Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!att!linac!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!julius.cs.uiuc.edu!psuvax1!rutgers!cbmvax!bj From: bj@cbmvax.commodore.com (Brian Jackson) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech Subject: Re: REXX command standards Message-ID: <15932@cbmvax.commodore.com> Date: 18 Nov 90 02:04:46 GMT References: <1990Nov14.033931.12883@evax.arl.utexas.edu> <1990Nov17.151516.14252@sisd.kodak.com> Reply-To: bj@cbmvax.commodore.com (Brian Jackson) Organization: Commodore, West Chester, PA Lines: 36 In article <1990Nov17.151516.14252@sisd.kodak.com> jeh@sisd.kodak.com (Ed Hanway) writes: > >As Mike Meyer pointed out, simply taking every command that a program has >and creating an AREXX equivalent for it isn't a good way to develop a >standard. Simple things like port name and command syntax conventions >should be relatively easy to agree on. The hard part will be agreeing >on what commands should (and should not) be included in a standard. Among the many interesting problems that must be solved in with these standards is the problem of dealing with multiple instances of the same program running at the same time. What port name do I use in my rexx programs to be sure that I am addressing the right instance of the editor? What 'standard' bit of information do you have the editor return so that you can tell where you are and what happened with the last command? Etc, etc. There is a lot more detail involved than initially meets the eye. Effective (read 'useful') macros require a fairly complex set of things to be communicated between the rexx program and the application. If these things aren't also addressed (at least to some degree) then it seems to me to be of minimal value to just set a few "basic" definitions as you will spend almost as much time fiddling with custom Arexx code as you would have without the standards. No? I think it's a good idea, mind you, but it needs to be considered thoroughly. bj >Ed Hanway --- uunet!sisd!jeh ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | Brian Jackson Software Engineer, Commodore-Amiga Inc. GEnie: B.J. | | bj@cbmvax.cbm.commodore.com or ...{uunet|rutgers}!cbmvax!bj | | "Now there's a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky" | -----------------------------------------------------------------------