[pmwiki-users] About {$:var} text-variables

[Patrick R. Michaud]

On Thu, Sep 07, 2006 at 04:51:10PM +0000, J. Meijer wrote:
> 
> I think Patrick's missing many points here. 

I don't think I missed them, I just think I chose to overlook
some of the complexities in order to keep the discussion
simpler and more focused.  :-)

> I also think I can improve my point without reiterating motives: just 
> use the {#tag} syntax for accessing tagged text fragments. 

It's an interesting idea; I'm still considering it.

> This syntax would give access like {$:tag}, but also to any clips (=sections) defined in the page. Clips and text-variables would share the same namespace, with clips having priority for being explicit. Note that there is litle or no performance penalty in this.  
> 
> Now tags inside clips can be accessed using the same syntax. So:
> 
>   {#clip#tag}    # extract some tagged data in the clip. 

Hmm, I think that ought to be {#clip:tag} instead.  And your description
seems to use the terms "clip", "tag", and "section" interchangeably --
are they all the same thing or are they different?  For example...

> This states: look for a tag named 'clip', then look into that for a tag named 'tag'. 

What's a "tag" and what's a "clip"?

> Where you Patrick really fail to miss the point is suggesting that 
> 
>   (:if false:)
>   BenevolentDictator: Patrick
>   (:if:)
> 
> would somehow be comparable to:
> 
>   (:cut data:)
>   GuidingStar: Maristela
>   (:end data:)

I didn't at all miss the point, I just haven't decided that
containerizing the data values in pages is something I want to
pursue in the core yet.  I'm not at all saying that what you're 
suggesting is a bad idea, nor have I rejected it.  

Believe me, other events of the past couple of days ([1]) have 
really prevented me from being able to spend too much time
thinking about the {$:var} syntax or its larger ramifications in
the PmWiki design.   But mostly, I don't think it's at all
fair to say that since I didn't come up with a good response
to your original post within 48 otherwise very busy hours 
that I therefore don't understand it, have "missed the point", 
or am "overlook[ing] the shortcomings of the matrix".  I could 
really do without the ad-hominem attacks on my abilities or motives.

> I like D. Faure's solution, but instead of appending operators using the colon, we may perhaps use a more 'conventional' cast-syntax like:
> 
>    {(space)$Name}

Hmm, casting is a nice idea.  However, I'll reiterate my point that
I'd like to be able to do operations on things that aren't
necessarily simple variables.

Pm