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What else don't I know

 [1/12] from: Steven:White:ci:bloomington:mn:us at: 9-Jan-2004 16:51


I was looking around various REBOL sites and came across a script that uses a function called "emailer" which seems to be a REBOL function that pops up a window for sending an email message. "help emailer" at the console confirms the function's existence. I looked at the function dictionary on the REBOL web site and did NOT see a reference to "emailer." This makes me wonder what other functions there might be that are not documented. Does everyone else just stumble across these things or is there some documentation I am missing? One would think that the REBOL Function Dictionary would contain all the functions. I know I can list all the system words and just look them over one at a time to see what they do. Is that what it takes? Am I just getting too lazy? Is the missing "emailer" function just a single omission that slipped through the cracks? Thank you. Steven White City of Bloomington 1800 W Old Shakopee Rd Bloomington MN 55431-3096 USA 952-563-4882 (voice) 952-563-4672 (fax) [steven--white--ci--bloomington--mn--us]<

 [2/12] from: gerardcote:sympatico:ca at: 9-Jan-2004 20:29


Hi Steven, Personally I don't bother too much now since this is an evolutive system and keeping up language and Docs really synchronized all the time is far from easy. But you're right since this feature is added to View only. Then it can't be in the dictionary that covers only the core words. But this simply confirms me that there is definitely something more to add to the already bulky Docs. Looking at the emailer source I found that some variable named "lo" is used but nowhere it has been defined befor its use - I know that it is the definition of the layout used by emailer but where is it defined and how can we know such internal secret features (what they are, what are their parameters their meaning and finally how to use them). This seems to be true for many of the View features like the styles facets with their meaning and allocated values - even the source is not allways useful to many of us in such a case - firstly because most of us are not good enough at REBOL to decypher the underlying meaning of things even if we can get at their names and default values. System defaults are another place where things are not clear to me. Something should be clarified about this and other plots by RT or some well informed ppl that would contribute to lever off the veil that actually covers these officially undocumented parts. This is one of the most intriguing and frustratring things that absolutely deserves more documentation in a near future. When every other thing will have been done in due form - as much as we'll be able to do ourselves. Thanks for remembering this fact - I really forgot to add it to my wish list of Docs to complete. Gerard

 [3/12] from: tim:johnsons-web at: 9-Jan-2004 16:45


* Steven White <[Steven--White--ci--bloomington--mn--us]> [040109 14:16]: Hi Steven:
> I was looking around various REBOL sites and came across a script that > uses a function called "emailer" which seems to be a REBOL function that > pops up a window for sending an email message. "help emailer" at the > console confirms the function's existence. > > I looked at the function dictionary on the REBOL web site and did NOT > see a reference to "emailer."
Perhaps the dictionary has only /core functions? Emailer is not available in /core
> This makes me wonder what other functions there might be that are not > documented. Does everyone else just stumble across these things or is > there some documentation I am missing? One would think that the REBOL > Function Dictionary would contain all the functions.
Unfortunately, rebol documentation has a ways to go yet. :-( I only use rebol/core for projects, but when I fire up REBOL/View 1.2.1.4.2 21 and invoke >>help emailer, I get pretty good documentation on the function. Since it is a mezzanine function, you can also look at the source code for it by invoking
>>source emailer > I know I can list all the system words and just look them over one at a > time to see what they do. Is that what it takes?
Sometimes, yes.
> Is the missing "emailer" function just a single omission that > slipped through the cracks?
Unfortunately, I think the answer is no. Rebol is a work in progress, but compared to other scripting languages that I use, it is very productive.
> Thank you.
:-) Yer welcome tim -- Tim Johnson <[tim--johnsons-web--com]> http://www.alaska-internet-solutions.com<

 [4/12] from: tomc:darkwing:uoregon at: 9-Jan-2004 19:58


hi Steven, I wrote a script to generate fodder for syntax coloring. it can help alert you to when you are clobbering words you had no idea were set... anyway you can generate the list new each time you change your rebol version, http://www.rebol.org/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/rebol/view-script.r?script=%gen-syntx.r On Fri, 9 Jan 2004, Steven White wrote:

 [5/12] from: carl:cybercraft at: 24-Jan-2004 11:45


On 10-Jan-04, Steven White wrote:
> I was looking around various REBOL sites and came across a script > that uses a function called "emailer" which seems to be a REBOL
<<quoted lines omitted: 6>>
> or is there some documentation I am missing? One would think that > the REBOL Function Dictionary would contain all the functions.
I often stumble on words I don't know, usually at the REBOL Console. ie, a search for "email" in View turns up...
>> ? "email"
Found these words: ctx-emailer (object) email! (datatype) email? (action) emailer (function) import-email (function) parse-email-addrs (function) to-email (function) Of those, I only know what email!, email? and to-email do, but then I've not done much with email on REBOL. Since I can't remember the hundreds of default REBOL words available, my searching for ones that might do what I want usually starts at the Console, though you need to be a bit creative in trying to guess what the right word may be. Searching for "email" doesn't find SEND, for instance.
> I know I can list all the system words and just look them over one > at a time to see what they do. Is that what it takes? Am I just > getting too lazy? Is the missing "emailer" function just a single > omission that slipped through the cracks?
Nope - you're not getting lazy. There should be a tome you can buy that makes it easy for you to find all this info. -- Carl Read

 [6/12] from: nitsch-lists:netcologne at: 10-Jan-2004 10:20


Am Freitag 09 Januar 2004 23:51 schrieb Steven White:
> I was looking around various REBOL sites and came across a script that > uses a function called "emailer" which seems to be a REBOL function that > pops up a window for sending an email message. "help emailer" at the > console confirms the function's existence. > > I looked at the function dictionary on the REBOL web site and did NOT > see a reference to "emailer." >
In /view are some goodies which are needed for desktop. like editor, emailer and a loader for %index.r -files. The original source (+ comments) is somewhere at RT's site. I packed it for easier installations, so its more ready to run, on http://www.rebol.org/library/scripts/unzip-desktop.r For discussions, some day added docs etc http://www.rebol.org/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/rebol/view-script.r?script=unzip-desktop.r also [ source ctx-viewtop ] works, but without comments. (don't do this after desktop is used.)
> This makes me wonder what other functions there might be that are not > documented. Does everyone else just stumble across these things or is > there some documentation I am missing? One would think that the REBOL > Function Dictionary would contain all the functions. >
The dictionary should contain the "official" rebol, while the real may contain some extra-cookies only in this release. An important role playes reading the source. But this is split in various contexts. There is some arcane knowledge how to get them, some tools too. most have guis (anamonitor), and here is a very short for console. put the path you are interested in in 'pbp, then all commands look first in that context, so you can use "? vid-feel" "source warning" etc. Also objects direct works, maybe [ pbp: get in get-style 'button 'feel ] is interesting. Stop it with escape-key. pbp: 'system/view/vid ; print browse-path bp: has[object][ forever[ object: do reduce[pbp] ;want [get path].. probe first object do bind load ask rejoin["" pbp ">>"] object ]] bp
> I know I can list all the system words and just look them over one at a > time to see what they do. Is that what it takes? Am I just getting too > lazy? Is the missing "emailer" function just a single omission that > slipped through the cracks? >
I guess someone read the desktop-source (by [source ctx-desktop] at that time) and discovered it. or one of RT's scripts used it and someone read that script. Thats how i learned, looking at scripts, thinking "humho, whats this?" and trying out.
> Thank you. > > Steven White
-Volker

 [7/12] from: apwing:zonnet:nl at: 10-Jan-2004 13:05


Hi Steven, sometime ago I had a similar experience, but the other way round. In the REBOL dictionary I found function descriptions that were not present in the actual / current REBOL release. When I asked about this on the ML I was pointed to a newer beta version. So, the documentation sometimes is updated before the corresponding REBOL release is Generally Available (GA). I think it's a pity that beta releases are so long in beta stage! Even more because it appeared to me that some beta versions are crippled in some ways as well. So, one has to choose BETWEEN the official release and miss out beautiful new functions AND a beta release with nice new functions, but somehow crippled. It would be nice if RT would supply a base release with fixes that can be applied individually by users. I know that currently a lot is being done to produce a fresh GA release of View, which is quite nice. Perhaps after that the documentation will be more in sync as well ;-) Kind regards, Arie

 [8/12] from: gerardcote:sympatico:ca at: 10-Jan-2004 17:46


Hi Volker, Since I saw your name on the discussion about the CALL mechanism included in View, can you tell me if it will be possible to permit under Windows that a DOS execution Window to stay open after the launched command exec is completed. The actual Doc about the SHELL and CALL use say it can't - because it is forced. Can ask Carl if version of View with this Call enabled can be produced to that a user could modify this option so the exec window be kept open until the user desires to manually do so. Thanks, Gerard

 [9/12] from: nitsch-lists:netcologne at: 12-Jan-2004 10:57


Am Samstag 10 Januar 2004 23:46 schrieb Gerard Cote:
> Hi Volker, > > Since I saw your name on the discussion about the CALL mechanism included > in View, can you tell me if it will be possible to permit under Windows > that a DOS execution Window to stay open after the launched command exec is > completed. The actual Doc about the SHELL and CALL use say it can't - > because it is forced.
I am new to call and windows, so i can't tell much. what i would try: - run it in a batch-file and add some wait-statement at end. you could launch rebol with a requester to keep window open - if you don't need user-input in dos-window, use call/output and show results in a /view-window - there is a call/console which says it uses rebol-console instead of dos-window. but never tried.

 [10/12] from: petr:krenzelok:trz:cz at: 12-Jan-2004 11:37


Volker Nitsch wrote:
>Am Samstag 10 Januar 2004 23:46 schrieb Gerard Cote: >>Hi Volker,
<<quoted lines omitted: 10>>
> - run it in a batch-file and add some wait-statement at end. you could launch >rebol with a requester to keep window open
yes, we did it that way - start /wait ..... do not remember if console window stays open or not though ... try to run console ("cmd" command under W2K/XP and type "start /?" for help - you will find some nice functions parameters there, which could provided you with what you want) cheers, -pekr-

 [11/12] from: gerardcote:sympatico:ca at: 12-Jan-2004 11:57


Hi Volker, Thanks for the many suggestions you offered. I had already thought about the first one but I forgot in the process. For being able to keep up with the second one I will have to learn a bit more about View and DIV but it seems like the best way to go at first sight. I also see an interest in trying the 3rd as it seems like an easy do-it. In fact I'll try to do my best at each of them in the next few hours (days...) and I'll come back to report any news. Thanks, Gerard ----- Original Message ----- Volker wrote:

 [12/12] from: gerardcote:sympatico:ca at: 12-Jan-2004 12:05


Hi Petr ----- Original Message ----- Petr wrote:
> yes, we did it that way - start /wait ..... do not remember if console > window stays open or not though ... try to run console ("cmd" command > under W2K/XP and type "start /?" for help - you will find some nice > functions parameters there, which could provided you with what you want) > > cheers, > -pekr- >
I suppose that if I include some waiting in the Batch file before it ends by itself this have some chance to succeed. I really welcome you sharing your experience, Regards, Gerard

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