Re: Re: Saving edited packages
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg6304] Re: [mg6264] Re: [mg6261] Saving edited packages
- From: "w.meeussen" <w.meeussen.vdmcc at vandemoortele.be>
- Date: Sat, 8 Mar 1997 00:26:27 -0500 (EST)
- Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com
At 09:49 6-03-97 -0500, Mario Sancho Graca wrote:
>lompado at liger.uah.edu wrote:
>>
>> I'm having trouble saving a package after I edit it using version 3.0
>> (on a Windows '95 machine). It appears that every time I save the
>> package, the entire body of the package gets commented out (i.e., (*
>> --body of package--*) ) and subsequent attempts at loading the newly
>> saved package are unsuccessful. The error message says that the
>> "Context MyPackage` was not created when Needs was evaluated" where
>> MyPackage is the name of the package. When I use $Packages to check
>> my contexts, the package is not in the context list.
>> I have been trying to save the newly edited package using the "Save as
>> Special - Package Format" command in the file menu. Simply using
>> "Save" in the file menu saves the package as a notebook. I can't find
>> any references in the Mathematica book regarding the correct way to
>> save an edited package (or a new package for that matter).
>> Incidentally, once the package has been modified, I try to save it
>> with the same name as the original. Mathematica seems to be happy
>> with that though and simply queries as to whether I want to overwrite
>> the old one. The packages (both old and new) reside in the
>> .\Add-Ons\Applications directory and this directory is indicated in
>> the $Path command when I run it. Finally, prior to editing (which
>> entails modifying a couple of functions) the old package loads
>> properly.
>> Am I missing something here? Has anyone run into this problem or do
>> you know of a reference that teaches one how to properly (re)save
>> packages?
>>
>> Thanks in advance for your time and consideration.
>>
>> Regards,
>> Artie
>> University of Alabama in Huntsville
>> Physics Department
>> Optics Building, Room 201c
>> Huntsville, Al 35899
>>
>> Lompado at liger.uah.edu
>
>
>Saving cells with the front end 'Save As Special... Package Format" (I
>use Mathematica 3.0 For Students, on Windows 95) does encapsulate each
>cell with comment characters (* *). The booklet "Getting Started with
>Mathematica For Students Under Microsoft Windows", Appendix 'Import and
>Export Capabilities' states that the Package Format is "an ASCII file
>with all formatting information and text commented out, leaving
>Mathematica commands stored in initialization cells.". This aims to
>filter the typing done in the notebook in order for the kernel to read
>the file. But it does not seem to work at the present time. One way that
>I found to work was to save the notebook as a text file ("Save as
>Special... Text") which will keep everything that was typed except the
>Notebook commands eg Cell[]. My package would still not run because of
>the way the front end in 3.0 handles the typing, e.g. with word-wrap and
>caring about the syntax structure while the user types. I edited the
>file with a text editor and deleted some newline characters in which
>Mathematica got stuck. Then it worked.
> The front end has been much improved relative to version 2, and it
>seems that this and other problems are bugs which need to be corrected
>with patches or with the future 3.1.
>
>
>--
>Mario Sancho Graca
>
>Email:
>mario_sancho.graca at virgin.net
>M.S.Graca at Warwick.ac.uk
>
>University of Warwick
>Department of Engineering
>Coventry CV4 7AL
>United Kingdom
>
>
>
>
yes, creating packages scares me too. Roman Maeder's
C:\Program Files\Mathematica3.0\AddOns\ExtraPackages\
ProgrammingInMathematica\Template.nb
is an enormous help to do it right.
One snag: make only the 'good' lines into initialisation cells.
Then, Save As Special ... 'your_filename' followed with extension '.m'
you have to give the extension '.m' yourself, or else it becomes '.nb' !!
But, the satisfaction of a working package makes you forget the small
discomfort of 'labour'.
wouter,
Dr. Wouter L. J. MEEUSSEN
eu000949 at pophost.eunet.be
w.meeussen.vdmcc at vandemoortele.be