External Files

[jmlynesjr]

What are your thoughts on external files?

I see there are import and importModule functions. I haven't studied these yet.

When I mentioned an include function, I was thinking a function that would scan a .pl file like car.pl and pull in the Perl module code and include it into the new .pl file being developed. Something like include("robot.pl", "ALL") or include("robot.pl", "arm").

I guess you would then do a series of makeModule() and runModule() calls. (Easy for me to say!)

James

[saiftynet]

I agree with the idea of modules. There are 3 ways of dealing with these IMO. I could use pre- existing SCAD modules, I could create new SCAD modules and save them, or create Perl modules. Hope to incorporate all of these.

[jmlynesjr]

I was thinking that the function call may need to have an extra parameter.

From: include("robot.pl", "arm") To: include("robot.pl", "r2d2", "arm")
To allow the "library" module "robot.pl" to be renamed to "r2d2" as it is imported. To avoid name conflicts in the new .pl file.
Or accommodate the new developer's naming preferences.

James

[saiftynet]

Methods to including Perl modules and Perl code already exist, so perhaps no need to add this. BUT I agree it would be useful to ease the "borrowing" of code from those already written elsewhere.

The $scad->makeModule() and $scad->runModule() uses Perl code to create SCAD modules which can be run by a script. See the wheel example in car.pl. it is limitted compared to what OpenSCAD do itself. I am for now keeping this experimental

The $scad->use function hopefully will allow the script to use code from pre-existing SCAD modules in the libraries just as use in OpenSCAD. I am for now keeping this experimental

I do need an template, a consistent method for Perl modules to share/export/import functionality. It is something i will have to work on, but your ideas are good inspiration.