1. I would like pipe-from on windows to work. "dev/urandom" is a unix thing only. Also maybe a true pipe without file writing would be better?. Not being able to open a connection and hold on to it for reuse is a big road block for me (ie running sql).

2. I would like the path names for file and directory functions to work on windows. ie.e mkdir on windows does not support the "-p" command nor does it support forward slashes. I think the remove directory function also has unix only stuff.

I've noticed it mentioned on this forum (and from reading your code comments) that you use a Mac as do I at home, but I am hoping if there's support for windows right from the beginning that life will be easier for everyone later on.

Ok, so you could have the defop repl store the current user in a global variable which you could then access from the prompt. Which would work fine as long as you only had one person logging in as an admin at a time.

I really don't have 2 admins, but was trying to future proof it. I think I will just start with setting the global variable.

I am not sure what this file is for; it has no docs or info; looks like it sets a 'uname' to 'Darwin' for mac osx machines, then runs some scripts via mzscheme ?

Since I didn't have admin rights on the machine (work) I created a shortcut that launches mzscheme with the directory path and passed in a 'start in' directory to anarki.

As a note: I am not using a bash script to launch arc, I'm using a basic windows shortcut. This arc.sh file is initiating on it's own (as from eds; maybe because cygwin? in path?)

Anyone know how to prevent anarki from thinking my windows machine is unix machine?

I've changed a bunch of code in json.arc, not sure if you would like me to hand over to you. there are things I have done you might think are good, some maybe bad....

* changed it to support both number types (int and num)

* changed it to output both number types as numbers, rather than strings.

* changed the function name 'alt' to 'alt-em' so that it doesn't conflict with the same function name in 'parser', thus fully co-operates with anarki.

* here's possibly a bad one: I put support in for symbols even though I know json is a public api and in itself doesnt support the concept of a symbol - it helps when I need to auto-load tables, otherwise converting a string to a table-name (type table) is a real pain. Fortunately it's optional, thus the code doesn't require it's use.

* I put in support for nested tables.

let me know if you want me to provide you with my changes at 'tcr1272 at gmail dot com' and I can then email it to you. or if you can suggest a way for me to upload it somewhere for you.

the note: the 'str->url' function contains a function call '1+' which doesn't work in anarki (changing (1+ port) to (+ 1 port) fixes the ability to get webpages from a local port (local8080).

the question: how can I use the 'save-page' function on a page hidden behind a defopl ? ie, how can I pass authentication in to get past the login page of someone elses arc server page?

(find "google" '(yahoo yahoogoogle "google yahoo"))

but it looks like you need to find "google" inside a string thats inside a list:

To find a sub-string use:

    Arc>(findsubseq "google" "google yahoo")
    0

Then you could:

    (def test-string-for-sub-string (mystring thestring)
      (= result (findsubseq mystring thestring))
      (if (isnt result nil)
          (prn mystring))
    )

    Arc> (test-string-for-sub-string "google" "google yahoo")
    "google"

    (def test-list-for-substring (mystring)
      (= item-list '(yahoo yahoogoogle "google yahoo"))
      (each item item-list 
            (if (isa item 'string)
                 (test-string-for-sub-string mystring item))
      )
    )

Like I said I don't have arc to verify what I wrote evaluates correctly, but I think its close.

Also note: I found arcfn.com to be a great resource.... you can go to:

    http://arcfn.com/doc/index.html

    then click the strings operations link:

    http://arcfn.com/doc/string.html

If you need the symbol 'yahoogoogle to find google too, then you may want to convert each item in the list to a string then do your check?:

    (def test-list-for-substring (mystring)
      (= item-list '(yahoo yahoogoogle "google yahoo"))
      (each item item-list 
            (= string-item (tostring item))
            (test-string-for-sub-string mystring string-item))
      )
    )

arc> (test-list "google" '(yahoo yahoogoogle "google yahoo")) yahoogoogle google yahoo

Here's another method just for the sake of learning:

This method does a few things..(which maybe good or bad).

     * it returns it in a list format for re-use.
     * it maintains the original 'type'.
     * it still preserves the original order.

    (def test-list (mystring item-list) 
         (rev (accum tolist 
	          (each item item-list 
		      (if (findsubseq mystring (string item))
			      (tolist item)))))) 


    arc> (test-list "google" '(yahoo yahoogoogle "google yahoo"))
    (yahoogoogle "google yahoo")

arc> (test-list "google" '(yahoo yahoogoogle "google yahoo")) yahoogoogle google yahoo

So I believe I am saying I need to use a web service, and I am not sure what options I have for protocols.

The read and write is I can do, but how do I notify my web app that a message has been sent to it for processing ?

For a nice example of a JSON web API, check out FriendFeed: http://code.google.com/p/friendfeed-api/wiki/ApiDocumentatio...

To handle an API message, you use a regular defop... what makes it a "web" API is that it uses the same HTTP protocol that a browser uses to fetch a web page or to post a form. In fact, you can often use a browser to try out a web API. For example, point your browser to http://friendfeed.com/api/feed/public, and you'll see a JSON message containing the most recent 30 public entries published to FriendFeed.

Here's an example of a very simple API written in Arc. For debugging, I have an op called "log" which will print a message in the window I'm running Arc in. So calling "http://myserver.com/log?message=hello" will print "hello" in my server window:

  (defop log req
    (eprn (arg req "message"))
    (pr "OK"))

  (def eprn args
    (w/stdout (stderr)
      (apply prn args)))

To return JSON data like FriendFeed, you can either do it by hand:

  (defop inventory req
    (pr "{\"apples\":5,\"bananas\":18}"))

  (defop inventory req
    (pr:tojson (obj apples 5 bananas 18)))

  (defop shutdown req
    (if (is (arg req "password") "xyzzy") (quit)))

I run:

(pr:tojson (obj apples 5 bananas 18))

and I get:

Error: "reference to undefined identifier: __mz"

Ok I found the mz patch you created, but it's a little confusing installing it.

I tried the "patch method" but obviously the command

    "patch <mz.patch"

I tried downloading your version of arc, but it doesn't work with or sync with "anarki". I get errors.

I find the whole library part of anarki extremely confusing. As much as I am sure people are contributing valuable code, it's like it's a dumping ground with little documentation (some exceptions). People are throwing code in odd directories with odd names and no examples for usage.

wouldn't be nice to have an install like:

  /arc/required/*.arc

  /arc/recommended/patch/before/*.arc; for bug fix code that has to be loaded instead of the relative core arc or mzscheme code, as opposed to after.

  /arc/recommended/patch/after/*.arc; for bug fix code that can be loaded after core arc loads, but before libraries.

  /arc/recommended/libraries/*.arc; 

  /arc/optional/; no optional files or patch files for optional libraries to be in any 'recommended' directories.  

  /arc/optional/patch/*.arc

  /arc/optional/patch/before/*.arc

  /arc/optional/patch/after/*.arc

  /arc/optional/libraries/*.arc

ugh.....

http://arclanguage.org/item?id=3849

To date I have just been downloading the anarki directory, but tonight I'm going to try using the "git stable" method.

Question for you CatDancer, is your copy of Arc2 the equivalent of 'git stable' ?

I don't find I am using many of the optional features in anarki (so far I only use parsecomb and arcformat which are awesome) and if I do I was thinking I could drop them on top of your arc2 copy.

Were you able to get parsecomb to do anything? I was able to get it to make matches, but I couldn't figure out how to get it to tell me which match had been made. (For example, I could have it match a number or a string, but if it matched "123" I would get "123" returned to me but I couldn't figure out how to tell that it was a number that had been matched).

If you're running Windows, if I remember correctly patch comes with cygwin... though I'm not sure.

If you look at mz.patch you can see that it is merely adding one line to ac.scm, so if all else fails, you can edit ac.scm and add the line yourself :-)

If I have many function calls all using an enforced sequence and for whatever reason the original function is changed (ie an inserted argument in the sequence list) all the function calls would have to be changed to accomodate.

The keyword concept also makes the code much more readable for the function calls: something like:

    (def the-example ((o car "mustang") (o year "1969") (o color "black")) 
         (prn "Car: " car)
         (prn "Year: " year)
         (prn "Color: " color)
    )

    (the-example car: camaro color: red year: 1968 )

Additionally or=, prevents one from passing in nil as a valid argument...

probably stuff everyone here knows, but just my two cents!

.... actually in thinking about it.... I wonder if it was an intentional decision by pg not to put this feature in or was it just not gotten to?....

anyway - have a good night all, and thanks for the replies.

Since the style parameters/arguments are completely differrent for each of my divs, I found it a pain to keep doing this:

    (pr "<div " "id=")
	(write (string "divLeftBox"))  
	(pr "style=")
    (write (string "position: absolute; left: 1px; top:" 1 "px;" 
	(if (is border->toggle 1)(string "border: 1px solid #ff9000;"))
	 "width:" width "px; " "height: " height "px;"))
	(pr ">")

     (def genstyle-old (overflow position top right bottom left width width-uom height height-uom border-width border-color)
              (or= overflow 'auto)
	          (or= position 'absolute)
	          (or= top 0)
	          (or= right 0)
	          (or= bottom 0)
		      (or= left 0)
			  (or= width 100)
              (or= width-uom "%")
			  (or= height 100)
              (or= height-uom "%")
			  (or= border-width 1)
		      (= border-line-style 'solid)
			  (or= border-color "#ff9000")
              (string "overflow: " overflow ";" " position: " position ";"
                             " top: " top "px;" " right: " right "px;" " bottom: " bottom "px;" " left: " left "px;"
                             " width: " width width-uom ";" " height: " height height-uom ";" 
	                         " border: " border-width "px" " solid " border-color ";")
    )

    (mac genfn args (genlist args))

    (def genlist (spec)
       `(tostring ,@(parg (pair spec)))
    )


    (def parg (options)
       (if (no options)
        nil
       (let ((opt val) . rest) options
            (cons (parg-it opt val)
                  (parg rest))))
    )

    (def parg-it (key val)
        `(aif ,val (pr " " ',key " " it ";"))
    )

     (def test ()
         (= height 10) 
         (= width 20)
         (gentag div id "mydiv" style (genfn position: "absloute" overflow: "auto" width: (string width "px") height: (string height "px") padding: "2px 3px 2px 3px"))
     )

    arc> (test)
    <div id="mydiv" style=" position: absloute; overflow: auto; width: 20px; height: 10px; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px;">

I figured there might be some people out there (like myself) trying to do the same thing. I don't know how to put things on "git", nor do I want to throw my "hacks" into a repository that's probably intended for better code. :)