RE: [BUG] Eval sets incorrect runtime metainformation

[Maxime Devos]

> (use-modules (system vm program)

>              (ice-9 eval-string))

> 

> (eval-string "(define (test-fn) 'hey)"

>              #:file "hello.scm"

>              #:line 1

>              #:column 1

>              #:compile? #f)

> 

> (format #t "~a\n" (program-sources test-fn))

> ;; ((0 ice-9/eval.scm 329 . 13) (12 ice-9/eval.scm 330 . 21) (44 ice-9/eval.scm 330 . 15))

 

>What you are seeing here is that in general the debugging experience is

different for interpreted and compiled procedures.  For example, you

will not be able to set a breakpoint in interpreted code, because the

code for the closure that is part of `eval` corresponds to potentially

many different functions.  program-sources will only work usefully on

compiled procedures.

>https://www.gnu.org/software/guile/manual/html_node/Compiled-Procedures.html.

 

IIRC, the question wasn’t about debugging in general, it was about source locations in particular. Surely program-sources (or, in this case, procedure-source maybe?) (why are the procedures in this family even named program-whatever, this prevents doing the same for interpreted code later) could be adjusted to also work for ‘eval’. For example, ‘eval’ could set the ‘source’ (*) procedure property when a closure is made.

 

Likewise for arity and procedure name.

 

(*) Looking at https://www.gnu.org/software/guile/manual/html_node/Procedure-Properties.html, it appears the documentation doesn’t actually document what the ‘source’ property is for – It could be interpreted in multiple ways currently.

 

>I would suggest that if you are working on a rich IDE, that you pass

#:compile? #t.  Nothing else will work as you like.

 

Something else will work as well: adjusting ‘eval’ to set procedure properties or something like that.

 

>That said, the evaluator does attach so-called "meta-data" information

to procedures, such as the procedure name.

https://www.gnu.org/software/guile/manual/html_node/Procedure-Properties.html.

If you know that you are making a procedure you can insert some

meta-data for use by your run-time, in an initial vector alist.  See

https://www.gnu.org/software/guile/manual/html_node/Procedure-Properties.html.

But that's limited and doesn't take macros, etc into account.

 

That’s the job of ‘eval’, not the user of ‘eval’.

 

Best regards,

Maxime Devos.