>
> A second iteration now makes it work correctly for assignments:
>
> https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/1397
>
> Smalltalk compiler
> bindings: {(#test -> Point)} asDictionary;
> evaluate: 'test := 42’.
While #bindings: allows us now to add additional bindings or override global
bindings from Smalltalk globals, there is another feature missing that would be
nice: be able to set the global environment
I want to be able to tell the compiler: Do not use Smalltalk globals, but this
SystemDictionary instead.
https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/1406
with this, we can create a SystemDictionary with just one binding in it:
environment := SystemDictionary new.
environment at: #MyClass put: Point.
then we compile a method:
method := Smalltalk compiler
environment: environment;
compile: 'tt ^MyClass’.
and if we execute it, it shows that compilation used the environment:
return := method valueWithReceiver: nil arguments: #().
self assert: return equals: Point.
If we try to compile a ref to Object, we get a nil ref:
method := Smalltalk compiler
environment: environment;
compile: 'tt ^Object'.
return := method valueWithReceiver: nil arguments: #().
self assert: return equals: nil.
But, as the Undeclared mechanism is not aware of it, it puts an undeclared for
Object there.
In the same direction, all objects the compiler creates come still from
Smalltalk globals (CompiledMethod, all Literals…).
But all this can be improved, we do pass the environment down the compiler
chain already so that it is even available in the Parser/Scanner. Thus we could
e.g. create Literals as instances from the classes in the environment. But how
exactly has to be seen.
Marcus
