Don't know if you tried this, Joel, but here's a few more interesting
lines to add to your example.
>> a: 1
== 1
>> b: 2
== 2
>> e: [a b c]
== [a b c]
>> print e
** Script Error: c has no value.
** Where: c
>> f: func [n /local c][c: n bind e 'c print e]
>> f
** Script Error: f is missing its n argument.
** Where: f
>> f 99
1 2 99
>> print e
1 2 99
>> bind e 'e
== [a b c]
>> print e
** Script Error: c has no value.
** Where: c
; (more)
>> f 99
1 2 99
>> print e
1 2 99
; 'c is restored to the 'e context
>> c: 12
>> bind e 'e
== [a b c]
>> print e
>> 1 2 12
; 'e binds to 'c in the this context
>> unset 'c
>> print e
** Script Error: c has no value.
** Where: c
; no 'c in this context now
>> f 99
1 2 99
>> print e
1 2 99
>> bind/copy e 'e
== [a b c]
>> print e
1 2 99
; with the copy refinement, 'e binds to the 'c in the 'f local context.
>>f 98
1 2 98
>>print e
1 2 98
; and when the 'c in the the 'f local context changes, so does the 'c
in the 'e local context
>>a: 65
65
>>print e
65 2 98
; and we are still bound to the orignal 'a
So to retain a word set to a value in a local context, we can use the
'bind/copy refinement.
At first, I was thinking we were copying the 'c from the 'f context.
But I guess we're really copying the 'c from the 'e context. Bind is
operating in the block outside of 'e and so 'c does not exist to it.
But I guess the /copy refinement recreates the local 'c so that bind
can use it. It doesn't seem to be a "copy" in the usual sense though,
since it appears to be the same value first created in 'f.
Just as a value can be shared between words, perhaps a word can be
shared among contexts.
-Ted.
