REBOL 3.0

Help for module list and beyond?

Carl Sassenrath, CTO
REBOL Technologies
11-May-2009 19:28 GMT

Article #0198
Main page || Index || Prior Article [0197] || Next Article [0199] || 2 Comments || Send feedback

As more features of R3 become modules we will want an easy way to ask: what modules are installed?

A skilled REBOLer will know how to write:

foreach [name mod] system/modules [print trim spec-of mod]

but something more friendly (and shorter) would be handy.

Since the help function is our primary "gateway" to information, it seems like the best choice for enhancement.

For example, we could allow literal words to refer to categories:

help 'modules

would print out a list of the installed modules.

That method would also allow us to add:

help 'schemes
help 'codecs
help 'plugins
help 'gui-styles
help 'functions
help 'datatypes

and other such categories.

Although, it should be noted that it's also possible to allow:

help modules

However, I think experts see the problem with that method: it starts us down a path of mapping-out certain keywords in help (because normally, that line would give you help for the variable called modules.)

2 Comments

REBOL 3.0
Updated 26-Mar-2024 - Edit - Copyright REBOL Technologies - REBOL.net