On Mon, Feb 27, 2023 at 2:09 AM Eduardo Ochs <eduardoochs at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi list,
>
> first some context:
>
>   I was trying to put some blocks of executable notes in something
>   like the "Terse Guide to Squeak"... the Terse Guide is implemented
>   as a class called TerseGuideHelp, and I was working on a modified
>   copy of that class, that I called EdrxGuideHelp... but then I saw
>   that the window that shows the content of a topic in a help browser
>   treats local variables in a way that is different than the one in
>   workspaces - if I run "a := 42" in the window with the contents of a
>   topic I get a dialog window whose title is:
>
>     Unknown variable: a!
>     please correct, or cancel:
>

In HelpBrowser you must declare the variables before using them.
You use vertical lines like this:
| a |
a := 42.
You must select both lines before selecting doIt.


> Now a more basic question. I sort of know where the "local variables"
> of a workspace are stored... if I start with a single workspace and I
> run this on it,
>
>   w := Workspace new.
>   w buildAndOpen.
>
> and then I run this on the second workspace,
>
>   a := 2.
>   b := a + 3.
>
> and then go back to the first workspace and "print it" this,
>
>   w bindings.
>
> I get:
>
>  a Dictionary('a'->2 'b'->5 )
>

HelpBrowser does not implement dynamic binding of variables.
You can right click on a Workspace window and a HelpBrowser window and
inspect the model and see the differences.
Also browse class Workspace and look at access to variable 'bindings'.

[image: image.png]


Best,
Karl


> My first guess was that "do it"s and "print it"s in a workspace use
> a dictionary of bindings, but "do it"s and "print it"s in the
> mini-workspace of a help browser do not. I tried to understand
> "real" workspaces first, and after setting a breakpoint in
>
>   TextEditor >> #printIt
>
> and doing lots of single-steppings I arrived at this method,
>
>   TextEditor >> #evaluateSelectionAndDo:
>
> that has this:
>
>     result := [
>         rcvr class evaluatorClass new
>             evaluate: self selectionAsStream
>             in: ctxt
>             to: rcvr
>             environment: (model environment ifNil: [Smalltalk globals])
>             notifying: self
>             ifFail: [self flash. ^ nil]
>             logged: true.
>     ]
>         on: OutOfScopeNotification
>         do: [ :ex | ex resume: true].
>
> but when that code calls this method
>
>   Compiler >> #evaluate:in:to:environment:notifying:ifFail:logged:
>
> the "rcvr class evaluatorClass new" is simply a "Compiler new", "self
> selectionAsStream" is "a := 2. b := a + 3." as a stream, the ctxt and
> the rcvr are nil, and the environment is just "Smalltalk"... where
> does the dictionary of local bindings enter the story? Am I doing
> something wrong in the debugger?...
>
>   Thanks in advance!
>     Eduardo Ochs
>     http://angg.twu.net/eev-squeak.html
>
>
>
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