if you forgot "var" (mac impact)

V3Digitimes

In my last product, a MAC user seems to have an issue when closing the script (error popup + log file). I still don't know - I asked - if the script worked or not as expected before it was closed.

The error is :
2025-03-26 10:59:21.314 [WARNING] :: Stack Trace:
    <anonymous>()@/Volumes/MacExternal4TB/Daz 3D/scripts/v3digitimes/speech bubbles generator/v3d sbgp 01 add text to bubble.dse:790
2025-03-26 10:59:21.316 [INFO] :: Error in script execution: /Volumes/MacExternal4TB/Daz 3D/scripts/v3digitimes/speech bubbles generator/v3d sbgp 01 add text to bubble.dse

In my script line 790, I have:  "var oStartImage = new Image( sAbsFileNameToTRansfer );" with a few lines above "sAbsFileNameToTRansfer = findAbsContentFilePath(sFileNameToTRansfer);" where findAbsContentFilePath is the function allowing to grab the absolute pass having a relative path (used and reused successfully in many product, I'm pretty confident).

I managed to replicate this error message by setting a relative path to a non existing runtime. But then I realised that (due to multiple corrections) that "sAbsFileNameToTRansfer" (the one called for the image creation) was NEVER declared as "var". I know in Javascript it can be OK on PC while not OK on MAC. So my question is : is it the same in Daz Studio script, meaning that the fact that I did not declared the variable could result in no error in PC and an error on MAC? (plus it's a global variable not declare at the beginning but line 700+).

Thanks in advance for any tip/pure knowledge about it :) I sadly have no MAC to test...

Richard Haseltine

Not explicitly declaring variables, regardless of whether or not it works, has an impact on the scope of the variable (where it exists and retains its value) on all platforms - see http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/software/dazstudio/4/referenceguide/scripting/language_reference/declarations/start#variables (and the effect is not the same in all versions, so I think the ruiles will change with the Qt update in the next major version).

V3Digitimes

Thanks a lot, that's what I feared. I had already read your link, but implicit declaration was just said as "dirty" and "troublesome", but not "impossible". OK, I admit it's not clean, but as you guess, it's not made on purpose. When reworking the script, I thought it had a clean declaration with a var with the other global variables at the top, but it did not. I won't wait for the next major version, if I can, I'll update "the best I can as soon as I can", hoping Mac users will be ready to test it for me so that I can submit an update that is for sure solving their issue (which might come from something else I have not identified yet). Since I can't test, I'm looking for every lead I can find, so thanks for your answer.

Richard Haseltine

It isn't impossible to use implicit variable declaration, it's just that the consequences can be unexpected and potentialy undesirable - I am not sure why the Mac version  of the script engine is acting differently.

V3Digitimes

I'll patch this anyway, I just need to find Mac testers to see if the issue was on my user installation only or if it is more "common" to Mac users (and to see if what I did solved the issue).

Richard Haseltine

Given that the impact is variable, so to speak, on WIndows depending on script/Qt version as well as across OSes it isn't something to leave anyway.