Jeff, On Tue, Jul 25, 2017 at 8:53 AM, Jeffrey Kain via 4D_Tech < 4d_tech@lists.4d.com> wrote:
> You can start in, say, method A with a line like > > $obj:=[Table]objectField > > ... and pass $obj through any number of methods as a local variable, or a > pointer, or a process object variable. Any changes anywhere down the line > will be made in [Table]objectField, since that's the only "real" object -- > everything else is just a reference. > It would never occur to me to do that but it's an interesting case to think about. But by involving an object field I would think you'd be ultimately limited by where the record was loaded. If we make the assignment in Process A, and then pass the object to Process B I would expect Process B to begin working with a copy of $obj, not the actual object. Have you tested that changes made in Process B are reflected in [Table]objectField? And let's say we close process A but not B. I don't think the object just goes away. I may have to make a db and try these things out tonight. This is pretty interesting the more I think about it. Regarding not being a fan of the memory heap, and recalling I'm not the most informed computer architecture guy, what are other approaches to managing objects in memory? Since I do a lot of work with parsing chunks of text into arrays, for instance, it seems like a benefit to be passing references to an object rather than the object. I have had the impression that given: $chunk1:=Parse_some_text Parse_text_toArrays($chunk1;->array) Parse_text_toArrays creates a separate copy of $chunk1 whereas $chunk1:=Parse_some_text Parse_text_toArrays(->$chunk1;->array) Parse_text_toArray works with the original $chunk1 directly via dereferencing the pointer. If I understand your point in both cases I'm passing a reference to the object. Presumably in the first case I would make a copy of the object as soon as I do anything to alter it. Do I have this right? -- Kirk Brooks San Francisco, CA ======================= *The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.* *- Edmund Burke* ********************************************************************** 4D Internet Users Group (4D iNUG) FAQ: http://lists.4d.com/faqnug.html Archive: http://lists.4d.com/archives.html Options: http://lists.4d.com/mailman/options/4d_tech Unsub: mailto:4d_tech-unsubscr...@lists.4d.com **********************************************************************
