["BUG"][FIX?]Incorrect Pseudo-Code for #whileTrue:/#whileFalse:?

Andrew C. Greenberg werdna at mucow.com
Mon Jan 1 18:29:44 UTC 2001


It's possible that I'm just not getting it, but it would appear that 
the pseudo-code for #whileTrue; and #whileFalse: is incorrect.  Even 
if I were right, it is still the height of pedantry on my part to 
call this a bug, since the code is never executed due to compiler 
inlining.  Nevertheless, perhaps it would be more aesthetically 
pleasing to have pseudo-code here that would work if the compiler did 
not inline loops?

The present code in BlockContext is:

>whileTrue: aBlock
>	"Ordinarily compiled in-line, and therefore not overridable.
>	This is in case the message is sent to other than a literal block.
>	Evaluate the argument, aBlock, as long as the value of the 
>receiver is true."
>
>	^ [self value] whileTrue: [aBlock value]

But it would appear to me that this code would infinite loop for so 
long as these valuations do not result in a walkback.  In either case 
the behavior appears both undefined and incorrect for most 
BlockContext instances and arguments.  Perhaps something like the 
following would yield the desired result?

	^ self value ifTrue: [aBlock value. self whileTrue: aBlock]

(and in the case of #whileFalse, use #ifFalse instead).





More information about the Squeak-dev mailing list