Two Version 6.0 Package Problems
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg77112] Two Version 6.0 Package Problems
- From: "David Park" <djmpark at comcast.net>
- Date: Mon, 4 Jun 2007 03:46:04 -0400 (EDT)
I write packages by using a regular notebook with Initialization cells and saving it as an AutoGeneratedPackage. I have come across the following two problems while converting a 5.2 package to 6.0. 1) Part expressions in the subscripted form (for example from the BasicMathInput palette, 6th row right) do not parse from the generated .m file. Packages that contain these expressions will not load correctly. Nor are these expressions detected as an incompatibility issued when checking the source notebook. I think this subscripted form came in with Version 4. For a long time I resisted it but finally decided that it was easier to read and was here to stay. If one looks at the .m file, these expressions are flagged in red but it appears that the only way to correct them is to go back to the original notebook, tracked them down, and write them as nonsubscripted Part expressions. I think that these expressions should be accepted and parsed in the package files. 2) All cells in the source notebook are now automatically Initialization cells and there is no way to change any of them. This is quite bad because there are a number of reasons for having nonitialization cells in a package source notebook. I often put in Text cell comments that give the date and reason that some change was made. I don't want these comments to be in the ..m package file. Also, I often make a new version of a routine but do not want to immediately throw out the old routine code. I could formerly do this by making the old code cell a noninitialization cell but can no longer do that. This is a serious loss of development capability. I believe this is a bug because one can select a cell and use Menu -> Cell -> Cell Properties -> Initialization Cell and this will be either checked or unchecked. It will toggle when one selects it. However, it does not affect the Initialization character of the cell in the source notebook. And even when the menu item is unchecked the cell still goes into the .m file and causes problems. -- David Park djmpark at comcast.net http://home.comcast.net/~djmpark/