From p.dalgaard@biostat.ku.dk  Thu Jun 20 12:21:00 2002
From: p.dalgaard@biostat.ku.dk (Peter Dalgaard BSA)
Date: 20 Jun 2002 13:21:00 +0200
Subject: a version of source() which keeps comments ?
In-Reply-To: <15633.43725.738497.292166@gargle.gargle.HOWL>
References: <15633.43725.738497.292166@gargle.gargle.HOWL>
Message-ID: <x2660eryar.fsf@biostat.ku.dk>

Martin Maechler <maechler@stat.math.ethz.ch> writes:

> I'd like to have this to be used in, e.g.,
> demo() and example().
> 
> Currently, source() parse()s the entire file and then evaluates
> expression by expression. ``Of course'',  parse() already loses
> the comments.
> 
> An (much slower) alternative might be to the readLine() the
> file, echo what we read, 
> and try to parse() ``the current chunk''.
> when parse() fails (when the current expression is incomplete),
> we silently read the next line, etc, until the expression is complete and hence
> parse() succeeds, then we eval() and print().
> 
> What do people think?
> 
> Would there be volunteers to write this?
> [I think it should finalize as an optional argument to source(), 
>  but for experimentation it might be easier to try with a
>  function  sourceLinewise(.)
> ].

Historically, this is what source() should have done all the time if
it were to be in keeping with other Unix programs (shift input from
stdin temporarily). The source() that we have is really "evaluate
file". I don't think we can source() an infinite stream like a pipe or
a socket, can we?

Actually, I think it can be done with a little careful file descriptor
switching. (Turn of readline processing, etc., switch stdin to file,
run till eof or error, switch back and reestablish readline.) We'd
still have the reparse-on-incomplete thing, since that also happens on
stdin -- something I suspect isn't necessary, but it takes a fairly
hard look at the grammar itself to find out. 

(This kind of stuff has long been on my might-do list of projects,
along with (re)fixing the comment issue and providing better
information on parse/eval errors. I'd better not feel possessive about
the ideas...)

-- 
   O__  ---- Peter Dalgaard             Blegdamsvej 3  
  c/ /'_ --- Dept. of Biostatistics     2200 Cph. N   
 (*) \(*) -- University of Copenhagen   Denmark      Ph: (+45) 35327918
~~~~~~~~~~ - (p.dalgaard@biostat.ku.dk)             FAX: (+45) 35327907
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a version of source() which keeps comments ?
Peter Dalgaard BSA