The simple things matter the most

Usage First Steps
#1

Perhaps this needs to be in a (sub)category of its own.

You know the feeling that you want to do something that looks really simple but how to do this in Rebol/Ren-C

Case:
A. Transforming the content of a block into a string

B. Transforming the content of a string to become a block

First try:
A.

>> blk: [What becomes of a block when turned into a {} value?]
== [What becomes of a block when turned into a "" value?]
>> mold blk
== {[What becomes of a block when turned into a "" value?]}

B.

>> txt: "What becomes of a string when turned into a [] value?"
== {What becomes of a string when turned into a [] value?}
>> to block! txt
== [{What becomes of a string when turned into a [] value?}]

So clearly not what was intended!

After some tinkering:
A.

block-to-text: function [blk [block!]][
    result: copy ""
    spacer: copy ""
    for-each b blk [
        append append result spacer mold b
        spacer: copy " "
    ]
    result
]
block-to-text blk
== {What becomes of a block when turned into a "" value?}

B.

>> blk: load append append "[" txt "]"       
== [What becomes of a string when turned into a [] value?]

To be improved?

#2

The naming may not be the best, but you are looking for, respectively, FORM and LOAD:

‌>> form [a b c]
== "a b c"

‌>> load "a b c"
== [a b c]
#3

Not entirely true

>> form [note what [] happens]
== "note what  happens"
#4 
>> form [note what [really] happens]
== "note what really happens"

‌

#5

If you have strong feelings about what the natural intent of TO is, that's something that needs to be pinned down, and it's getting closer I think:

#6

Right, this might be what you would want or expect, but if you expect that all in quotes is transformed into a block! then this trivial task is becoming a little more difficult.

#7

This was more meant as a home for those tasks that newcomers would be easy peasy straightforward and that proofed to be a little more tricky in Rebol/Ren-C. To hand some neat tricks and functions and oneliners discuss other solutions wrt speed and readability and alike.

I agree on the TO matrix to be well defined and it needs work for sure, all things can use more of that always :wink:

#8

Or:

>> mold/only [note what [] happens]
== "note what [] happens"

Just occurred to me—this is the opposite of /ONLY usage elsewhere. If my suggestion for replacing /ONLY were in play, it would work the opposite here:

>> mold [note what [] happens]
== "[note what [] happens]"
‌
‌>> mold only [note what [] happens]
== "[[note what [] happens]]"
MOLD and LOAD parity
#9

that would be

>> mold [note what [] happens]
== "note what [] happens"

>> mold only [note what [] happens]
== "[note what [] happens]"
#10

Which implies that BLOCK! is special when it comes to MOLD, which would be fine by me.

#11

I like the idea that the /ONLY be offered in a convenient way for those who disagree and want to get in a different habit.

>> mold @[like so]
== "[like so]"

>> var: [in a variable]
>> mold @var
== [in a variable]

>> mold '@[subvert parameter mode detection]
== "@[subvert parameter mode detection]"

The single block "blockification" is an interesting idea but it has hitches that I ran into trying it, so I feel like /ONLY has a pretty strong gravity for this that might be sticking around...especially as it pertains to being switched on or off with @ as a shorthand for those who prefer shorthands.