[Peter Muraya]

Hi
I found the choice of attributes available from Tools/Configure Tools... rather limiting when trying to extend Visual Prolog's VDE with an external tool written in Visual Prolog. The $(line) and $(col) would be more useful if Prolog's String:: class has a predicate for converting line and column numbers in a string to a character position -- similar to the functionality provided by scilexer::findcolumn:(line, col)->position. Alternatively an attribute option such $(position) would be very helpful. Is that sensible?

[Thomas Linder Puls]

Position is a bit "strange" because there is a significant difference between a position in an utf-8 file and a utf-16 string. So moving to $(position) in the file will give an other result than moving to $(position) in the loaded file.

Do you intend to write a tool in Visual Prolog that should do something on the file in the editor?

What would you do if you had the position (what kind of code would you write)?

[Peter Muraya]

Code: Select all

/*****************************************************************************
Insert specified text at the current cursor position in the file being edited
******************************************************************************/
 
implement main
    open core
 
clauses
    run():-
        console::init(),
        /*
        Retrieve the command line*/
        CmdLine = mainexe::getCommandLine(),
        /*
        Retrive the 3 inout arguments: file, line, column and text. They are comma separated*/
        Args = string::split_delimiter(CmdLine, ","),
        /*
        There must be 4 arguments.*/
        Args == [Filename, Linestr, Colstr, Text],
        /*
        The line and column are integers*/
        Line = toterm(Linestr),
        Col = toterm(Colstr),
        /*
        Retrieve the text from the file*/
        Instr = file::readString(Filename),
        /*
        Find the cursor position in the text, starting from line 1 and initial position 0. If the
        $(position) attribute was available this line and its associated coding would have been not
        be necessary.*/
        find_position(1, Line, Col, Instr, 0)=Position,
        /*
        Split the input text at the requested poistion*/
        string::front(Instr, Position, Part1, Part2),
        /*
        Insert the requested  text*/
        OutStr = string::concat(Part1, Text, Part2),
        /*
        Save the output back to the original source file*/
        file::writeString(Filename, OutStr).
 
/*
Returns the position of a requested location (in terms of line and column position)  in the given
string*/
class predicates
     find_position:(integer LineCurrent, integer LineTarget, integer Col, string Text, charCount PositionIn)->charCount PositionOut.
clauses
     /*
     We have reached the requested line, stop the search and return the requested position*/
     find_position(Line, Line, Col, _Text, PositionIn)=PositionOut:-!,
           /*
           I'm not sure why I have to subtract 1 to get the correct results*/
           PositionOut = PositionIn+Col-1.
     find_position(Line, LineRef, Col, Text, PositionIn)=PositionOut:-
           /*
           Search for the new line separator*/
           string::search(Text, "\n") =CharCount,!,
           /*
           If found, split the text at that position; discard the front (inlcuding the new line marker)
           and continue searching using the remaining text*/
           string::front(Text, CharCount+1, _Text1, Text2),
           /*
           Update the character count position*/
           Position2 = PositionIn + CharCount+1,
           /*
           Continue the search. Remember to increase the line counter*/
           find_position(Line+1, LineRef, Col, Text2, Position2)=PositionOut.
     find_position(_Line, _LineRef, _Col, _Text, _PositionIn)=_:-
           exception::raise_error("Position not found").
 
end implement main
 
goal
    mainExe::run(main::run).

[Thomas Linder Puls]

You could also consider reading line by line:

Code: Select all

class predicates
    insertAt : (string FIle, positive Line, positive Pos, string Text).
clauses
    insertAt(File, Line, Pos, Text) :-
        I = inputStream_file::openFileUtf8(File),
        % Write to a stringStream and output the entire result in the end
        O = outputStream_string::new(),
        % Copy first lines to output
        foreach _ = std::cIterate(Line-1) do
            O:write(I:readLineCRLF())
        end foreach,
        % Handle the interesting line
        L = I:readLineCRLF(),
        string::front(L, Pos-1, First, Last),
        O:write(First, Text, Last),
        % Copy the rest of the lines to output
        foreach I:repeatToEndOfStream() do
            O:write(I:readLineCRLF())
        end foreach,
        I:close(),
        % emit the result
        file::writeStringUtf8_bom(File, O:getString()).

By the way, what kind of text are you inserting so often that you want a tool for it?

[Peter Muraya]

Thanks Thomas, I understand your approach.

The string I am inserting came about after adopting an approach that uses generic interfaces and classes in place of the non-generic ones. In my earlier code I had a definitions like:-

Code: Select all

interface fertilization supports reproduction end interface

After parametrization I have to change my definition to look like:-

Code: Select all

Interface fertilization_{@Vacancy, @Candidate, @Product} supports competition_{@Vacancy, @Candidate, @Product} end interface

I get tired of typing _{@Vacancy, @Candidate, @Product} which is:-
(a) fairly recurrent across many files,
(b) not amenable to search/replace even with regular expression, and
(c) problematic to type as I am using an keyboard where the keys, _{@, are not explicitly labelled.

[Thomas Linder Puls]

OK

[Harrison Pratt]

I use M8 Spartan Clipboard Manager and find it a very helpful tool for inserting standard text clips into the IDE editor. It also can insert date & time values into pasted clips. It maintains a stack of the 20 most recent clipboard copy actions (including images) and a huge those clips can be permanently preserved as desired.

You can define a hot key combination to open up the clip selection screen (I use Ctrl-/) and paste the text.

You can define macro text expansion (for example, I defined macros such that
typing .date to paste a date string as 2017-04-02 (very handy for dating files you save)
typing .todo to paste % TODO 2017-04-02 ).

It's very useful for file headers, standard code (like database management templates), etc.

A free version is available.

http://m8software.com/clipboards/sparta ... anager.htm