Zugg Software :: View topic - Packages, atconnect and detecting existence

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 4:00 am

I have two questions about packages:

Given the move to the package system a global atconnect or atdisconnect won't work, so how will packages handle setting stuff up on connection?
Will it be possible for packages to detect the presence or absence of other packages easily? For instance, I can see cases where one package might want to use a function/alias/variable that exists in another package, but if the package isn't loaded then it can't do that, so it should do something else instead.

GURU Joined: 23 Dec 2000 Posts: 4834 Location: USA

1)erm, why not? We're still going to have global settings. There will be less of a need for them, however, since we can now control the less-global packages that go into each character.

2)if I recall, packages will show up as root folders like NONE. %class() will probably work, and if not Zugg's probably going to give us %package() or something similar.

SubAdmin Joined: 18 Nov 2001 Posts: 5182

Actually Asira brings up a very good point. There are many times you want to attach additional processing to a particular function. This means doing your business and then allowing other existing code to proceed with its business. I believe the override issue has been addressed already, but other types of hooking haven't. This is one of the more powerful abilties that has been around since the ancient DOS days, and from what I have seen only zMud currently provides anything resembling hooks. In order to have publishable packages, a system that allows call passing will be required.