Handles and IDs

[Dare2]

This is a request for a standardisation of terminology, both in the language and the docs.

Currently we use the term "ID" a lot, with a lot of different contexts, probably a legacy thing as PureBasic evolved.

Would it be possible to have some new PureBasic keywords that help to differentiate between things? (Note: The parser/tokeniser could remap to existing commands, which remain - this means no change to final exe size, the preprocessing does the work). So, for eg:

Code: Select all

result = getOsHandle(#number)
result = getPBNumber(#number)

And in docs, etc, could we start to use different terminology to refer to different things, using:

• Handle = OS Handle.
  #Number = Gadget,File,etc, IDs
  PBnumber = internal value
  ID = nonspecific, as it now is, and deprecated.

If the docs used stronger "typecasting" in terminology, then we would as well, and communications programmer-program and person-person would become clearer.

BTW, I am not suggesting those actual keywords or terms, just using them as examples. Cleverer minds than mine can come up with some good terms.

Thanks.

PS:

Extended, via remapping, we could even do things like:

WriteString([#number,]text$)
which would remap to:
UseFile(#number)
WriteString(text$)

Purebasic being smart enough to recognise the extra parameter as a #number. ( Which Fred could implement in a spare few hours. lol )

[Intrigued]

This is a request for a standardisation of terminology, both in the language and the docs.

Currently we use the term "ID" a lot, with a lot of different contexts, probably a legacy thing as PureBasic evolved.

Would it be possible to have some new PureBasic keywords that help to differentiate between things? (Note: The parser/tokeniser could remap to existing commands, which remain - this means no change to final exe size, the preprocessing does the work). So, for eg:

Code: Select all

result = getOsHandle(#number)
result = getPBNumber(#number)

And in docs, etc, could we start to use different terminology to refer to different things, using:

• Handle = OS Handle.
  #Number = Gadget,File,etc, IDs
  PBnumber = internal value
  ID = nonspecific, as it now is, and deprecated.

If the docs used stronger "typecasting" in terminology, then we would as well, and communications programmer-program and person-person would become clearer.

BTW, I am not suggesting those actual keywords or terms, just using them as examples. Cleverer minds than mine can come up with some good terms.

Thanks.

PS:

Extended, via remapping, we could even do things like:

WriteString([#number,]text$)
which would remap to:
UseFile(#number)
WriteString(text$)

Purebasic being smart enough to recognise the extra parameter as a #number. ( Which Fred could implement in a spare few hours. lol )

If anything your post helped me to clearly see what means what. Thanks.

[GreenGiant]

Here's a nice tip I picked up from Sparkie.

Gadget_Constant = GetDlgCtrlID_(Gadget_hWnd) is an api command that inputs the api handle to a gadget and then outputs the PB corresponding constant.

Doesn't really solve your problem but is basically the getPBNumber(#number) command.