Re: value-flavoured structures

On 2024-09-27 12:51, minforth wrote:

On Fri, 27 Sep 2024 8:15:48 +0000, Ruvim wrote:

For example, it's impossible to change n to d, n to r, or vice versa,
without changing all the code accessing those fields.
>
Similar for the word `to` — `to` applies to the words created with
`value`, `fvalue`, `2value`. But the source code around `to foo` (and
`foo`) depends on the kind of `foo`, so the kind of `foo` cannot be
changed without changing the source code around where it is used.
>
Higher level (more polymorphic) source code in Forth is possible when
all values are boxed [1]

 I don't know what compiler you use, but my values and locals
are certainly not boxed. TO et al (+TO *TO := *= ++ += *+) will
inspect their type and generate the appropriate machine code
without me having to change the source code if I change the type.

I said about the source code *around* the usage places.
For example:
   0 value foo
   \ ...
   foo 1+  to foo
If we change the kind of `foo` to "floating-point" as:
   0e fvalue foo
or to "double-cell" as:
   0. 2value foo
then we should also updated all the places where 'to foo' or 'foo' is used:
   foo 1e +  to foo
or
   foo 1. d+  to foo
In this sense, the code is not polymorphic.
--
Ruvim