Re: [Vala] Date and time manipulation

[Jamie McCracken <jamiemcc blueyonder co uk>]

Raffaele Sandrini wrote:
> On Mon, 2006-11-06 at 15:35 +0200, Heikki Paajanen wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> > date and time handling part of glib seems not to be available in Vala. Also
> > the API available in glib seems to be very "incomplete", comparing with, for
> > example, python. Are you planning to write own vala API for that stuff
> > instead
> > of just offering what is available in glib?
> > (I could try writing some example? Any advice?)
> You are right that glib offers much less functionality than other
> platforms. Its correct that this support must be completed in the glib
> vapi. I think some support is allready in there. At least TimeVal :).
>
> Nothing stands against a lib which implements a more complete DateTime
> API.
>
> The only thing we don't want that vala programs per default depend on
> too much non-glib stuff. So we would not like it defining a run-time
> library which must be installed to make vala programms run on a certain
> machine.

it should be okay to define a POSIX layer for the missing glib 
functionality EG strftime, file reading/writing etc (it you want windows 
support than all that would need some abstraction)

Other interesting tidbits include regex support and gnu/glibc stuff - so 
long as its reasonably portable I would suggest including it.

I would also suggest having a small, private lib that's statically 
linked into all vala programs. Languages like Delphi (and I guess D) do 
this without adding any significant bloat.

A language can not live on glib alone :)

(I wish I had some time to help you guys out...maybe next year!)

--
Mr Jamie McCracken
http://jamiemcc.livejournal.com/