Re: Specialized input parsing for code/REPL in DrScheme?

[Robert Bruce Findler <robby@cs.rice.edu>]

You may find that, while DrScheme has the potential do all of that, 
the interfaces might not be quite up to snuff (just like the reader 
interface wasn't). I have not yet added a new language via the tools 
mechanism (although there are some long-term plans to add Java) and 
probably until I do, the interface won't be quite right. But, I am 
more than happy to work with anyone who wants to add new languages 
and improve the tools interface.

Happy Hacking!

Robby

At 11:05 AM -0400 9/6/00, Paul Fernhout wrote:
>Robby-
>
>Thanks for the improvements. This worked for me in debug MrEd. Also,
>when there is a syntax error in the entered code, the first character of
>the entire buffer is highlighted (before I don't think I got a
>highlight). Presumably, now I can improve the example to keep updating
>the error location as my reader progresses.
>
>What's really cool about this is one could now in theory have DrScheme
>host any selected language (Scheme-like or not) through an appropriate
>parser and interpreter written in Scheme, and provide meaningful
>location information for syntax errors, all within in the comfort of
>DrScheme. One could even have the "guest" language keyword usage linked
>into the HelpDesk. This could let one add parsers for Logo, interpreted
>C, interpreted Forth, interpreted assembler, Python, TrueBasic, or
>Smalltalk, translate the results to Scheme code for speedy evaluation,
>and leverage off of the host DrScheme/MrEd runtime libraries for
>graphics or networking. There still might be some issues with generating
>meaningful debugging messages during interpretation if the guest
>language strayed too far from Scheme though, although I get the feeling
>DrScheme has some machinery related to Zodiac already in place that
>might help with some of that. This could be nice in the context of a
>comparative programming languages course, in the direction of Samuel
>Kamin's book "Programming Languages: An Interpreter-Based Approach". It
>also might increase support for maintaining the DrScheme infrastructure
>if people teaching courses in other languages like Logo or Basic
>migrated to using DrScheme plus an appropriate "language-pack" parser as
>their cross-platform teaching environment. And from there, it is of
>course a natural easy step to try Scheme for those courses.
>
>Thanks again!
>
>-Paul Fernhout
>Kurtz-Fernhout Software
>=========================================================
>Developers of custom software and educational simulations
>Creators of the Garden with Insight(TM) garden simulator
>http://www.kurtz-fernhout.com
>
>Robert Bruce Findler wrote:
>>
>>  Apologies, this was indeed a bug in the tool that I sent you (I
>>  didn't read my own interfaces carefully enough!). The attached
>>  good-unit.ss should solve the problems you were having. It works in
>>  both debug and non-debug modes (and the teaching languages as well).
>>
>>  Hope that helps,
>>  Robby