Re: [Pharo-users] how to load compiled code in the image and to change methods already on the stack?

On 26 Feb 2018, at 22:59 , Steven Costiou <steven.costiou@kloum.io <mailto:steven.costiou@kloum.io>> wrote:

Hi Pablo,

thanks :) I will try Hermes.

Basic scenario is adding/removing metalinks to a lot of a methods in an iot app:

1- If the add/remove occurs a lot of time, then there is a slowdown due to recompilation of methods. As this is a remote app, i want to try recompiling all methods locally then upload them. I will also try with Hermes.

2- If metalinks are put inside a loop that is running, for now i understand i cannot update the method unless i replace it on the stack. Experimenting that is somewhere in my todolist, but i'm taking any advice ;) Maybe that is not really possible.

Steven.

My suggestion would be not to try updating methods that are on the stack, but to update the methods that are executed in response to messages sent by what is on the stack. So, for example, instead of longRunningLoopThatHandlesEvents [ terminationCondition ] whileFalse: [ big loop body inline here ] write: longRunningLoopThatHandlesEvents [ terminationCondition ] whileFalse: [ self doOneIteration ] doOneIteration big loop body here Then you can upload a new version of doOneIteration, and next time around the even loop, that’s what will be executed. This is much cleaner; you don’t have to worry about changing code in the midst of its execution and somehow preserving the values of temporaries while you do so. You can see the same thing in Pharo if you are examining an execution in the debugger, and edit and recompile one of the executing methods. The method on the stack won’t change, but after the execution context has popped off the stack, you will see the new version execute in response to subsequent message sends. Andrew