Yeah, "GUI recursion" is a little obtuse. I'm referring to a style of using wait with messages inside an event handler so that other events (especially keyboard and mouse) can be handled. Sometimes this is done to allow a "background" task. It is easy to do this in a way that makes a mess of things. One scenario is loading a large file at the start of a mouseUp and then use lots of wait with messages sprinkled throughout, but the task somehow gets started several times and memory usage is a problem.
Of course one can be very careful and consider what problems might happen, so this is not a hard and fast admonition. The use of busy flags can help. I do this occasionally when experimenting with move, but I move away immediately. And I do like the idea of writing a "background" the way one thinks of it and sprinkling in some waits, but as soon as things expand (you want to do two things in the background), then this falls apart. I encourage embracing event programming. > On Sep 24, 2019, at 2:43 PM, Tom Glod via use-livecode > <use-livecode@lists.runrev.com> wrote: > > HH...yup I know...... Dar, thanks for those hints and tidbits, I'll be > putting those right into my pocket as i optimize code going forward. > > I have pretty good cleanup habits, so I am getting good results with how > it is (in 9.05) ..... but sometimes its scary. It like the GC happens only > when things are idle and quiet....maybe there is a threshold. > > When you say GUI recursion....do you mean,,,,if i draw interfaces using > functions that call themselves? > > On Tue, Sep 24, 2019 at 3:40 PM Dar Scott Consulting via use-livecode < > use-livecode@lists.runrev.com> wrote: > >> I don't know where you will find details. (Maybe if we keep this >> conversation going, we will get a response in a half day.) >> >> I believe it is reference-counting with lazy cleanup for high-level >> objects, but with carefully crafted destructors for low level objects. >> Because of the lazy cleanup, it is sometimes hard to see when memory >> problems occur or to infer GC behavior >> >> But, to me it doesn't matter. I like the memory management of LiveCode. It >> cleans up. It doesn't have astonishingly-long pauses that I remember. It >> would be nice to know that cleanup is not delayed forever, though, and for >> that I am not sure. I have only run into memory problems with some ML >> projects, so my experience might not shed much light. >> >> Sources of memory leaks are LC, LC scripts, OS, libraries, LCB and (I >> suppose) compilers. I don't think we can assume the problem is not in the >> user script. I have seen script memory leaks like these: >> 1. Leaving large data in script locals >> 2. Indefinite log variables >> 3. Poor range checking in recursive functions >> 4. mouseUp recursion* >> 5. Queue/stack bugs >> 6. Bad parsing >> >> *GUI recursion is a root of all kinds of evil. If tempted, leave your >> cloak and run. >> >> Dar Scott >> Mad Scientist >> >>> On Sep 24, 2019, at 12:36 PM, Tom Glod via use-livecode < >> use-livecode@lists.runrev.com> wrote: >>> >>> Hi folks, I'm wondering if anyone can help me to understand Livecode's >>> garbage collection. I am developing an application that is intended to >>> stay in memory and so I must watch memory consumption carefully. I've had >>> some instances where memory ran way out of control.... but I found a >> couple >>> of reasons for that...... one of them being the dozen or so memory leaks >>> that were fixed in 9.05. >>> >>> When I build the standalone in 9.04 its a disaster. When I build with >> 9.05 >>> I am very impressed with my application clearing its own memory..... even >>> to the point where it consumes less than what it does when the standalone >>> first starts up >>> >>> But it seems arbitrary. Where can I go to find out more details about >> the >>> engine's GC? >>> >>> Thanks, >>> >>> Tom Glod >>> Founder & Developer >>> MakeShyft R.D.A (www.makeshyft.com) >>> Office:226-706-9339 >>> Mobile:226-706-9793 >>> _______________________________________________ >>> use-livecode mailing list >>> use-livecode@lists.runrev.com >>> Please visit this url to subscribe, unsubscribe and manage your >> subscription preferences: >>> http://lists.runrev.com/mailman/listinfo/use-livecode >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> use-livecode mailing list >> use-livecode@lists.runrev.com >> Please visit this url to subscribe, unsubscribe and manage your >> subscription preferences: >> http://lists.runrev.com/mailman/listinfo/use-livecode >> > > > -- > Tom Glod > Founder & Developer > MakeShyft R.D.A (www.makeshyft.com) > Office:226-706-9339 > Mobile:226-706-9793 > _______________________________________________ > use-livecode mailing list > use-livecode@lists.runrev.com > Please visit this url to subscribe, unsubscribe and manage your subscription > preferences: > http://lists.runrev.com/mailman/listinfo/use-livecode _______________________________________________ use-livecode mailing list use-livecode@lists.runrev.com Please visit this url to subscribe, unsubscribe and manage your subscription preferences: http://lists.runrev.com/mailman/listinfo/use-livecode
