get a variable name as a string?

EvanReese

if I have a variable in a feature, and want to print the name of the variable, how do I do that? For example

var test = 5*meter;
print(variabeNameToString(test));

should print "test", not "5*meter".

ilya_baran

Such a function cannot be written because no function f can distinguish being called as f(5 * meter) and f(test) where test == 5 * meter.  This is true for the majority of programming languages.

But what are you actually trying to do?  I can't think of a use case for what you're asking for...

lana

@Evan_Reese
In C/C++ you can do this with a macro. I don't think FS language development will go that way. 

tim_hess

Is it just a typo in "variableNameToString"? It looks like you're missing an "l" in variable. 

EvanReese

Good catch, but that's not it. variableNameToString() is my made up example function to stand in for what I want, unless it actually exists and I didn't think to check, haha

tim_hess

   

Creating new functions like that seems like a good use-case for ChatGTP.

EvanReese

lol. I just tried and it's overloaded at the moment.

ilya_baran

Such a function cannot be written because no function f can distinguish being called as f(5 * meter) and f(test) where test == 5 * meter.  This is true for the majority of programming languages.

But what are you actually trying to do?  I can't think of a use case for what you're asking for...

EvanReese

@ilya_baran
I figured it might be something like that, and I'm sure it's for the best. I honestly don't recall exactly what I was trying to do when I asked the question, but it was something to do with automatically printing information more readably to debug things, without having to write all the variables names out. I guess I could put each variable in a map and use the keys, if I need to do something like that. It was also just partly curiosity about whether it's possible.

mahir

If it's important to be able to reference an actual name or label for your variable, you could create a map x[n,1] where x[i,0] is the name and x[i,1] is the value. 

billy2

How would bindings work on a map? Would the map's scope be assigned to all it's associated pairs? I think scope would be easier if it were just assignable vs. where it was defined.

I've been wondering if you do a lot of API development, wouldn't it make more sense to just use maps? You know, let's just get rid of variables. One thing that is really nice is keeping the same object moving from client to server to onshape and then back to server to client. It seems like a good way to write cloud applications.

Look at parseJson, does it make sense to pass the cloud object around which would be a map in featurescript. Why doesn't feature script have a stringfyMap function to turn a map into JSON.  Can we just we just assume values are in meters and do away with value with units in JSON or to keep to the JSON standard.

I like the idea of using maps for data inside feature script.

lana

@Evan_Reese
In C/C++ you can do this with a macro. I don't think FS language development will go that way. 

EvanReese

No worries. It's not critical for me. I just was wondering.

billy2

You could save your variables in the definition map that's included in almost every feature script example.

//2 ways to create a variable
Var test=5*meter
definition.test=5*meter

Then you have access to your variables using keys & values. I see that FS supports keys. I know I can get to "test" using js.

Just for fun, I ran toString(definition) through a jsLinter:


It's close but not close enough.



It does JSON.stringify your "test" variable properly


On second thought, the above is wrong.

I'm thinking an OS map to json is going to be harder than I originally thought.