[Gambas-user] About library and component packaging in Gambas 3

[tobi]

On Sat, 05 May 2012, Benoît Minisini wrote:
> Le 05/05/2012 08:51, tobi a écrit :
> >
> > Concerning the preprocessor... What about utilising the cpp just as a command that runs over each
> > class and module file before seen by the compiler code? It's already powerful enough or is that
> > too much for gambas? (It would break existing code due to character case in the gambas preprocessor
> > directives...)
> >
> 
> Yes, it will slow down the compiler and break everything (because the 
> code becomes impossible to analyze)
> 
> Regards,
> 
> -- 
> Benoît Minisini
> 
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OK.
But just for interest, what do you mean by "impossible to analyze"? Excuse me, but I haven't read
anything from the compiler yet. (When you say "analyze", I think of line numbers and stuff
(optimisation can be done later, too, right?), but line numbers would be possible, I'm almost a bit
certain, to report to the IDE, if that is what you mean)
I just tested it and found that cpp warns at ['] the gambas comment character which, of course, may
not ahve any closing ['] one and thus confuses the program but it fearlessly ignores that and
continues as expected.

As an example, consider these actions:
$ ls -AR
.:
.gambas  .project  .src  .startup

./.gambas:

./.src:
MMain.module  myfunc.function
$ cp .src/MMain.module .src/MMain.module.old
$ cat .src/MMain.module
' Gambas module file

#ifndef NOPREPROC
#define PREPROC
#endif

#include "myfunc.function"

Public Sub Main()

#ifdef PREPROC
  /*
   * I can use these comments when c-preprocessed, of course!
   */
  Print "This is cool"
  myfunc()
#endif
  Print "This is normal"

End
$ cpp .src/MMain.module.old | sed 's/^#.*$//' > .src/MMain.module
.src/MMain.module:1:1: warning: missing terminating ' character [enabled by default]
$ gbc3 -ga
OK
$ cp .src/MMain.module.old .src/MMain.module
$ gbx3
This is cool
preprocessing
This is normal
$ cpp -DNOPREPROC .src/MMain.module.old | sed 's/^#.*$//' > .src/MMain.module
$ gbc3 -ga
OK
$ gbx3
This is normal

It works!
Used by people at least a bit familiar with the basics of the cpp won't have any problems, the only
thing is the translation of the cpp line control which I have discarded gracefully using sed because
I don't make any mistakes ;)

It's clear that it would slow down the compiler and that most people won't need those fancy tricks
as gambas is basic and has advanced enough compiling mechanisms, I'm convinced, but: a simple line
on the top of a file to enable the cpp for the rest of people that may utilise it wouldn't hurt?:
' Gambas class file
' :use cpp
Please, explain your worries.

A more intrusive "feature" would be the ability of using that c-/c++-style comments /**/, // within
gambas when cpp'ed...

I have no reason to write this post (never needed to used conditional compilation or something from
within gambas) except to save you work.

Reagards,
Tobi