[REBOL] include, require, yamm, ... Re:
From: brian:hawley:bigfoot at: 14-Aug-2000 15:50
Boleslav Brezovsky ([weirddream--volny--cz]) wrote:
>Zdravim,
>
>Maybe you need something like C/C++ 'include in REBOL. Maybe you've used
>'include, 'yamm, 'require, 'evoke... But nothing is perfect. I think that
>'require is most advanced example but it misses one VERY CRITICAL FEATURE -
>paths to look in for script. So I've implemented it to 'require instead of
>writing my own function. It is compatible with the old one except if you
>'require script without path it looks for it in known paths. You can add to
>them but you cannot save them - you have to edit the file manually. But I've
>wrote it in one and half hour so you can call it QUICK-HACK.
>
>I hope you'll find some bugs otherwise I'm perfect and there's no room to
>improve myself :-)
I'll take a look at it. Already I can tell it's not reentrant,
and the paths don't preserve themselves when the script is done
again like the script list does. Should be easy to fix...
I designed the require function this way to be more bulletproof
when run in a long-running, server environment. It may seem to
be overkill for quick scripts, but even there the reentrancy is
essential in a script dependencies manager.
Would you prefer a single search path list, a default list with
the option to specify more paths, the option for a replacement
list, or specifying the list every time? I gave a lot of thought
to the API since the function was written to be used by people
who didn't know how to program well. Any subtleties in the style
of intended usage should be reflected in the interface.
Of course, require will need a rewrite when module support is
added to REBOL. It would probably be made obsolete by a proper
implementation of the Needs header option. The ongoing task...
Brian Hawley
