On Mon, 03 Aug 2009 10:45:10 -0400, Andrei Alexandrescu
<[email protected]> wrote:
Michiel Helvensteijn wrote:
Andrei Alexandrescu wrote:
auto data = std.file.readText(filename).chomp.split;
I love that too. Unfortunately, the way the water is moving, it looks
like we'll lose some or all of that.
That's not really true. Some of those no-parameter functions are just
meant
to be read-only properties instead of functions.
auto data = std.file.textFrom(filename).chomped.split;
Sure you meant:
auto data = std.file.textFrom(filename).chomped.splat;
This brings up a good point. split is one of those rare words where split
without parens and split() with parens mean exactly the same thing.
That is, split as a property is an adjective, meaning "give me this data
in a split form" , and as an adjective, split means "split this data", the
result of which is the split data.
So split maybe is one word that is an exception -- it's meaning is clear
for both a property and a function, AND the implied meaning is the same
for both.
I don't think this means we should take this one exception to invalidate
the whole idea of separating function from property, but maybe there could
be ways to annotate such functions as callable both ways. I'm sure the
number of functions that have this property is few such that the pain of
annotating "call this both ways" is minimial. Or else, allow defining a
property and a function with the same name (*gulp*).
One thing is for certain -- I'd rather have to deal with this quandry as
an author of code than deal with the ambiguity of the current design as a
user of code.
---------
I just thought of another issue with property definitions. How do you
declare a property of an array? Today it's:
char[] chomped(char[] input);
Note that any getter property contains an argument which is the object
you're calling the property on (normally implied because the definition is
inside an aggregate definition). But with arrays it's explicit.
So how does this fit in Walter's proposed syntax?
char[] chomped {...}
Where does the input go?
-Steve
