn Helgason <[email protected]>: > Years of searching through other peoples codes of uncertain workings has > made me appreciate search tools and I love to put asserts into the code so I > know the values involved at execution time. > > Does not matter if it is C code or J and scripts are basically where you > find the functions/verbs/names and then pepper the code with asserts and > then execute the system. > > Very often you find that the fault in broken code happens because of wrong > operation executed long before the brake occurs but an assert in the right > place or all over the place will give you the cause. > > Searching unknown locales/objects directly is a very difficult and time > consuming task and it is good to be able to do so but having that as the > only tool is like diving in muddy water. > > 2011/10/2 Ian Clark <[email protected]> > >> > the same spirit of decommting workspace in flavor of scripts, that >> searching >> > names inside scripts is preferable to searching names inside loaded >> locales. >> >> Habits of a lifetime, Bill. APL has induced an occupational deformity >> in me. Basically I'd agree with you, as advice to beginners. >> >> As a callow youth, they taught me to fly planes. Experienced pilots >> hated the idea of fly-by-wire. They wanted to know there was a direct >> mechanical linkage from the joystick to the control surfaces, even if >> (like power steering) it's only there for reassurance and can't >> feasibly be used on its own. To me the "workspace" debate in J has >> similarities. >> >> A lot depends on whether you're browsing someone else's code, as you >> find it in your system, or writing your own for release. If the >> latter, I'd say always work on the script itself. When all else fails, >> only then work on what got squirted into memory. >> >> The fact you don't have a script in APL is not a defence of workspace >> technology but a tribute to the stability of the full-screen (del) >> editor -- agonisingly evolved over decades. Just think back to APLSV >> on the early 3270 screens. >> >> But I shouldn't go digging up old bones. >> >> >> On Sun, Oct 2, 2011 at 5:51 AM, bill lam <[email protected]> wrote: >> > I didn't know this verb and have never used it before. However I guess, >> in >> > the same spirit of decommting workspace in flavor of scripts, that >> searching >> > names inside scripts is preferable to searching names inside loaded >> locales. For >> > example use FIF to search 'deb' in global names should return the same >> (or >> > more) definitions as that returing from whs. >> > >> > That said, I rarely use FIF by now because I seldom use ide either. >> > >> > ymmv >> > >> >> To sniff over any new word I've discovered, I make heavy use of my >> home-brewed: >> >> whs=: (>@whichlocales) ; whichscript >> >> >> >> used like this: >> >> whs'deb' >> >> ┌──────────────────────────────────────────┬─┬─┬─┬────┬────┐ >> >> │/Applications/j602/system/main/strings.ijs│z│z│j│jfiw│jijs│ >> >> └──────────────────────────────────────────┴─┴─┴─┴────┴────┘ >> >> >> >> ...from which you see "deb" resides all over the place (in identical >> >> copies, fortunately :) >> >> >> >> I find "whs" egregiously useful. Most of the bugs I encounter come >> >> from what is [not] loaded, and where it is [from]. >> >> >> >> The verbs it needs: whichlocales, whichscript, along with: >> >> listnameswithprefix (just as useful) can be copied from: >> >> http://www.jsoftware.com/jwiki/Phrases/Names . It happens they are >> >> *not* part of stdlib. I think they should be. (@Ric; how about it?) >> > >> > -- >> > regards, >> > ==================================================== >> > GPG key 1024D/4434BAB3 2008-08-24 >> > gpg --keyserver subkeys.pgp.net --recv-keys 4434BAB3 >> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >> > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >> For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm >> > > > > -- > Björn Helgason, Verkfræðingur > Fornustekkum II > 781 Hornafirði, > t-póst: [email protected] > gsm: +3546985532 > twitter: @flugfiskur > http://groups.google.com/group/J-Programming > > > Tæknikunnátta höndlar hið flókna, sköpunargáfa er meistari einfaldleikans > > góður kennari getur stigið á tær án þess að glansinn fari af skónum > /|_ .-----------------------------------. > ,' .\ / | Með léttri lund verður | > ,--' _,' | Dagurinn í dag | > / / | Enn betri en gærdagurinn | > ( -. | `-----------------------------------' > | ) | (\_ _/) > (`-. '--.) (='.'=) ♖♘♗♕♔♙ > `. )----' (")_(") ☃☠ > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
