July 2025 - Pharo-dev - lists.pharo.org

Pharo News of the Week 30/2025

by Marcus Denker

# Pharo News of the Week 30/2025 - [Video] Esteban Lorenzano - Pharo-CIG: C++ Interface Generator https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9fpvZJaFx4 - paulwilke/pharo-mcp-server: Pharo Smalltalk implementation of Anthropic's Model Context Protocol (MCP) server specification. https://github.com/paulwilke/pharo-mcp-server/ - [ANN] Soil V3 https://github.com/ApptiveGrid/Soil/blob/v3/docs/changelog.md If you want to add your news to this list, use this form: https://tinyurl.com/4c89buy4 # The week on the Pharo Issue Tracker # Pharo12 - Update version in #iceberg for BaselineOfPharo for Pharo 12 to âv2.3.4â #18389 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18389 - Update version in #libgit: for BaselineOfIceberg for Pharo 12 to âv3.1.3â #1949 https://github.com/pharo-vcs/iceberg/pull/1949 - Backport addition of support for using âgit_stash_saveâ to Pharo 12 #101 https://github.com/pharo-vcs/libgit2-pharo-bindings/pull/101 # Pharo13 - Update version in #iceberg for BaselineOfPharo for Pharo 13 to âv2.4.2â #18388 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18388 - Update version in #libgit: for BaselineOfIceberg for Pharo 13 to âv3.2.1â #1948 https://github.com/pharo-vcs/iceberg/pull/1948 - Backport addition of support for using âgit_stash_saveâ to Pharo 13 #100 https://github.com/pharo-vcs/libgit2-pharo-bindings/pull/100 # Fixes - Improve simulation of suspend primitive #18415 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18415 # Tools - StChangesBrowser registered as an application tool #18419 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18419 - StChangesBrowser references replaced by the application tool #1212 https://github.com/pharo-spec/NewTools/pull/1212 - StChangesBrowser references replaced by the application tool #1952 https://github.com/pharo-vcs/iceberg/pull/1952 # VM - Cleanup warnings #906 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-vm/pull/906 - Suppress the old inlining implementation #1000 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-vm/pull/1000 - fixing-build-in-windows #997 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-vm/pull/997 - Fix missing accept on socket #995 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-vm/pull/995 - Move stats to printCogMethods: #991 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-vm/pull/991 - refactor inlining code and add tests for it #987 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-vm/pull/987 - Add code only zone #985 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-vm/pull/985 - Fix Issue 982 - Pharo 10 branch #984 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-vm/pull/984 - Add FEATURE_JIT_SIMD option #966 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-vm/pull/966 - Fix CASTParserTests>>#testParseSizeofTypeInt #965 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-vm/pull/965 - remove gcMode because getGCMode is used #963 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-vm/pull/963 - Cleanup dead code #961 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-vm/pull/961 # Tests - Remove tests of deprecated code raising useless warnings #18414 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18414 - Add executable comment to String>>withoutPeriodSuffix #18411 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18411 - Fix failing tree tests #1795 https://github.com/pharo-spec/Spec/pull/1795 # Cleanup - Deprecate BlockClosure>>#sender #18409 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18409

July 25, 2025

Re: [Pharo-users] [ANN] Soil V3

by Norbert Hartl

Thanks Marcus! We should add a note that ALL users of soil should stick to v3 from now on. The release v4 will have some breaking changes and the main branch started to collect them. This means that it is most probable that databases need to converted before being able to use with a v4 code base. The current code base already throws an exception if you try to open a pre-v4 database with the current code. We will (of course) provide a converter with the release of v4. Norbert > Am 24.07.2025 um 10:35 schrieb Marcus Denker via Pharo-users <pharo-users(a)lists.pharo.org>: > > We have released Version 3 of Soil (the object oriented database for Pharo implemented in Pharo). > > You can access the new release via > > https://github.com/ApptiveGrid/Soil/tree/v3 > > The changelog can be found at: > > https://github.com/ApptiveGrid/Soil/blob/v3/docs/changelog.md > > To learn more about Soil, the video of Norbert's talk at Smalltalks 2024 is now available: > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWY5HCUlX_4 > > Norbert + Marcus

July 24, 2025

[ANN] Soil V3

by Marcus Denker

We have released Version 3 of Soil (the object oriented database for Pharo implemented in Pharo). You can access the new release via https://github.com/ApptiveGrid/Soil/tree/v3 The changelog can be found at: https://github.com/ApptiveGrid/Soil/blob/v3/docs/changelog.md To learn more about Soil, the video of Norbert's talk at Smalltalks 2024 is now available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWY5HCUlX_4 Norbert + Marcus

July 24, 2025

Pharo News of the Week 29/2025

by Marcus Denker

# Pharo News of the Week 29/2025 - Pharo Success Story: ApptiveFleet - Vehicle Management https://pharo.org/success/ApptiveFleet.html - [ANN] PharoOWS: OGC Web Services (OWS) support for Pharo https://github.com/ThalesGroup/PharoOWS - [ANN] Willow-Auth0 v3.1.0 [v3.1.0] released! https://github.com/ba-st/Willow-Auth0/releases/tag/v3.1.0 - [ANN] Willow-Playground v9.3.0 [v9.3.0] released! https://github.com/ba-st/Willow-Playground/releases/tag/v9.3.0 - PharoStreamDeck: This project shows how Stream Deck buttons can interact with the Pharo IDE https://github.com/OpenSmock/PharoStreamDeck - JadeiteForPharo: IDE for GemStone Smalltalk application development in Pharo using Rowan code management https://github.com/GemTalk/JadeiteForPharo - Micromaid: A simple Mermaid-like chart generator for Pharo https://github.com/tomooda/Micromaid - pharo-smalltalk-interop-mcp-server: A local MCP server to communicate local Pharo Smalltalk image https://github.com/mumez/pharo-smalltalk-interop-mcp-server If you want to add your news to this list, use this form: https://tinyurl.com/4c89buy4 # The week on the Pharo Issue Tracker # Pharo 11 - backport to fix #16132: Caret-return-char-broken-in-Pharo-11-macOS-Keyboard-as-US-International #16372 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/16372 - P11-fix-cairo-surface-finalization #18399 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18399 - P11-adding-restart-world-option #18398 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/1898 - [PortToP11] 17029-Image-crash-or-errors-when-openning-another-developper-Pharo-11-image #17583 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/17583 # Pharo 12 - P12-adding-restart-world-option #18397 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18397 # Pharo 13 - P13-adding-restart-world-option #18396 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18396 - Fix lock DNU on P13 (port #18377) #18394 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18394 # Fixes - Fix lock DNU on P14 (port #18377) #18395 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18395 - Fix inline variable shadowing #18365 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18365 - 790 fixing sp search input field presenter not appearing #1796 https://github.com/pharo-spec/Spec/pull/1796 # Newtools - Update BaselineOfNewTools with ProfStef #1209 https://github.com/pharo-spec/NewTools/pull/1209 - new baseline #1208 https://github.com/pharo-spec/NewTools/pull/1208 - Allow columns sorting of AbstractFileReference inspector tab #1204 https://github.com/pharo-spec/NewTools/pull/1204 - Prof stef: move to newtools #1190 https://github.com/pharo-spec/NewTools/pull/1190 # Features - Adding restart world option #18392 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18392 - add FFI ValueHolder #18370 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18370 - Add support for using âgit_stash_saveâ #98 https://github.com/pharo-vcs/libgit2-pharo-bindings/pull/98 # VM - Fix meta try primitive #968 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-vm/pull/968 # Website - Add new Sucess Story: ApptiveFleet #100 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-website/pull/100 - Update ApptiveGrid.md: add Smalltalks 2024 talk #99 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-website/pull/99

July 18, 2025

Re: Clean Blocks in Pharo 14

by Daniel Slomovits

Test-run-based code critics would definitely be cool. Though in this case, I think a static analysis using heuristics could get us 99% of the way thereâif the receiver (heh) of the #receiver message is a variable node whose name contains "ctx" or "context", or a message send which is known to return only things other than BlockClosures (e.g. all the context-chain navigation messages like #sender), we can disregard that call site. Starting from ~400 senders of #receiver it wouldn't surprise me if that cut it down to as few as 10 or 20 that could be manually checked. Unfortunately I am not as fluent in the Code Critic as I am in the simpler interfaces in Dolphin Smalltalk, so I can't just bang something out in 5 minutes, but it's fundamentally not hard. On Thu, Jul 10, 2025 at 4:35â¯AM Marcus Denker <marcus.denker(a)inria.fr> wrote: > > > > On 9 Jul 2025, at 21:37, Daniel Slomovits <daniels220(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > > This is very cool to see. One noteâI would personally not outright > deprecate #receiver, but leave a comment indicating that it is not > guaranteed to be set and why. There are plenty of cases where getting nil > as the receiver of a clean block is correct, or at least good enoughâI > wouldn't want to eventually lose the ability to officially access it > entirely, which is what deprecation implies. > > Yes, trueâ¦ I wonder how to provide support for people to find potential > problematic use. > > One thing we really need is Code Critics, but not doing static analysis > but working on test run data. > > We could > -> add probe in #receiver > -> run tests > -> log all send sites > -> tool shows all uses of #receiver that need to be checked > > > Marcus

July 15, 2025

Pharo News of the Week 28/2025

by Marcus Denker

# Pharo News of the Week 28/2025 - [Video][Smalltalks 2024] Soil: an object oriented database for fun and profit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWY5HCUlX_4 - [Smalltalks 2024][Pharo in Action] ApptiveGrid: solve (business) problems without programming https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPtsGswPJAc - [Blog] Hera Voted 2nd in the ESUG 2025 Innovation Technology Awards https://all-objects-all-the-time.st/#/blog/posts/16 - [Blog] Describing Web Applications with Hera https://all-objects-all-the-time.st/#/blog/posts/17 - [ANN] A local MCP server to evaluate Pharo Smalltalk expressions and get system information via NeoConsole. https://github.com/mumez/pharo-nc-mcp-server - [ANN] Pharo client libraries for accessing the Claude API https://github.com/newapplesho/claude-client-smalltalk - GeoTools: Geographic Tools as Coordinates, Kinematics and Geodesic utilities for GIS. https://github.com/ThalesGroup/GeoTools - AIActions â AI-based Comment Generator for Pharo https://github.com/kasperosterbye/PharoAIActions - pharo-archive: Pharo bindings for libarchive https://github.com/estebanlm/pharo-archive If you want to add your news to this list, use this form: https://tinyurl.com/4c89buy4 # The week on the Pharo Issue Tracker # Pharo 12 - Fix lock DNU on P12 and on #18377 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18377 - [P12] Fixing Build #18367 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18367 # Pharo 13 - Backport: fix cleanup undeclared registry after renaming a class #18368 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18368 - continue-to-generate-P30-artifacts #18379 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18379 # Fixes - fix: up/down cursor motion didn't move directly up/down in the presence of tab characters #18348 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18348 # Refactoring Engine - Fix: use correct method to find method #18369 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18369 # Sytax Highlight - introduce a new superclass to SHRBTextStyler and move all the non morâ¦ #18385 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18385 # Code Completion - Code Completion: Fixing all little glitches. #18372 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18372 - Fix the completion by placing a default one after the dependency heurâ¦ #18371 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18371 # Compiler - Enable clean blocks in Pharo14 #18322 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18322 # Tools - Added back fileOut functionnality for the packages #18366 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18366 - Cleaning debugger action model: less dependencies on ast scope #1182 https://github.com/pharo-spec/NewTools/pull/1182 - fixed object transcript recieving beacons when closed if logger was left turn on #1202 https://github.com/pharo-spec/NewTools/pull/1202 - Implement stpulse find all button #1201 https://github.com/pharo-spec/NewTools/pull/1201 - Fixing focus bug on st pulse and tests #1200 https://github.com/pharo-spec/NewTools/pull/1200 - update from Cavrois improved with placeholders #1198 https://github.com/pharo-spec/NewTools/pull/1198 - Fixed the same profile switch bug - Pharo 13 #1196 https://github.com/pharo-spec/NewTools/pull/1196 - Playground Binding presenter #1194 https://github.com/pharo-spec/NewTools/pull/1194 - Reverted deleted stEntry methods that were removed when moving the class #1188 https://github.com/pharo-spec/NewTools/pull/1188 - 1172 implementors in the new transcript #1185 https://github.com/pharo-spec/NewTools/pull/1185 # Spec - add whenFilterChangedDo: event #1791 https://github.com/pharo-spec/Spec/pull/1791 # Git Support - Added back github api menu for repositories #1950 https://github.com/pharo-vcs/iceberg/pull/1950 # Tests - add test for #odd #18338 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18338

July 11, 2025

Re: Clean Blocks in Pharo 14

by Marcus Denker

> On 9 Jul 2025, at 21:37, Daniel Slomovits <daniels220(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > This is very cool to see. One noteâI would personally not outright deprecate #receiver, but leave a comment indicating that it is not guaranteed to be set and why. There are plenty of cases where getting nil as the receiver of a clean block is correct, or at least good enoughâI wouldn't want to eventually lose the ability to officially access it entirely, which is what deprecation implies. Yes, trueâ¦ I wonder how to provide support for people to find potential problematic use. One thing we really need is Code Critics, but not doing static analysis but working on test run data. We could -> add probe in #receiver -> run tests -> log all send sites -> tool shows all uses of #receiver that need to be checked Marcus

July 10, 2025

Re: Clean Blocks in Pharo 14

by Daniel Slomovits

This is very cool to see. One noteâI would personally not outright deprecate #receiver, but leave a comment indicating that it is not guaranteed to be set and why. There are plenty of cases where getting nil as the receiver of a clean block is correct, or at least good enoughâI wouldn't want to eventually lose the ability to officially access it entirely, which is what deprecation implies. On Wed, Jul 9, 2025 at 4:06â¯AM Marcus Denker <marcus.denker(a)inria.fr> wrote: > We have enabled the "Clean Block Closure" option for Pharo14 > > # What is this? > > Until now, blocks are created at runtime, but there are blocks that > actually do not need any runtime data to be created. > > Thus "Clean blocks" are those blocks that > - do not access self > - do not access instance variables (which needs self) > - do not return > - do not access temp variables from outer blocks or the method > > With the clean block option enabled, the compiler can create the object at > compile time. > > For Pharo12, we already enabled a sub-set: Constant Blocks. Now we do the > next step: pre-create *all* clean blocks. > > # What is the effect? > > Positive: > - much faster (we see a factor of 9 speedup for creating a block > like [1+2] ) > - the resulting block does not reference the outer context / self > => GC can cleanup more > - #isClean check on blocks is *much* faster (nice if you check for > it e.g. for serialization) > > But: > > This means that we now have blocks that have no outerContext and #receiver > returns nil. > All code that relies on these needs to be changed to take this into > account. > > We enabled Clean Blocks early in Pharo14 so we find all remaining > problems, especially related to external code. > > So if you see strange behavior (especially in the debugger), please open > an issue on the issue tracker! > > We are interested, too, in cases where you rely on either the receiver or > the outerContext for blocks in your own code. > > > # What next? > > - Deprecate #receiver on BlockClosure > - Track down all remaining problems (e.g. debugger) > > After: > - we want to enable to option to only reference the outerContext > only for those blocks that need it (that do a non-local return). > (there is a compiler option already, but disabled by > default) > - only blocks that access self should hold onto the receiver > - .. and more > >

July 9, 2025

Clean Blocks in Pharo 14

by Marcus Denker

We have enabled the "Clean Block Closure" option for Pharo14 # What is this? Until now, blocks are created at runtime, but there are blocks that actually do not need any runtime data to be created. Thus "Clean blocks" are those blocks that - do not access self - do not access instance variables (which needs self) - do not return - do not access temp variables from outer blocks or the method With the clean block option enabled, the compiler can create the object at compile time. For Pharo12, we already enabled a sub-set: Constant Blocks. Now we do the next step: pre-create *all* clean blocks. # What is the effect? Positive: - much faster (we see a factor of 9 speedup for creating a block like [1+2] ) - the resulting block does not reference the outer context / self => GC can cleanup more - #isClean check on blocks is *much* faster (nice if you check for it e.g. for serialization) But: This means that we now have blocks that have no outerContext and #receiver returns nil. All code that relies on these needs to be changed to take this into account. We enabled Clean Blocks early in Pharo14 so we find all remaining problems, especially related to external code. So if you see strange behavior (especially in the debugger), please open an issue on the issue tracker! We are interested, too, in cases where you rely on either the receiver or the outerContext for blocks in your own code. # What next? - Deprecate #receiver on BlockClosure - Track down all remaining problems (e.g. debugger) After: - we want to enable to option to only reference the outerContext only for those blocks that need it (that do a non-local return). (there is a compiler option already, but disabled by default) - only blocks that access self should hold onto the receiver - .. and more

July 9, 2025

"Describing Web Applications with Hera" â New blog post on all: objects all: theTime

by Koen De Hondt

Dear Pharo users and developers, At ESUG 2025, I demonstrated how Hera can be used to describe the behaviour of web applications when combined with Parasol. I wrote a blog post about it so that you can try it for yourself. See https://all-objects-all-the-time.st/#/blog/posts/17. As always, all feedback is welcome. Enjoy, Koen

July 6, 2025