Address nameDB_ or add api to get name of a variable

[maribethb]

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.

The recommended way to get the name of a variable is the same way we do it in the built-in variable blocks:

const varName = JavaScript.nameDB_.getName(
      block.getFieldValue('VAR'), NameType.VARIABLE);

However, as you can tell by the underscore, nameDB_ is a protected variable on the generator, so it shouldn't be accessed outside the generator class (including by us in the default block).

Also, somewhat related, we are not currently exporting Blockly.Names.NameType in blockly.js so developers can't even do this successfully outside of Blockly.

Describe the solution you'd like

We could add an API to get the name of a variable for a given generator. That way developers don't have to know about the nuances of the nameDB, which seems too low-level to want to surface to them just to do this task.

Describe alternatives you've considered

Alternatively, we could make nameDB_ not protected. I don't think this is ideal because it's asking developers to be too familiar with the implementation. Plus, we just renamed the variable so there's a lot of churn if we renamed it again to remove the underscore, or it would be confusing if we didn't remove it.

Additional context

Discovered this via https://groups.google.com/g/blockly/c/JzVgbKEcyaw

[Daniel-del-Castillo]

I'm having this problem!

Also, somewhat related, we are not currently exporting Blockly.Names.NameType in blockly.js so developers can't even do this successfully outside of Blockly.

So, I get there isn't a way right now to get the name of a variable? That would really be a problem for me.

Btw, I don't know if this has already been reported, but the documentation still shows this way of doing it and even with variableDB_ instead.

[Daniel-del-Castillo]

Okay, I found a workaround in the google groups conversation @maribethb linked. I will copy here the workaround, in case anyone needs it.

Blockly.JavaScript.nameDB_.getName(block.getFieldValue('MYVAR'), 'VARIABLE');

[maribethb]

@Daniel-del-Castillo Hi, thank you for pointing out the documentation issue! I will get that fixed up as well.

For the current release (v7.20211209), you would have to use the plain string VARIABLE just as you are doing. #6030 should go into the upcoming release (in the next two weeks) which will make Blockly.Names.NameType.VARIABLE work again which will be the recommended approach (in case, for some reason, we ever need to change the underlying string represented by that enum)

[maribethb]

After discussion, let's add APIs to generator.ts:

• getVariableName
• getProcedureName

that just call nameDB_ under the hood and pass in the appropriate NameType so the developer doesn't have to

also need to update documentation where needed