Re: [WebDNA] How to use [function]
This WebDNA talk-list message is from 2012
It keeps the original formatting.
numero = 108668
interpreted = N
texte = --Apple-Mail-1--565420559 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Yay Lawrence! First person to brave posting a webdna question on = stackoverflow (SO)! If we keep it up, we'll get our own tag there! = http://stackoverflow.com/questions/9398280/how-to-use-function-in-webdna/9= 399046#9399046 Toby, hope you don't mind I posted your example code in my reply to = Lawrence there ^^^. I would have given you direct credit, but then it might have been = confusing to readers on SO.. that were were referencing a conversation = in another thread. > I'm trying to understand in which case I should use the [function] or = not. Lawrence,=20 I would say that Ken is right ... that if you do not know you want = something (like a [function]), then better to avoid adding complexity = just because you think you are supposed to do it with complexity). That = will just make life harder. =20 Growing coding skills is organic.. they come naturally from just doing; = no use forcing the process. There are several reasons to use [function], .. at least these are some = reasons: 1). to make your code easier to read 2). to make your code easier to maintain 3). to remove unwanted white space from your code 4.) to make your code easier to write=20 (once you have done the extra work to set up a bunch of = functions to do various tasks, in a complicated site, then writing new = code to use those functions is much faster/easier! You just call the = functions!) You can think of function like an [include].. it effectively lets you = put a bunch of code at one spot in your page.. with just one short line = (the function call). I like to use functions like that... as an include... where I often put = the function definition even in the same file (if that function's code = is unique to just that page), ...but I put the function definition up at = the top of the page, out of the way, and NOT in the spot where the call = to the function is, where it would make my code harder to read. It is also good to use functions like Toby said, as a way to do the same = thing over and over again without writing the same code over and over. = That makes your code easier to maintain. If there is some change = required later (like the client now wants an ordered list (
) instead = of an un-ordered list ()) ... then you only have to change it in one = place (in the function definition), instead of in all the places where = the function is called. Because [function] only outputs the code that is in between = [return]...[/return] you can do all your calculations inside the = [function...] but outside any [return]...[/return].. and then just = output the final results that you do want output.. by putting that final = result inside [return]...[/return] [function name=3DfinalResult] [math]a=3D0[/math] this=20 is=20 to mimic a big super long block of code [text]finalResult=3D [math]a=3D[a]+1[/math] [/text] with tons of white space where we do lots of calculations [return][finalResult][/return] [/function] --------- On other topics: ---------- =20 I use [grep] to remove white space in WCS (WebdnaCodeSparker), similar = to how Ken suggested. If you use WCS, you do not have to bother about white space, anywhere. = Just toggle it on or off, site-wide, as desired. (and specifically = introduce white space just at the specific places where you actually = want/need it.) I wish we have true objects and arrays in Webdna.. but .. meanwhile.. I would not use [arrayset] & [arrayget]. My limited experimentation of = those tags, a few years ago, made me think they are buggy, not well = thought out, awkward to use, and not ready for prime-time. HTH -Govinda= --Apple-Mail-1--565420559 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii http://stackoverflow.com/questions/9398280/how-to-= use-function-in-webdna/9399046#9399046
Toby, = hope you don't mind I posted your example code in my reply to Lawrence = there ^^^.
I would have given you direct credit, but then it = might have been confusing to readers on SO.. that were were referencing = a conversation in another = thread.
I'm trying = to understand in which case I should use the [function] or = not.
Lawrence,
I= would say that Ken is right ... that if you do not know you want = something (like a [function]), then better to avoid adding complexity = just because you think you are supposed to do it with complexity). = That will just make life harder.
Growing coding = skills is organic.. they come naturally from just doing; no use forcing = the process.
There are several = reasons to use [function], .. at least these are some = reasons:
1). to make your code easier to = read
2). to make your code easier to = maintain
3). to remove unwanted = white space from your code
4.) to make = your code easier to write
(once you have done the extra = work to set up a bunch of functions to do various tasks, in a = complicated site, then writing new code to use those functions is much = faster/easier! You just call the = functions!)
You can think of = function like an [include].. it effectively lets you put a bunch = of code at one spot in your page.. with just one short line (the = function call).
I like to use functions like that... as an = include... where I often put the function definition even in = the same file (if that function's code is unique to just that page), = ...but I put the function definition up at the top of the page, out of = the way, and NOT in the spot where the call to the function is, where it = would make my code harder to read.
It is also = good to use functions like Toby said, as a way to do the same thing over = and over again without writing the same code over and over. That = makes your code easier to maintain. If there is some = change required later (like the client now wants an ordered = list (<ol>) instead of an un-ordered list (<ul>)) ... then = you only have to change it in one place (in the function definition), = instead of in all the places where the function is = called.
Because [function] only outputs the = code that is in between [return]...[/return] you can do all your = calculations inside the [function...] but outside = any [return]...[/return].. and then just output the final results = that you do want output.. by putting that final result = inside [return]...[/return]
[function = name=3DfinalResult]
= [math]a=3D0[/math]
= this
is
= to
mimic
= a
big
= super
long
= block
of
= code
= [text]finalResult=3D
= [math]a=3D[a]+1[/math]
= [/text]
= with
tons
= of
white
= space
where
= we
do
= lots
of
= calculations
= [return][finalResult][/return]
[/function]
--------- On other topics: = ----------
I use [grep] to remove white space = in WCS (WebdnaCodeSparker), similar to how Ken suggested.
If = you use WCS, you do not have to bother about white space, anywhere. = Just toggle it on or off, site-wide, as desired. (and = specifically introduce white space just at the specific places where you = actually want/need it.)
I wish we have true = objects and arrays in Webdna.. but .. meanwhile..
I = would not use [arrayset] & [arrayget]. My limited = experimentation of those tags, a few years ago, made me think they are = buggy, not well thought out, awkward to use, and not ready for = prime-time.
HTH
-Govinda
= --Apple-Mail-1--565420559--
Associated Messages, from the most recent to the oldest:
--Apple-Mail-1--565420559 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Yay Lawrence! First person to brave posting a webdna question on = stackoverflow (SO)! If we keep it up, we'll get our own tag there! = http://stackoverflow.com/questions/9398280/how-to-use-function-in-webdna/9= 399046#9399046 Toby, hope you don't mind I posted your example code in my reply to = Lawrence there ^^^. I would have given you direct credit, but then it might have been = confusing to readers on SO.. that were were referencing a conversation = in another thread. > I'm trying to understand in which case I should use the
[function] or = not. Lawrence,=20 I would say that Ken is right ... that if you do not know you want = something (like a
[function]), then better to avoid adding complexity = just because you think you are supposed to do it with complexity). That = will just make life harder. =20 Growing coding skills is organic.. they come naturally from just doing; = no use forcing the process. There are several reasons to use
[function], .. at least these are some = reasons: 1). to make your code easier to read 2). to make your code easier to maintain 3). to remove unwanted white space from your code 4.) to make your code easier to write=20 (once you have done the extra work to set up a bunch of = functions to do various tasks, in a complicated site, then writing new = code to use those functions is much faster/easier! You just call the = functions!) You can think of function like an
[include].. it effectively lets you = put a bunch of code at one spot in your page.. with just one short line = (the function call). I like to use functions like that... as an include... where I often put = the function definition even in the same file (if that function's code = is unique to just that page), ...but I put the function definition up at = the top of the page, out of the way, and NOT in the spot where the call = to the function is, where it would make my code harder to read. It is also good to use functions like Toby said, as a way to do the same = thing over and over again without writing the same code over and over. = That makes your code easier to maintain. If there is some change = required later (like the client now wants an ordered list (
) instead = of an un-ordered list ()) ... then you only have to change it in one = place (in the function definition), instead of in all the places where = the function is called. Because [function] only outputs the code that is in between = [return]...[/return] you can do all your calculations inside the = [function...] but outside any [return]...[/return].. and then just = output the final results that you do want output.. by putting that final = result inside [return]...[/return] [function name=3DfinalResult] [math]a=3D0[/math] this=20 is=20 to mimic a big super long block of code [text]finalResult=3D [math]a=3D[a]+1[/math] [/text] with tons of white space where we do lots of calculations [return][finalResult][/return] [/function] --------- On other topics: ---------- =20 I use [grep] to remove white space in WCS (WebdnaCodeSparker), similar = to how Ken suggested. If you use WCS, you do not have to bother about white space, anywhere. = Just toggle it on or off, site-wide, as desired. (and specifically = introduce white space just at the specific places where you actually = want/need it.) I wish we have true objects and arrays in Webdna.. but .. meanwhile.. I would not use [arrayset] & [arrayget]. My limited experimentation of = those tags, a few years ago, made me think they are buggy, not well = thought out, awkward to use, and not ready for prime-time. HTH -Govinda= --Apple-Mail-1--565420559 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii http://stackoverflow.com/questions/9398280/how-to-= use-function-in-webdna/9399046#9399046
Toby, = hope you don't mind I posted your example code in my reply to Lawrence = there ^^^.
I would have given you direct credit, but then it = might have been confusing to readers on SO.. that were were referencing = a conversation in another = thread.
I'm trying = to understand in which case I should use the [function] or = not.
Lawrence,
I= would say that Ken is right ... that if you do not know you want = something (like a
[function]), then better to avoid adding complexity = just because you think you are supposed to do it with complexity). = That will just make life harder.
Growing coding = skills is organic.. they come naturally from just doing; no use forcing = the process.
There are several = reasons to use
[function], .. at least these are some = reasons:
1). to make your code easier to = read
2). to make your code easier to = maintain
3). to remove unwanted = white space from your code
4.) to make = your code easier to write
(once you have done the extra = work to set up a bunch of functions to do various tasks, in a = complicated site, then writing new code to use those functions is much = faster/easier! You just call the = functions!)
You can think of = function like an
[include].. it effectively lets you put a bunch = of code at one spot in your page.. with just one short line (the = function call).
I like to use functions like that... as an = include... where I often put the function definition even in = the same file (if that function's code is unique to just that page), = ...but I put the function definition up at the top of the page, out of = the way, and NOT in the spot where the call to the function is, where it = would make my code harder to read.
It is also = good to use functions like Toby said, as a way to do the same thing over = and over again without writing the same code over and over. That = makes your code easier to maintain. If there is some = change required later (like the client now wants an ordered = list (<ol>) instead of an un-ordered list (<ul>)) ... then = you only have to change it in one place (in the function definition), = instead of in all the places where the function is = called.
Because
[function] only outputs the = code that is in between
[return]...[/return] you can do all your = calculations inside the [function...] but outside = any
[return]...[/return].. and then just output the final results = that you do want output.. by putting that final result = inside
[return]...[/return]
[function = name=3DfinalResult]
=
[math]a=3D0[/math]
= this
is
= to
mimic
= a
big
= super
long
= block
of
= code
= with
tons
= of
white
= space
where
= we
do
= lots
of
= calculations
[/function]
--------- On other topics: = ----------
I use
[grep] to remove white space = in WCS (WebdnaCodeSparker), similar to how Ken suggested.
If = you use WCS, you do not have to bother about white space, anywhere. = Just toggle it on or off, site-wide, as desired. (and = specifically introduce white space just at the specific places where you = actually want/need it.)
I wish we have true = objects and arrays in Webdna.. but .. meanwhile..
I = would not use [arrayset] & [arrayget]. My limited = experimentation of those tags, a few years ago, made me think they are = buggy, not well thought out, awkward to use, and not ready for = prime-time.
HTH
-Govinda
= --Apple-Mail-1--565420559--
Govinda
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