Yes.. all those datatype! dictionary entries need some cleanup work.
-Carl
At 11/30/99 09:27 AM -0800, you wrote:
>Hi Carl,
>
>thanks for the explanations. I believe that your final comment:
>
>>Finally, to illustrate the truth of using parens in function specs:
>>
>> >> fun: func [:par (paren!)][head insert tail :par [+ 4]]
>> >> a: fun (1 + 3)
>> == (1 + 3 + 4)
>> >> a
>> == 8
>>
>>Ah, the things you need to do to be sure a language is reflective
>>(that is, it deals well with itself). A gem.
>
>is meant to address my pointing out that:
>
>>>I'd say the dictionary needs to be updated. BTW, if anyone from the REBOL
>>>crew is reading along, the following statement in the dictionary entry for
>>>PAREN! also needs to be carefully reworded ;-):
>>>
>>>"When provided within the specification of the argument of a function, it
>>>requests the interpreter to check that the argument value is of the
>>>specified type when the function is evaluated. "
>>>
>>>That was never true.
>>>
>
>
>I read the dicitionary to be saying that (string!) "requests the
>interpreter to check that the argument value is of the specified type" i.e.
>in my example of type string!. Apparently something quite different is
>meant, as you illustrated. Perhaps the ambiguous "is of the specified type"
>should be replaced by "to check that the argument value is of type PAREN!".
>
>Elan
>
>
>>
>>-Carl
>>
>>PS: Docs team: add this.
>>
>>
>>At 11/28/99 01:25 PM -0800, you wrote:
>>>Hi Gabriele,
>>>
>>>glad to see you back in good "form" (pun itended ;-).
>>>
>>>you wrote:
>>>>That behaviour is not due to form:
>>>
>>>
>>>Correct. What is it due to?
>>>
>>>Apparently, the way REBOL treats words in parentheses has changed since
>>>version 1:
>>>Here's what version 1 used to do:
>>>
>>>>> word: "meaning"
>>>meaning
>>>>> var2: make paren! [word]
>>>(word)
>>>>> var2
>>>(word)
>>>>> :var2
>>>(word)
>>>
>>>(This was copied from the Version 1 console: 1.0.3.3 (Win32 x86))
>>>
>>>Compare to your experiments:
>>>
>>>>> word: "meaning"
>>>== "meaning"
>>>>> var2: make paren! [word]
>>>== (word)
>>>>> var2
>>>== "meaning"
>>>>> :var2
>>>== (word)
>>>
>>>In version 1 get and evaluation of var2 amounted to the same thing. In the
>>>current version this is no longer true.
>>>
>>>How do you account for the difference between:
>>>>> :var2
>>>== (word)
>>>
>>>and
>>>
>>>>> var2
>>>== "meaning"
>>>
>>>?
>>>
>>>Using :var2 returns something different from evaluating var2. However, the
>>>new User's Guide (beta) continues to say:
>>>
>>>User's Guid (beta)
>>>:word Retrieve the word's value, but don't evaluate it.
>>> This is useful for referring to functions and other
>>> types of data without evaluating them.
>>>
>>>So, everything would be peachy, if (word) was covered by the vague "... and
>>>other types of data ...". Is a word in parentheses a type of data that is
>>>evaluated? Not according to the dictionary:
>>>
>>>"PAREN!
>>>
>>>Represents the PAREN datatype, both externally to the user and internally
>>>within the system. When supplied as an argument to the MAKE function, it
>>>specifies the type of value to be created. When provided within the
>>>specification of the argument of a function, it requests the interpreter to
>>>check that the argument value is of the specified type when the function is
>>>evaluated. "
>>>
>>>For our discussion it is important to note that the dictionary does not
>>>document a usage of paren! which leads to the evaluation of a word. My
>>>guess is that was introduced after 1.0. Version 2.1 already includes the
>>>new way (word) works.
>>>
>>>I'd say the dictionary needs to be updated. BTW, if anyone from the REBOL
>>>crew is reading along, the following statement in the dictionary entry for
>>>PAREN! also needs to be carefully reworded ;-):
>>>
>>>"When provided within the specification of the argument of a function, it
>>>requests the interpreter to check that the argument value is of the
>>>specified type when the function is evaluated. "
>>>
>>>That was never true.
>>>
>>>Elan
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>
