I REALLY like this idea. It is the best of both worlds and easy to implement with a small set of C macros. Allowing the user to change the behaviour gives the user the feeling of control and enhances their level of comfort whatever their choice might be.
Thanks for the idea, Mike. David Ashley On 01/11/2010 01:48 AM, Mike Cowlishaw wrote: > [retry] > > > I am working on an ooRexx interface to something that is normally > > programmed in C. Of course, C uses zero-based indexes for thing like > > memory, array positions, etc. My code could be architected to either > > carry this forward to the ooRexx interface when it calls the C > functions > > or it could translate the zero-based numbers to the more user friendly > > (and Rexx default) one-based numbering system. > > There is a third path that one might consider, if it makes sense (in > particular, the package needs to have some kind of persistent state, or > able to get at some from the Rexx implementation), and that is: let the > user choose. > > APL (I think it was) does this: essentially when starting to write a > program using the package, you set a flag (to 0 or 1, perhaps) saying > whether to use 0-based or 1-based indexing, according to preference. The > > package then adjusts all indexes as requested. > > You still have to decide what the default should be (unless not > specifying > is an error), but that's a much easier (read: less stressful) decision if > > there's a way to override it. (I'd agree with Chip on what the default > should be :-).) > > Mike > > > > > > > Unless stated otherwise above: > IBM United Kingdom Limited - Registered in England and Wales with number > 741598. > Registered office: PO Box 41, North Harbour, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO6 3AU > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > This SF.Net email is sponsored by the Verizon Developer Community > Take advantage of Verizon's best-in-class app development support > A streamlined, 14 day to market process makes app distribution fast and easy > Join now and get one step closer to millions of Verizon customers > http://p.sf.net/sfu/verizon-dev2dev > _______________________________________________ > Oorexx-devel mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/oorexx-devel > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This SF.Net email is sponsored by the Verizon Developer Community Take advantage of Verizon's best-in-class app development support A streamlined, 14 day to market process makes app distribution fast and easy Join now and get one step closer to millions of Verizon customers http://p.sf.net/sfu/verizon-dev2dev _______________________________________________ Oorexx-devel mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/oorexx-devel
