#!/usr/bin/env python
"""
ask.py - Pluvo Standard Library: ask
Author: Joe Geldart, durham.ac.uk
Author: Sean B. Palmer, inamidst.com
Cf. http://paste.lisp.org/display/21936

Note, Joe wants to use "--" for this function; how does this interact with --
being end of flags, a la its normal unix command line use?
"""

try: 
   from basics import dot
   from datatypes import Table, Symbol
except ImportError: 
   from pluvo.basics import dot
   from pluvo.datatypes import Table, Symbol

def ask(env, obj, *args):
   """@ask obj param1: arg1 param2: arg2"""
   if len(args) < 2: 
      raise ValueError("Must ask an object to do something")
   
   # Predicate execution
   if len(args) == 2: 
      return dot(env, obj, args[0])
      
   #print obj
      
   # Compile message name and arguments
   symname = ""
   argspec = Table()

   while args: 
      (var, colon, arg), args = args[:3], args[3:]
      symname += var.name
      argspec.append(arg)

   actsym = Symbol(symname)
   #print actsym

   finalargs = [a for a in argspec]
   return dot(env, obj, actsym, *finalargs)

main = ask

if __name__ == '__main__': 
   print __doc__