[Help-smalltalk] Namespace current: aSymbol

[Stephen Compall]

I often make the silly mistake of passing a symbol as argument to
Namespace class>>#current:.  I wouldn't normally want kernel methods
to do explicit checks for errors like this, except that backtraces
that mention classes outside the current namespace-and-supers chain
can cause infinite recursion in the backtrace printing.

Try it out:

st> Namespace current addSubspace: #Test!

st> Namespace current: #Test!

st> (#(1 2 3) detect: [:each | each = 4]) qqq!
Object: Collection error: Invalid argument nil: object not found
Smalltalk.Collection class(Smalltalk.Object)>>#primError:
Object: #SystemExceptions error: did not understand #between:and:
Smalltalk.Symbol(Smalltalk.Object)>>#primError:
Smalltalk.MessageNotUnderstood(Smalltalk.Exception)>>#defaultAction
optimized [] in Smalltalk.Exception class>>#coreException
Smalltalk.MessageNotUnderstood(Smalltalk.Signal)>>#activateHandler:
Smalltalk.MessageNotUnderstood(Smalltalk.Exception)>>#signal
Smalltalk.Symbol(Smalltalk.Object)>>#doesNotUnderstand:
Smalltalk.Symbol(Smalltalk.SequenceableCollection)>>#at:ifAbsent:
Smalltalk.Namespace>>#printOn:in:
<repeat last 9 lines ad infinitum>

The primitive for Namespace class>>#current: appears to ignore its
argument if it is not a Dictionary or Class.  Perhaps the Smalltalk
code that follows it should do the same, or signal an error of some
kind, if aNamespaceOrClass is not in fact a BindingDictionary (or
Dictionary) or Class?

Or maybe I should just write an extra check for isKindOf: Array in my
local copy.  :)

-- 
Stephen Compall
http://scompall.nocandysw.com/blog