A lot of API 2 is extension methods that are replacements for the classic global framework methods.
String.LowerCase is for all intents and purposes the equivalent of Lowercase(string).
Except when its not.
If you happen to have methods that can return a wide variety of types you may not be able to use the extension methods.
For instance if you have something like
Function Foo(NameOfTypeToReturn as string) as Variant
// this code IS just for illustration purposes !
select case nameOfTypeToReturn
case "String"
return "string"
case "Double"
return 1.234
case "Integer"
return 99 // yeah that many red balloons !
else
return nil
end if
End Functionand you were to try and do
Dim s As String
s = Foo("Double").Lowercase
s = Lowercase(Foo("Double"))
only one of these will compile. It’s NOT the extension method style.
And it makes perfect sense why not.
An extension method has a specific signature.
Lowercase is defined like
Function Lowercase(extends str as string) as String
essentially for this to MATCH the parameter to it has to already BE a string. But the return value from Foo is a variant – that can be turned into a string – but isnt already a string. So that usage “doesnt match”. An dyou get a compilation error.
The second however will accept something that can be turned into a string. Which a variant can do. So it compiles just fine.
How about
s = Foo(“Double”).StringValue.Lowercase
1) it was a dead simple example so yes you could manually write the correct conversion each time
2) You have to write custom code for each possible return which is not useful
Try now
Make foo do
Function Foo(NameOfTypeToReturn as string) as Variant
static r as new random
// this code IS just for illustration purposes !
select r.inRange(0-3)
case 0
return “string”
case 1
return 1.234
case 2
return 99 // yeah that many red balloons !
else
return nil
end if
End Function
😛
The OLD API version still works
The API 2 one, made of an extension, doesnt
There are other cases where the function call ones work where extensions dont. For many of the same reasons