[Help-smalltalk] Creating new instance variables in a dynamically created class in gst-remote

[Mark Bratcher]

Hello

I have an application I'm building in which some classes get created 
dynamically by a piece of code, which we'll call "maker.st". I create an 
image file by executing `gst -I seaside.im`, loading `maker.st`, 
executing the code, and saving a new image file which includes Seaside. 
We'll call this "maker.im". This is done with the following command:

   gst -I seaside.im maker.st


So `maker.st` creates some classes, and then writes a `maker.im` image 
(using `objectMemory snapshot: 'maker.im'`) after they've been created.

I want my Seaside application, which consists of a number of smalltalk 
source files put into a package "MyApp", to be able to extend and use 
these dynamically created classes. So the running of gst-remote looks 
like this:

   gst-remote -I maker.im --daemon --start=Seaside > tcob.log 2>&1
   sleep 1
   gst-remote --package=MyApp

Thus far, it's worked pretty well. I've been able to `extend` the 
dynamically created classes and add selectors (at class and metaclass 
level).

However, as soon as I included instance variable declarations in my 
extensions, I hit this error when I attempt to run the server and 
application:

   gst-remote -I maker.im --daemon --start=Seaside > tcob.log 2>&1
   sleep 1
   gst-remote --package=MyApp
     error: did not understand #statements
   MessageNotUnderstood(Exception)>>signal (ExcHandling.st:254)
   STInST.RBVariableNode(Object)>>doesNotUnderstand: #statements
   (SysExcept.st:1448)
   STInST.GSTFileInParser(STInST.STFileParser)>>evaluate:
   (Parser.star#VFS.ZipFile/STFileParser.st:111)
   STInST.GSTFileInParser>>evaluate:
   (Parser.star#VFS.ZipFile/GSTParser.st:377)
   STInST.GSTFileInParser(STInST.STFileParser)>>resolveClass:
   (Parser.star#VFS.ZipFile/STFileParser.st:101)
   STInST.GSTFileInParser>>parseInstanceVariables:add:
   (Parser.star#VFS.ZipFile/GSTParser.st:332)
   STInST.GSTFileInParser>>parseClassBodyElement:withinExtend:
   (Parser.star#VFS.ZipFile/GSTParser.st:234)
   STInST.GSTFileInParser>>parseClassBody:
   (Parser.star#VFS.ZipFile/GSTParser.st:169)
   STInST.GSTFileInParser>>parseClassExtension:
   (Parser.star#VFS.ZipFile/GSTParser.st:147)
   STInST.GSTFileInParser>>parseDeclaration:
   (Parser.star#VFS.ZipFile/GSTParser.st:98)
   STInST.GSTFileInParser>>parseDoit
   (Parser.star#VFS.ZipFile/GSTParser.st:82)
   STInST.GSTFileInParser>>parseDoits
   (Parser.star#VFS.ZipFile/GSTParser.st:67)
   STInST.GSTFileInParser(STInST.STFileInParser)>>parseSmalltalk
   (Parser.star#VFS.ZipFile/STFileParser.st:282)
   STInST.GSTFileInParser class(STInST.STFileParser
   class)>>parseSmalltalkStream:with:onError:
   (Parser.star#VFS.ZipFile/STFileParser.st:70)
   STInST.GSTFileInParser class(STInST.STFileParser
   class)>>parseSmalltalkStream:with:
   (Parser.star#VFS.ZipFile/STFileParser.st:60)
   STInST.STEvaluationDriver(STInST.STParsingDriver)>>parseSmalltalkStream:with:
   (Parser.star#VFS.ZipFile/STFileParser.st:181)
   optimized [] in Stream>>fileInLine:file:at:
   (Compiler.star#VFS.ZipFile/StartCompiler.st:69)
   BlockClosure>>ensure: (BlkClosure.st:268)
   Kernel.LimitedStream(Stream)>>fileInLine:file:at:
   (Compiler.star#VFS.ZipFile/StartCompiler.st:65)
   Kernel.LimitedStream(Stream)>>fileInLine:file:fileName:at:
   (Compiler.star#VFS.ZipFile/StartCompiler.st:76)
   Kernel.LimitedStream>>fileIn (VFSZip.st:352)
   optimized [] in FilePath>>fileIn (FilePath.st:665)
   [] in VFS.StoredZipMember(FilePath)>>withReadStreamDo: (FilePath.st:658)
   BlockClosure>>ensure: (BlkClosure.st:268)
   VFS.StoredZipMember(FilePath)>>withReadStreamDo: (FilePath.st:657)
   VFS.StoredZipMember(FilePath)>>fileIn (FilePath.st:665)
   optimized [] in Package>>primFileIn (PkgLoader.st:1574)
   OrderedCollection>>do: (OrderColl.st:67)
   [] in Package>>primFileIn (PkgLoader.st:1574)
   BlockClosure>>ensure: (BlkClosure.st:268)
   Package>>primFileIn (PkgLoader.st:1560)
   Kernel.StarPackage>>primFileIn (PkgLoader.st:1078)
   optimized [] in PackageLoader class>>fileInPackages: (PkgLoader.st:1973)
   OrderedCollection>>do: (OrderColl.st:67)
   PackageLoader class>>fileInPackages: (PkgLoader.st:1966)
   PackageLoader class>>fileInPackage: (PkgLoader.st:1954)
   UndefinedObject>>executeStatements (a String:1)
   [] in STInST.STEvaluationDriver>>evaluate:
   (Parser.star#VFS.ZipFile/STEvaluationDriver.st:210)

I narrowed it down specifically to the instance variable declarations. 
If I simply add these declarations and nothing else, I get the error. 
I'm adding instance variables using the common approach:

   MyClass extend [
        | newVariable |    "Remove this, the error goes away"

        ...   "Various selectors added for extension"
   ]

How can we figure out why this error occurs? I can try to put together a 
very minimal Seaside app to reproduce it in that context if needed.

Thanks
Mark