Re: typeset -p output gives shows variables which can't be read back in

[Bart Schaefer <schaefer@brasslantern.com>]

On Feb 28, 10:09pm, Rocky Bernstein wrote:
}
} Comments in line. In sum, thanks again for the code suggestion.  A
} modified version of that I now use in the debugger.

You're welcome; glad to help.

} On Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 2:09 AM, Bart Schaefer <schaefer@brasslantern.com>wrote:
} 
} > E.g. if I have
} >
} >    typeset -T SCALAR=x:y:z array
} >
} > and then I do
} >
} >    typeset -p SCALAR
} >    typeset -p array
} >
} > should I get the exact same output both times?
} 
} I don't understand the complexity let alone the ramifications here. If
} you think it worthwhile or if others may be as confused as I am please
} elaborate. (But I am probably not qualified to judge.)

Well ... internally ...

After "typeset -T SCALAR array" both SCALAR and array have the PM_TIED
flag set, and each of them records the name of the other one in the
ename field of the Param struct.  So theoretically when one asks for
the typeset form of either of them, there's enough information to
emit the correct typeset -T expression.  However, it's really only
the scalar that stores the assignable value and the optional join
character, so it takes an extra dereference to get from the name of
the array to the Param for the scalar that has all the data.

Upon "typeset -p array", then, the question is whether to discover
the PM_TIED flag, and therefore look up the name of SCALAR and act as
if "typeset -p SCALAR" had been invoked instead; or to just punt and
output an assignment for the array as if it were not tied.

When executing "typeset -p" with no other arguments the PM_TIED flag
could be ignored for arrays because the corresponding typeset for the
scalar is also going to be output.  That would make the entire dump
self-consistent for reloading, but would make the output for the
array incomplete if taken in isolation.  Which is the better course?

You, I presume, would argue for the reloadable dump rather than for
two assignments that are correct each alone but break when processed
together.

} In my simple-minded way of thinking, if I had previously issued:
}    typeset -T SCALAR=x:y:z array
} 
} then "typeset -p" I would imagine would print:
}    typeset -T SCALAR=x:y:z array

Hmm, perhaps it should output

    typeset -T SCALAR=x:y:z array :

to make the join character explicit.  Should the default be special-
cased, or not?

} what "typeset -p array" prints is another issue and dependent on the
} definition of "array".

It has to output one of two things.  Either

    typeset -a array
    array=(x y z)

Or

    typeset -T SCALAR=x:y:z array :
 
} > Until you mentioned the debugger, I was completely at a loss to come up
} > with an environment where you'd want to attempt to reload any parameter
} > that is normally maintained by the shell internals (such as any of the
} > variables in the $parameter module, or most of the other modules for
} > that matter).  I still can't think of one.
} 
} Alas again I am not sure I understand you here.

I'm drawing a distinction between parameters to which the programmer
has assigned values, and parameters for which the shell has in some
automated or default fashion populated the values.  I can understand
wanting to save and restore the former; the circumstances for the latter
are harder to invent (and most of those variables are readonly besides,
but not all).

} Something I think likely is that I am inside a zsh session I've been
} playing around writing definitions and trying tests and setting
} variables and want to save out the environment so that sometime later
} I can come back into zsh and set things up roughly as they were
} before.
} 
} Or perhaps in order to send back a bug report I want someone else
} to be able to see the relations of things. They might have to edit
} parts of that environment, but still the bulk of the settings would be
} relevant.

In both of those cases, though, there's a lot more that you need to
save/restore than just parameters.  There's a whole (lengthy) script
Util/reporter in the zsh distribution just for bug report purposes.
(It's been around a long time and probably needs updating.)
 
} >    for param in "${save_vars[@]}"
} >    do case $parameters[$param] in
} >       (*assoc*)
} >         print -- "typeset -A $param; $param=( ${(P@kvqq)param} )";;
} >       (*array*)
} >         print -- "typeset -a $param; $param=( ${(P@qq)param} )";;
} >       # etc.
} >    done > $the_save_file
} >
} > The point being that one doesn't need to dump the entire output of
} > typeset, only the parameters whose names are explicitly known.
} 
} I hope you don't take offense, but the code you have above is a little
} bit wrong.  We don't want to issue typeset commands because that will
} cause the *scope* to change.

No, no offense.  Unfortunately there's no way re-create an associative
array without issuing a "typeset -A" command first.  If scope is going
to be a problem, you need to figure out somehow whether what's needed
is to use "typeset -gA ...".  That might be a good argument for turning
this into C code, where you have access to the scoping level, etc.
 
} In a debugger, one is in trap function which then invoked the nested
} shell. The restore is done in the trap hook -- specifically in the
} debugger's "shell" command. But the original definition of the
} variable (if there is one) that a programmer typically wants to change
} will not be in the hook, but farther away the call chain in the
} debugged program.

Indeed, that's what I was talking about when I alluded to being "doomed
from the start" a couple of messages back in the thread ...