SDK QPuts or Command

[Joe Caverly]

As I continue to learn more about using the functions in TakeCmd.dll with PureBasic,
I was wondering what the advantages are of using QPuts instead of Command for displaying output.

As an example,
Command allows me to expand TCC internal variables before output;

If Len(theArg) = 0
    Command_("echo USAGE: Test %_year-1960",0)
    ProcedureReturn #Null 
  Else
    Evaluate_(*lpszString)
  
    theResult = PeekS(*lpszString)
    
    Command_("echo " + theResult, 0)
  EndIf

That is, using Command will display,
using echo,

USAGE: Test 2023-1960

whereas QPuts will display,

USAGE: Test %_year-1960

Advice from the plugin experts (@vefatica and @Charles Dye) would be appreciated.

Joe

 

[Charles Dye]

QPuts() just displays a string. That's all it does. It's a handy function for plugins because it supports TCC features like colorized stderr and Unicode redirection, but really, that's all it does: output a string. (Printf() and Qprintf() also support colorized stderr et al.)

Command(), on the other hand, can do pretty much anything. The downside is that it can do... pretty much anything. Maybe the command you're calling has been disabled, or aliased. Maybe it's an external that does something different on your system versus mine. Also, being vastly more complex, Command() is probably slower as well.

 

[vefatica]

Printf() and Qprintf() are what I almost always use. They are, by far, the most robust.

If I don't care about piping or redirection (notably, sending VT control sequences) I use WriteConsole() and a handle to "CONOUT$" (see the help for CreateFile()).

 

[Joe Caverly]

Thanks for that.

Joe