token engine?

[Agamemnus]

Hmmm...

Well, basically all these enhancements depend on memory:

*inheritance ("SUBSET OF")
*TYPE > array conversion

Etc etc etc.

I just don't see how any compiled language could possibly be "context free".

[na_th_an]

They are not, generally, but as I said that can be solved using some extra coding, for example introducing ambits (sp?).

[Zack]

What I'd like to see is a version of QB that supports TYPEs having constructors. Would be bloody useful.

[Plasma]

Why not just have classes then...?

[Agamemnus]

C++, C, etc: too many namespaces. I think the best way is that everything can be reduced back to one array namespace and one variable namespace. (global/local, of course)

[Zack]

Why not just have classes then...?

I don't need classes - just let TYPEs have constructors. A page of code is dedicated to setting TYPEs' values...I wish I could do that on one line.

[Agamemnus]

So you want initial values inside the type, like this?

Code:

TYPE var1
blah AS INTEGER
blah = 5
END TYPE

There is a slippery slope with this, unfortunately. Once you have default values, you can add lots of other stuff such as loops, math, function calling inside the TYPE...

I think that it is imperative that one stops there. Without default values inside the types themselves, it can lead to a lot of repetitive code if the TYPE attributes are inherited in another TYPE. (like in my example) But it's still very slippery.....

[Zack]

No, I want something more like this:

Code:

TYPE myType
x  AS INTEGER
y AS INTEGER
SUB constructor(defx,defy)
x=defx
y=defy
END SUB
END TYPE

Then you call the constructor like this:

Code:

DIM myVar as myType(10,5)

And now myVar.x equals 10, and myVar.y equals 5. See?

[Agamemnus]

So tell me again why that's better/easier than just saying the value?

[Zack]

You mean just saying...

Code:

TYPE myType
x AS INTEGER
y AS INTEGER
END TYPE
DIM myVar AS myType
myType.x=10
myType.y=5

Well, what if I have 25 variables in my TYPE? Rather than pumping out 25 lines of code...one line.
It's not a big deal. It would just make life a little easier.