Re: Weird vanishing syntax coloring
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg107414] Re: Weird vanishing syntax coloring
- From: Helen Read <hpr at together.net>
- Date: Fri, 12 Feb 2010 04:40:46 -0500 (EST)
- References: <hl0omd$t2d$1@smc.vnet.net>
On 2/11/2010 6:12 AM, John Fultz wrote: > Variables only show in dark blue if they have no value. They show in black if > they've been assigned a value of some sort. This aspect of the syntax coloring > is not static, as with many other editing systems, but dynamic based upon the > state of the kernel. Speaking of syntax coloring, here's something that bothers my students a little. Most of them start off the year relying heavily on the Classroom Assistant palette, and gradually wean themselves from it as they get the hang of Mathematica syntax and get sick of all the point-and-click. In particular, they use the Define Function button for a while, and then they start just typing in their own functions. Usually if they enter a function themselves, they use Set as opposed to Set Delayed. (Defining functions with Set is fine for most of our work, and in fact before we had the fancy palettes, I taught them to define function with Set, and in the instances later on when we needed Set Delayed, I talk about the difference and why we needed it. One advantage of starting with Set for beginners is you get immediate output when you define your function, and can often catch errors such as missing parentheses. I'd actually like *two* Define Function buttons on the Classroom Assistant, one using Set and one using SetDelayed.) Anyway, my students get very used to the syntax coloring, which they pick up without any class discussion. When they start defining functions themselves using Set, they notice that the variable(s) on the RHS of the function definition are blue, and not green the way they are when they use the Define Function button. This makes them worry that they did something wrong, even though all is well. It's not a huge deal, but I just wonder if this is a bug or a feature of the syntax coloring. -- Helen Read University of Vermont