> -----Original Message-----
> From: Peter Donald [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Sent: Sunday, 3 March 2002 7:03 AM
> To: Ant Developers List
> Subject: Re: TaskAdapter and execute()
> 

> Ants pattern are not beanish but antish and people learn the 
> difference fast 
> so I don't think it is a huge problem.
> 

This is probably as good a reason as any to change back.  Ant 1's pattern works 
quite nicely.  As you say, the benefits of moving away from it are probably not 
worth the effort.

And its a better match to what mutant does too, which can't be a bad thing.

So who's going to do the work to change everything? :)


> > I think meta-info is the answer here. 
> 
> I don't - meta-info is a workaround for something that isn't clear enough.
> 

Yes, exactly.  Adder/setter methods are only so expressive, and we've gotten to 
the point where we're straining that expressiveness.  Even this 'what does 
setX() and addX() mean?' question is an example.  There's a bunch of equally 
valid patterns we could apply, but we can only choose one.  Whichever we choose 
is going to be the wrong one.  This is where meta-info will help.  We choose a 
pattern, and if it's the wrong one for a particular type, then the type writer 
can use the meta-info to tell us.

BTW, by 'meta-info', I mean @ant tags and stuff in XML descriptors.  Not code 
(though code *should* be an option, ultimately).  So low effort kinda stuff 
from the task writer's POV.


> > We've gotten to the point where we
> > have to guess the task writer's intention.  Let's give 'em a 
> way to make it
> > explicit.  So, how about we leave things how they are for now, and get a
> > basic meta-info framework happening, then sort the mapping out. 
>  We could
> > even go as far as letting the task writer specify which style of method
> > mapping to use.
> 
> I have already started a info descriptor system. Will commit it sometime 
> soonish when I start testing it out ;)
> 

Check it in.  Doesn't have to work; it will soon enough.


Adam


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