Fwd: Re: LO 80731 - Incorrect syntax does compile, MID without end bracket

The lambda user who makes use of macros written by a third party will 
have a real problem. When a library crashes because of a missing closing 
parenthesis while it still works, and that in addition, the library will 
be locked and nobody will remember the password ...

I think the only way out will be to orient the user to the "Do not check 
Basic syntax strictly" option (I agree with Jean-Pierre for a less 
cryptic term). But the option must remain accessible via the LO options 
interface and not via the IDE. The implementation of the option will 
have to be closely monitored to ensure its deprogramming (after all, it 
is a crutch) and it should be reserved for strict cases of transition to 
an interpreter StarBasic cleaner.

Pegards,

Pierre

2017-06-29 6:12 GMT-04:00 Jean-Pierre Ledure <jp@ledure.be 
<mailto:jp@ledure.be>>:

   The default bahaviour of any Basic interpreter should be IMHO to
   check the syntax as strictly as possible.

   On the other side tons of legacy Basic sources will not compile
   anymore, - including the Basic libraries (Access2Base, ...)
   delivered with LO unless they're patched on time !

   I do support Pierre's proposal to have an option to (temporarily)
   *uncheck* the strict syntax checking,
   However
   - the option should be easily visible and accessible from the Basic
   IDE (f.i. not after having checked "enable experimental features"
   first ...)
   - the text of the option should be less cryptic then "StarBasic
   Pragma Strict", but preferably something like "Do not check Basic
   syntax strictly"
   - Release Notes and help pages should inform the users in detail
   - the option should remain during a long enough period of time

   JP


   Le 28/06/17 à 13:08, Kaganski Mike a écrit :

       On 6/28/2017 2:03 PM, Stephan Bergmann wrote:

           On 06/28/2017 12:12 PM, Pierre Lepage wrote:

               The solution brings a lot of hassle for customers of the
               LibreOffice
               suite whose work relies on the performance of StarBasic
               macros written
               by third parties. Macros containing code in error by the
               absence of a
               closing parenthesis suddenly cease to function. For this
               reason, the
               patch has not been released. Here I want to explore a
               transitional
               solution by getting your feedback first. This is to
               include in
               StarBasic options dialog accessible to the client a
               "StarBasic Pragma
               Strict" option (checkbox) by which the client
               consciously activates
               the solution (the patch that has not been published!).
               This check box
               would be available for a few years with a warning to prompt
               programmers and customers to require their programmer to
               correct their
               default code on the closing parenthesis.

           Another option might be to have some form of such a pragma
           in individual
           BASIC source files, instead of as an IDE option.  (And have
           the pragma
           enabled in the "REM ***** BASIC ****** Sub Main ... End Sub"
           boilerplate
           that is automatically present in a fresh source file.)  That
           way, users
           could enable it for their own, new code, while (implicitly)
           keeping it
           off for non-conforming old, 3rd-party code.

       I'd suggest also a special handling of "Compile" IDE command. It
       should
       always use strict parsing method. As it is a developer's tool,
       used when
       something is created anew, it would help all developers catch the
       problem early even when they don't know the strict option
       (wherever it be).


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