Setting variable in complex paths

I have been working with complex paths in REBOL because I just love how easy they are to work with - however I have had some problems setting variables within a complex path. I think I have a fairly good solution, but know if I expose it to the light of other REBOLers it can be even better. I have called this function "complex-set". complex-set: func ["Sets a complex path (from a block of literal words) to a specified value" complex-path [block!] "Block of literal and normal words that describe the complex path" value [any-type!] "Value to be set" ][ either lit-word? last complex-path [ prefix-path: copy/part complex-path ((length? complex-path) - 1 ) the-path: to-path reduce prefix-path the-field: to-lit-word last complex-path either ( found? find the-path the-field ) [ do bind reduce [to-set-path reduce complex-path value] 'do ][ ; field doesn't already exist so create it append/only the-path the-field append/only the-path value ] ][ do bind reduce [to-set-path reduce complex-path value] 'do ] ] address-book: [ [name [first "Joe" last "Blow" ] address [city "Goosebay" province "Labrador"]] [name [first "Tim" last "Taylor" middle "Lee"] address [city Calgary province "Alberta"]] ]

>>index: 2 >>new-name: "Tiny" >>complex-set [ 'address-book index 'name 'middle ] new-name

>>complex-set [ 'address-book 1 'name 'middle ] "Lincoln" >>complex-set [ 'address-book 2 'address 'zip ] 90210 >> print mold address-book

Hi, I remember the very ooold days of Rebol, it was some 1997 and Rebol existed just in some form of Alpha prerelease featuring very little of its current set of datatypes :-) I implemented function called 'extract, doing something similar .... ... it is interesting to see someone else sees need for some kind of functions, allowing us to work with nested structures. Everything Rebol interpreted is just ... well ... interpreted ... I suggested some kind of find/deep functionality, returning path to the element. I mentioned it to Carl on Express Conference, and he expressed the opinion Rebol's 'find function is overly compex. So I suggested calling it 'locate, or something like that ... ->> locate address-book 'last ->> 1/2/2 ; or [1 2 2] I am not sure if it could be appliable upon some more complex cases, e.g. distinguishing literals lookup, words look-up, string and other datatypes lookup, what about several occurances of the same value we are looking for? just theoretically, it could: 1) treat even complex block nested structured as "flat" ones, 1 dimmensional ones ... 2) let's say we want to perform some kind of lookup that way thru main-face/pane containing other faces (and their panes etc, simply nested displays .... there is danger of cross-reference though ... ... as for cross-references, rebol halts probing VID stuff too much. ... just as an example try: view layout [btn: button "OK" [unview]] probe btn ... and you will see not only btn face got probed ... Sorry for being off-topic, but ... it just came to my mind :-) -pekr-

Interisting piece of code, but win a spot in my tool chest. I like where your going with it though. This sort functionality could be achieved in a more standard way with the Pekr's 'locate vision. Example: Rank: [ A-group [ Bobby 3 Mark 4 Jim 2 ] ] B-group [ Sam 1 Arnold 5 ] ] change locate Rank 'Bobby 'Bob ; Change Bobby's name to Bob ; Exchange Sam's and Jim's ranks change next locate Rank 'Sam 1 change next locate Rank 'Jim 2 Unfortuneately no one has written 'locate yet. Hmmm... I got some time this weekend... --Ryan Mike Yaunish wrote:

> I have been working with complex paths in REBOL because I just love how > easy they are > [rebol-request--rebol--com] with "unsubscribe" in the > subject, without the quotes.