"Bug" in dictionary updates.

[norman bond]

I don't  know if this is a bug or feature! I use variable set to set a dictionary = an existing dictionary, if I then .make a change to the new dictionary it also changes the original one, so seems to create a link rather than a new copy.

Version 1.48.2

Phone Samsung a16, 

Android 15

[Henrik "The Developer" Lindqvist]

Indeed, that how variables work. Use the copy function to make a copy of an value.

[norman bond]

That doesn't  sound right, and isn't true for other Variables.

Var a = 1

Var b = var a

Var b = 2

Var a is still 1.

But

Dir a = {"x"=1}

Dir b = dir a

Put dir b key "x: = 9

Dir a and dir b  now  {"x"=9}

[Henrik "The Developer" Lindqvist]

Sorry, i gave an incomplete answer.

Indeed, when a variable is assigned a Number or Text there's no "copying", any other type of value, i.e. Array or Dictionary, is assigned a "reference" to it.

Also, each Fiber that's started by an Flow beginning or Fork block each have separate copies of the variable values.

[norman bond]

Thank you. I knew about fibers having own copy.

I was testing this because I want to find a simple way to detect 

changes made in values in one copy but not the other. What is the best way?

[Henrik "The Developer" Lindqvist]

Currently the equal = operator compares the Array/Dictionary references, not their content. Changing it to compare by value is a feature on the to-do list.

A workaround is to compare them as JSON, e.g. jsonEncode(dictA) = jsonEncode(dictB)

[norman bond]

Thanks for the json tip. Looks like I'll have wait for the feature change

 And in meantime  check each key/value in a loop.