Back in the old days, I was introduced to Pascal and Modular-2, where
the assignment was ' := ' to make it clear that it was different.
The thing to remember with OpenSCAD is that it is timeless. The cad
script you write is to describe an object that simply 'is'. there is no
'now' object and no 'later' object.
The use of loops is simply to describe a set of similar parts, not to go
back and do something different with the same parts. Think of the loop
structures as a convenient way of shortening the ammount of typing - it
simply unwinds as a list all at once to produce a logical hierarchy of
lumps of STL triangles.
As such, the 'variables' are also all the same everywhere, as there is
no earlier or later as there is no program flow. Perhaps 'Operand' would
be better than 'variable' or 'constant'.
On 03/02/2015 16:19, Alan Cox wrote:
If this were an equation, you'd be right. But it isn't an equation. It is an assignment.
Depending how you look at it the statements in question are either
equations or just definitions.
In openscad X = Y + 1 is a definition of X with a scope.
You cannot define X to be two things at once any more than you can define
anything else in life to be two conflicting things at once.
If you see it as an assignment you are going to continue suffering from
iterative programmer disease. Think of it as #define
Alan
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Back in the old days, I was introduced to Pascal and Modular-2, where
the assignment was ' := ' to make it clear that it was different.
The thing to remember with OpenSCAD is that it is timeless. The cad
script you write is to describe an object that simply 'is'. there is no
'now' object and no 'later' object.
The use of loops is simply to describe a set of similar parts, not to go
back and do something different with the same parts. Think of the loop
structures as a convenient way of shortening the ammount of typing - it
simply unwinds as a list all at once to produce a logical hierarchy of
lumps of STL triangles.
As such, the 'variables' are also all the same everywhere, as there is
no earlier or later as there is no program flow. Perhaps 'Operand' would
be better than 'variable' or 'constant'.
On 03/02/2015 16:19, Alan Cox wrote:
> On Tue, 03 Feb 2015 10:20:53 -0500
> Adrian Grajdeanu <adriang0@cox.net> wrote:
>
>> If this were an equation, you'd be right. But it isn't an equation. It is an assignment.
> Depending how you look at it the statements in question are either
> equations or just definitions.
>
> In openscad X = Y + 1 is a definition of X with a scope.
>
> You cannot define X to be two things at once any more than you can define
> anything else in life to be two conflicting things at once.
>
> If you see it as an assignment you are going to continue suffering from
> iterative programmer disease. Think of it as #define
>
> Alan
>
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> Discuss@lists.openscad.org
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