Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!ucsd!ucbvax!MITCH.ENG.SUN.COM!wmb
From: wmb@MITCH.ENG.SUN.COM
Newsgroups: comp.lang.forth
Subject: Re: Blocks vs Text files
Message-ID: <9010191306.AA15119@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 19 Oct 90 06:15:42 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: wmb%MITCH.ENG.SUN.COM@SCFVM.GSFC.NASA.GOV
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 24

> For instance...with CPM F83 loaded into my system I can request the
> source of ANY word (view command).  This allows me to see not only the
> code (which can be done by decompiling) but also my comments and such.

> This can not be done with text files

Yes it can.  I do it every day.  I use EMACS, running Forth inside an
EMACS buffer.  I can either type a word or point to it, type a key, and
a window pops up with that word's source code in it.

The implementation is no big deal; as the system is compiled, remember
the names of the files that are included, along with the value of the
dictionary pointer when each file was opened and closed.  To locate the
source for a word, find it's cfa, locate the file whose dictionary
start,end values most closely enclose the cfa, edit that file, and
search for the word. Easy and effective; requires a decent editor like
EMACS though.

By the way, EMACS need not be very large.  The version of MicroEMACS that
comes with Forthmacs is 26K.  It runs co-resident with Forth, and you
can pop back and forth with a couple of keystrokes, retaining all the
state of both Forth and EMACS.

Mitch