Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!aplcen!aplcomm!john
From: john@aplcomm.JHUAPL.EDU (John Hayes)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hypercard
Subject: Confused Novice
Message-ID: <424@aplcomm.JHUAPL.EDU>
Date: 17 May 91 21:41:36 GMT
References: <3586@spim.mips.COM> <53006@apple.Apple.COM>
Reply-To: john@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu (John Hayes)
Organization: JHU/APL, Laurel, MD
Lines: 32

Hello,
	I am a Hypertalk novice and I find myself baffled by its syntax.
I frequently type in reasonable looking code; when it doesn't work
I rarely understand why and must resort to experimentation to make it
work.  Here is the most recent example:

-- this doesn't work
put the id of card into placeHolder

-- this works
get the id of card
put it into placeHolder

-- this also works
put the id of this card into placeHolder -- 'this' must be there!@!#

	The first example sometimes causes Hypercard to complain "can't
understand this" and sometimes "card doesn't exist".  The second example
works.  Then I found that preceding 'card' with 'this' makes the
first example work; I don't know why.

	I am an experienced programmer and know many languages, but I
continually come up against problems like the one above.  Can anyone
recommend a book that accurately and completely describes the syntax
and semantics of Hypertalk?

P.S.  I have Goodman/The Complete Hypercard Handbook and Shafer/Hypertalk
Programming.

John R. Hayes			john@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu
Applied Physics Laboratory
Johns Hopkins University