FIle management

SynapticBytes

Hi Joe,

Please take this as trying to be constructive feedback.

I must admit to being a bit frustrated at trying to figure out from the cheatsheet, how to work with some commands. I thought that reading through all the demo code may help me. However, reading is what I do in a nice comfy chair with my iPad. I only start up my computer when I have specific tasks to do, which doesn't involve studying.

So I thought maybe I could export all the demo code to an external file, which I could then read on my iPad. The question then was, how to export the files, since they are hidden somewhere internally within MiniMicro and not directly accessible.

I thought I'd try the export command, which has a description of "export file to host OS". Sounds just like what I want. So, how to call it. It says it's a method on a file object, so I tried to get a file handle with "piggy = file.open("pigDice.ms")".

That seemed to have gotten me a file handle, so then I tried "piggy.export" - "export not found in map".

Next, try the help command = "help files". I says to use 'export "filename"'. So I try 'export "pigDice.ms"' - "'export' is unknown in this context".

I was hoping that exporting would be the simple bit, then I was going to see if I could iterate a directory and export everything I found, which looks like it should be possible with the .children method, if I can figure out the structure for it too.

In the end, I found I could just issue a "save" command to my /usr disk and get it that way, but as I was trying to do all this in 15 minutes before work, I haven't looked at working out the iteration bit yet to get the whole directory. I just wanted to point out that things seem a little less obvious than what they should be. I know you have said you have better docs planned, so I expect it will all be good in time, I'm just trying to run before I walk I guess.

Russell.

jstrout

Please take this as trying to be constructive feedback.

Always a promising way to start a post. 😄 Seriously, though, no worries — I have thick skin, and your feedback is always appreciated.

So, let me explain what my intent was with the cheat sheet, so at least in the future you'll be able to interpret it more quickly. Then I'll put some deep thought into how I could have made it more self-explanatory. Here's the section of the cheat sheet you're referring to:

Those lines all begin with a dot: .curDir, .export, etc. The dot is meant to indicate that these are properties of the file module mentioned at the top of the section. So they all have to be called as file.curDir, file.export, etc. So your export "pigDice.ms" attempt was really close; it just needed to be file.export "pigDice.ms".

Of course you've just prompted me to look at the online help, which claims:

Oops! That's not right. No wonder you were confused. I'll fix that right away. (I think import and export were global commands at one point, but I moved them onto the file module when import became a way of including a module of MiniScript code into a program at runtime.)

Here's the loop you wanted to write:

for f in file.children
	if not file.info(f).isDirectory then file.export f
end for

Technically you don't have to check for directories, but if you don't, it throws exceptions under the hood because file.export can't deal with them. 😛 And it seemed like a good opportunity to demonstrate file.info anyway.

I know you're a person who really wants to curl up with a good book. And I want to write a good book for you to curl up with! It'll happen, I promise (but realistically, probably not until the spring). In the meantime, lean on me. I'm here to help.

jstrout

Oh, and I just realized I should explain the true purpose of the cheat sheet docs. Ultimately, they are intended to be printed out and left lying around your desk, or perhaps pinned to the wall next to your monitor, etc... and to be there for those moments when you know basically what you're looking for, but just can't remember what the method is called. I use it myself this way all the time. And in such a situation, you need little more than the list of methods, some abbreviated parameters, and maybe a word or two about what each one does.

But obviously that works only when you've already got the big idea, and have probably used it before, and just need to trigger your memory. It's not so great for actually learning this stuff for the first time. That's why MiniScript (the language) has a book in addition to its Quick Reference. And Mini Micro will too. But since I haven't had time to write that book, I've pressed the cheat sheet into service as "the docs" for now, though I know it's not adequate.

SynapticBytes

sigh

So looks like I need small words, big letters and TYPE SLOWLY.

I have this code

for f in file.children
if not file.info(f).isDirectory then file.export "/usr/export/minimicro/" + f
end for

If I print f, it is returning the correct file names, so I know that bit is working, but when I run, it just sits in a loop and never finishes. I tried purely your code, I put a windows path in the path name, and this was my final attempt. What am I doing wrong?

edit
Just the command line file.export "stars.ms" hangs MiniMicro...

SynapticBytes

I found my own solution going back to my original post where I said load & save worked. I did that in a loop instead of trying to use the export function, but knowing how export is supposed to work would be good.

jstrout

Just the command line file.export "stars.ms" hangs MiniMicro...

Um. If it does that, then you've found a bug. The file dialog plug-in I'm using has been nothing but grief in recent versions of Unity, particularly under Windows... and I think for v0.8 I gave up on it, and have it simply save to the default folder using the same file name (rather that popping up a "Save As" dialog, which was the original behavior).

If you try it on your iMac, it will probably work. But that's small comfort, I know. Let's put this on the list of things to test again when I think I've got 0.8 ready to go... which will hopefully be in about a week.

SynapticBytes

No worries. I’ve solved my immediate problem, so I’m good for now.

SynapticBytes

Onto my next file management (or cognitive processing ability maybe...) problem. I'm trying to segment my game code into smaller bite-sized pieces, so I'm stripping all my generic functions and constants into a separate library file. SO my game code starts out with these lines

import "mathUtil" import "generics"

My generics.ms file sits in my game directory, and I tried several variations of adding the file extension and including the full path (i.e. /usr/qixotic/generics.ms). No matter what I try, it is returning the error message

Runtime Error: import: library not found: generics

How do I specify the location and format of my own libraries?

jstrout

It's a very good question. I'm only 99% pleased with how import works, and that last 1% has been bugging me, so I'll be very happy to have someone else to discuss it with. But to answer your question:

import will look in /sys/lib, /usr/lib, and any paths you specify in env.includePaths (separating multiple paths, if you need them, by semicolons). You can see this env.includePaths trick in the startup.ms file in Annelids.

Your next question will be: so how exactly does import work? This probably deserves a thread of its own. So I'm going to go start one. 🙂

SynapticBytes

Oh my bad. Now I read this, I think you’ve already said this somewhere else. Sorry. When I wake up in a couple of hours, I’ll be sure to severely chastise myself appropriately.

jstrout

Not at all — it's still an undocumented feature. Possibly the only undocumented feature in Mini Micro. I've been hesitating on it for reasons better explained in the other thread.

SynapticBytes

So can I ask, is there some reason you don’t also check the current directory as well, which seems to be a pseudo standard?

Also, if you can’t specify an absolute path, just a filename, I’d suggest the documentation where it says “path” is the parameter, is confusing.

And a final side note, what’s the rules about when you do and don’t need to add the “.ms” extension?

jstrout

Wow, great feedback! Item by item:

So can I ask, is there some reason you don’t also check the current directory as well, which seems to be a pseudo standard?

You have a good point. If I had a reason before, I can't think now of what it was. Adding "." to the default search path is probably a good idea.

Also, if you can’t specify an absolute path, just a filename, I’d suggest the documentation where it says “path” is the parameter, is confusing.

True, except that there isn't any documentation on this global import command yet. I think you're looking at file.import which is a completely unrelated thing. OK, yeah, so now I'm only 98% happy with import...

And a final side note, what’s the rules about when you do and don’t need to add the “.ms” extension?

You don't need it with the load, save, or import global functions. You need it in any other way you might refer to a script file (because in those other contexts, it's just a file like any other).

SynapticBytes

Next, I am trying to just create a new file which contains one string. There's no create function I can find, so I assume opening a file that doesn't exist will create it? Here's my code that is failing with an error
encoded = encode(stringToHide,key) print "Encoded: " + encoded if not file.exists("data") then dataFile = file.open("data") dataFile.writeLines encoded dataFile.close end if

And the error

jstrout

Your assumption is correct (depending on the mode, but the default mode of "rw+" should indeed create the file).

Or at least, that's how it's supposed to work... I just tried it here and got the same thing; it appears to be a bug in the native-file interface (may not happen with a zipped user.minidisk). One for the 0.8 list. (And thank you, once again!)

Meanwhile, though, the easier way to write a file is with file.writeLines "data", [encoded]. First parameter is the path to a file; second parameter is a list of lines to write (so I converted your string to a 1-element list with square brackets).

SynapticBytes

OK that got me a file now, thanks.

Next trick will be to see if I can read it in again.

edit

That was easier
file.open "data" contents = file.readLines("data") decoded = decode(contents[0],key) print "Decoded: " + decoded

SynapticBytes

Aaaand, I'm back.

Somehow my code is corrupting the pagination on the "dir" command. After running it, I'm getting the following error on a directory with more than a page of files

clear and reset doesn't fix things. Closing an starting MiniMicro again does.

SynapticBytes

Here's the file I encoded

and the resulting encoded file as displayed in Notepad++

All I can think of is that some of those characters I'm generating are somehow messing things up within the system. Either that, or I've somehow overridden an default function.

jstrout

I'm guessing you've overridden the key module, which the global pageThrough method (used by dir) is trying to use to wait for you to press a key.

(You can find all this code in /sys/startup.ms.)

Nice job on the encryption, though. Looks like gibberish to me!

SynapticBytes

Yep that'd be it. I've used key as a variable in several places.