Re: Linked lists (was osascript - path to me)
Re: Linked lists (was osascript - path to me)
- Subject: Re: Linked lists (was osascript - path to me)
- From: John W Baxter <email@hidden>
- Date: Mon, 20 May 2002 13:22:29 -0700
At 15:02 -0400 5/20/2002, Michael Sullivan wrote:
>
As it is, I can only guess at how records and lists are implemented now.
>
What I know about them is their performance characteristics. And, well,
>
in some cases they just aren't good enough, or they can only be made to
>
be good enough by a lot of creative programming.
Note that when a list leaves AppleScript for an application or even a
scripting addition, it becomes effectively a vector no matter what it was
"inside". Likewise, it comes back in that way. The form is the AE
Manager's list. (Almost certainly, AppleScript doesn't bother with
extracting out the common beginning of the items if there is one, into that
specialized form of AE Manager list.)
I would be very surprised if it is possible to send a linked list off into
the cruel world and get back a linked list in reply. So
set someLinkedList to osaxCall of someLinkedList
probably ends up with a vector in the someLinkedList variable.The only
alternative that I can see to that case is a special case in AppleScript
which says that if the variable about to be bound to a list currently
contains the vector form, the newly bound list is made into a vector...I
doubt that's in there.
I think that alone argues for removal of linked lists, if true. (But not
the source syntax, which should just create a vector.)
Chris...does AppleScript keep a tail pointer to the linked list form, or does
set end of someLinkedList to spam
have no advantage? set end of list fairly closely mirrors AE Manager
setting of item 0 of an AE Manager list in appearance...I don't know how
closely it does in function.
--John
--
John Baxter email@hidden Port Ludlow, WA, USA
_______________________________________________
applescript-users mailing list | email@hidden
Help/Unsubscribe/Archives:
http://www.lists.apple.com/mailman/listinfo/applescript-users
Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.