How should taking in string input be scored in GeoGebra?

Question

I have recently started to use GeoGebra for some code golf challenges involving strings, and have come across a conundrum which I want to ask the meta about, and prompts the more general question of how GeoGebra should be scored in regards to taking in input.

The problem

I was attempting another code golf challenge in GeoGebra and realized that there was no good way of taking in string input (functions are really finicky with string input) other than directly inserting the string input into the source code. In The Nineteenth Byte chatroom, I asked whether or not this was allowed, but shortly after I asked this, I found out that there is a way to create a GUI input box in Geogebra. After testing the input box, I found that there was a slight complication in using the input box: strings containing commas could not be inputted through the input box, but could be inputted through direct insertion. Another problem that I found was that there was a difference between inputting a string through the input box and direction insertion; in my case it was that the empty string broke my code if inputted through insertion, while my code worked if inputted through the input box.

Looking through some past GeoGebra posts, I found a couple of different input methods:

• the input box (example)
• a variable for input, but don't include the initialization of the input variable in the byte count (example)
• a function (example)
• cells of a spreadsheet (example)

Question

What should be the consensus for taking in string input in GeoGebra? Is direct insertion allowed, or is the input box required (or something else entirely)? How is the problem mentioned above factored in with all of this?

Based on the chat discussion with @Bubbler and @emanresu A, it seems like direct insertion should be allowed for string input, though I would like a meta consensus on this.

Answer 1

There should be no special rules.

I think it is best to have consistent rules governing all language rather than a mire of language specific rules and alterations.

For Geogebra it seems that the only suggested input method available which meets our current guidelines is the input box. (See here.) Both insertion into the code (see here) and assignment to a variable (see here) are disallowed in general. I cannot find any reference to spreadsheet cells as an input method. I had thought it was permitted and I would support a proposal to make it a default. If it is allowed I think it should be allowed for all spreadsheet languages.

This means embracing the difficult and strange quirks of Geogebra, when using it. Geogebra may make it very difficult or impossible to do certain tasks. This happens when you use things that aren't designed to be general purpose programming languages.

If this really bugs you, you can always make your own language which is like geogebra, but smooths over the quirks. From a quick glance it seems that at least some of Geogebra's source code is available here. It can even be a language which compiles into Geogebra.