>From: Ruediger zu Dohna <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: "xtalk-metacard.com" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Subject: xTalk: Feature Request: Call Stack et.al.
>Date: Tue, Dec 7, 1999, 3:05 AM
>
> Hi!
>
> Modern software is too complex to be completely tested. Many bugs will
> only show up on the customers machine. We have altered the execution
> error dialog to send us as much information as possible as an email if
> an exception occurs. But there would be more things that would help:
This sounds like a good idea. However, I do have a thought that it would
indeed slow down the engine.
This would require two things to work (at least). The software would have to
keep track of everything going on. Just storing the call chain could require
significant size (bloatware, anyone?). And unless you store the users'
actions as well, you might not be able to figure out what went wrong anyway.
The idea behind OOP is that you are programming objects to do their
particular job when needed or called on. The code resides in the object. It
isn't necessarily a smooth chain.
The second item would be that the user would have to be connected to the net
and is willing for the software to transmit data to someone else (the
developer). While this seems innocent enough for bug tracking, others might
see a more sinister side. Real Networks has gotten a lot of flack over the
revelation that its software reports back to it the listening habits of its
users.
If it won't cause bloat or give the customer bad vibes knowing it is
reporting its errors, I'd be willing to go for it. But we'd have to be
careful.
Raymond
----------
>
> "the callStack" that returns the entire call chain that led to the
> current handler.
>
> "the variableNames(n)" that returns a list of all variable names used in
> the handler that is <n> frames down the call chain (the default for <n>
> is 0).
>
> "the variableScope(<name>,<n>)" that returns one of "parameter",
> "local", "script", or "global" for the variable with the name <name>
> that is <n> frames down the call chain.
>
> "the variableValue(<name>,<n>)" that returns the value of the variable
> with the name <name> that is <n> frames down the call chain.
>
> Even having only access to the callStack could help debugging very much.
>
> Who else needs this? It does not have to slow down the engine, does it?
>
>
> Regards
> R�diger
>
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