Extracting a reference to a stack

[Richard Gaskin]

Mike Bonner wrote:
> Ok. Better way.  Use a virtual getprop in a library stack
>
> getprop owningstack
>    return (the name of this stack)
> end owningstack
>
> Then if you have the long id of an object you can do this..
> get the owningstack of myLongId
> and "it" will contain the stackname.  (should also work inserted into
> front, right?)

An excellent suggestions, but suffers from a design limitation not of 
your making:  getProp and setProp are currently handled as system 
messages, so when lockMessages is true they won't fire.  This makes them 
unpredictable except in cases where you have total control over all code 
(no third-party libraries, and much discipline among team members). :(

Mark Waddingham has expressed the opinion that getProp and setProp 
should be recategorized as custom handlers, and given how they're used 
that seem quite reasonable.  As custom handlers they'd be immune to 
lockMessages.

If the engine were updated accordingly they'd become extremely valuable 
in so many cases, but as they are I rarely use them.

I don't know when such a change would take place.  I had hoped it would 
be before now.

-- 
  Richard Gaskin
  Fourth World Systems
  Software Design and Development for the Desktop, Mobile, and the Web
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