cross-stack globals, also, file inclusion

[Rob Cozens]

Hello Joel,

>Is there an easy way to set up something similar to file inclusion?

Not that I've found or read of so far...and it would be nice if one existed.

Example:  Serendipity Library defines about 265 constants; but much 
of the code independence is lost because a constant must be defined 
in each script that uses it rather than in a master list that can be 
included in each script but maintained in a single copy.


>What I've settled on to deal with this [finding a full path name to 
>a subStack] is a handler in the primary stack
>which sets several global variables, including the path of the primary
>stack directory and the sub-directory where the independent sub-stacks
>are stored. [snip]
>
>But I have not been able to come up with a way to get the primary
>stack's path unless the primary stack is already running, because the
>global "stacks" property/function will execute in the environment of the
>independent sub-stack.

"get the effective fileName of this stack" returns the complete path 
name of the stack, or its mainStack if its a subStack.

>
>But I want to generalize a bit. I don't want to have to know the name of
>the enclosing directory in advance, and I want to be able to bury
>sub-stacks several directories deep.
>

My approach to generalization is a file search handler that looks for 
a stack or file in several different places, depending in part on the 
current platform. All file searching is relative to the main 
standalone; so the level of nested directories can be as deep or 
shallow as the placement of the standalone.

This handler looks for a file by name in the same folder as the 
caller, in folders, "PlugIns" & "Data" (or their equivalent in other 
supported languages), in the same folder as the caller, on all 
platforms.  It will also find the file if it is in the 
specialFolderPath, "Documents" on Windows or if it is in a folder, 
"PlugIns" or "Data", in the same folder as the application bundle on 
Mac OS X.  [Note: This means it will work with OS X standalones 
whether the PlugIns/Data folder is in the Mac OS folder in the bundle 
OR in a PlugIns/Data folder in the folder containing the bundle.]

on sdbFindFile theFileName,doThis2It
   constant sdbPlugInFolderName=226
   constant sdbDataFolderName=227
   set the itemDelimiter to "/"
   put the effective fileName of this stack into filePath
   put theFileName into item -1 of filePath
   if there is a file filePath then return doTheDo(filePath,doThis2It)
   put sdbMessage(sdbPlugInFolderName) into plugInTranslated
   put plugInTranslated into item -1 of filePath
   put "/"&theFileName after filePath
   if there is a file filePath then return doTheDo(filePath,doThis2It)
   put sdbMessage(sdbDataFolderName) into item -2 of filePath
   if there is a file filePath then return doTheDo(filePath,doThis2It)
   switch (the platform)
   case "Win32"
     get specialFolderPath("Documents")&"/"&theFileName
     if there is a file it then return doTheDo(it,doThis2It)
     break
   case "MacOS"
     if char 1 of the systemVersion < 7 then
       delete item -5 to -3 of filePath
       if there is a file filePath then return doTheDo(filePath,doThis2It)
       put plugInTranslated into item -2 of filePath
       if there is a file filePath then return doTheDo(filePath,doThis2It)
       delete item -2 of filePath
       if there is a file filePath then return doTheDo(filePath,doThis2It)
     end if
     break
   end switch
   return true -- = error
end sdbFindFile


function doTheDo filePath,doThis2It
   switch (item 1 of doThis2It)
   case "open"
     do "open file" && filePath && "for" && (item 2 of doThis2It) && 
(item 3 of doThis2It)
     get the result
     break
   case "use"
     start using stack filePath
     get the result
     break
   default
     get empty
   end switch
   if it is empty then return false&return&filePath else return true&return&it
end doTheDo


>Hopefully, I can get the paths problem fixed enough before I convert the
>stacks to RunRev that the converted stacks will run under Mac OS X, to
>make the further cross-platform conversions easier.)

Unfortunately, starting with Mac OS X will make cross-platform 
conversions more difficult because of the application bundle issue. 
There are, for example, restrictions on Windows XP installations that 
can require that modifiable files to be placed in the 
specialFolderPath, "Documents" (or somewhere other than the folder 
containing the standalone).

>
>Pointers anyone? Or should I just write in the manual that people
>clicking on sub-stacks should expect the sub-stacks not to run? (And
>probably use the global-fetching handlers to stop them.)
>

As noted above, "get the effective fileName of this stack" returns 
the path to the mainStack if "this stack" is a subStack.
-- 

Rob Cozens
CCW, Serendipity Software Company
http://www.oenolog.net/who.htm

"And I, which was two fooles, do so grow three;
Who are a little wise, the best fooles bee."

from "The Triple Foole" by John Donne (1572-1631)