[Bf-committers] BGE API Proposal

[Toni Alatalo]

On Feb 20, 2009, at 5:00 AM, Campbell Barton wrote:

> Im not satisfied with a new Module name for API changes - (will be a
> mess in the API C++ code)

i thought it would be the least mess there, 'cause there would be 
simple a copy of the old one lying around for legacy things (books, old 
files) to work, and no mixing of old and new behaviour in the same c++ 
files,

> GameLogic.compatibility = "2.4" # to enable the prefix

.. which you'd get with this solution, similar to the other proposal of 
passing vernum in args (basically ifs in the api code).

but,

> Or arguments for API version numbers is overkill if you only want to
> change small things like how getting the name works.

i do agree that it may be overkill for such small changes. is not about 
a new API, just sanifying the existing a bit.

but thought it would be a clean and simple way to provide full bw 
compat as that seemed to be important for some here.

> NMesh -> Mesh was not that hard to update scripts for.

also a nice example where having the new behaviour in a new module was 
clean and clear (but of course also the only option as it was a full 
rewrite from scratch with all different functionality, thin wrapping 
instead of thick).

> Im still not convinced that a few simple breaks the API is as bad as
> some would make out,
> Its a hard argument to make because Breaking the API is bad right?

indeed. simple stupid things you are tempted just to make nicer in 
place, but it is a valid concern that bw compat should not be broken in 
vain. when using the BGE api long ago i was also annoyed by those 
quirks so am in favor of the revamp. my old stuff mostly only works on 
old versions anyway so i use them (even back to 2.25 sometimes :) for 
running it, and also would be happy to port for new versions, so have 
no issue really - just mentioned a possibility for those for whom bw 
compat seemed to be more important.

> - Campbell

~Toni

> On Thu, Feb 19, 2009 at 12:25 PM, Toni Alatalo <antont at kyperjokki.fi> 
> wrote:
>> On Feb 19, 2009, at 12:37 PM, Roger Wickes wrote:
>>
>>> APIVER=248
>>>  myob=camera.New(type='persp', name='CamData', apiver=APIVER)
>>
>> I think a better way to do this is to have the different versions of
>> the API as a different module.
>>
>> The current BGE module is 'GameLogic' (or however the capitalization
>> is) - perhaps the new could be .. 'game' or 'bge' or 'blendergame' or
>> something?
>>
>> So old scripts could continue working as they are, per Erwin's request
>> - use 'import GameLogic' and get obnames complete with the 'OB' prefix
>> etc.
>>
>> New / ported scripts would do 'import BlenderGame' or something and 
>> get
>> ob references, have .name without 'OB' prefixes etc. and all the other
>> sane things.
>>
>> Would be clean - the old api would be just what it is, no mixing of
>> such diffent behaviours for different versions etc - could be kept
>> around for possible 2.49 at least as it is (possibly with bugfixes
>> applied to there too).
>>
>> ~Toni
>>
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