if we can see line number in error message

[csfreebird]

[rickyboy]

[csfreebird]

[Astrobe]

I second the suggestion of adding line numbers to error messages. The debugger could also use some improvements.

I am an embedded systems programmer, and I'm quite used to debug using only printf, but the lack of support from Newlisp in this area makes things more difficult than it should be.

Since I'm in the process of butchering....errr, I mean hacking the guts of Newlisp, I took a look at the problem. It doesn't seem easy to do, but it has to be done imho.

[conan]

Some time ago Lutz replied here (i searched for it, but couldn't find it) that it wasn't possible without making newLisp go slower. Also that given the nature of the two step parsing newLisp does, source line numbers get lost.

I'm quoting from memory so maybe this is not exactly what he said. But the general concept I got from there was: can't be done without making a poor quality newLisp.

So maybe the solution would be to provide a fat-newLisp version for development that does not loose this information.

Another possible solution would be to learn how the people who don't complain about this do their development. Maybe there's something we're missing there.

[Lutz]

Line numbers for errors definitely add to much resource usage for storing them and parsing and loading code would get slower. In my opinion its also just not necessary, I think the stack trace we have is much more usable.

One could build a better debugger using the current debugging facilities and reflective API offered by newLISP and without changing anything inside newLISP. The current debugger was built with the idea in mind, that it can be driven by and outside program. See the old Tcl/Tk based debugger and IDE shipped years back. I think it is still maintained by HPW on this forum.

Ps: in any case, welcome hacking newLISP internals, there are things which can be made faster, smaller or otherwise improved.

[conan]

[Astrobe]

[Lutz]

[conan]

Beautiful. Please don't die.

[csfreebird]

OK. I don't need error line number now because correct highlight is enough.
Thanks.

[Astrobe]

Debugging and error messages are still a weak point of Newlisp for me.

I could make it slightly easier by inserting a call to getDebuggerInput() at the end of printErrorMessage(). At least one can check the value of local variables, arguments, and even those of the callers if names don't overlap.

Can it be improved?