Subject: Re: arguments and strings

From: Ned Freed <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 01 Feb 1998 14:05:29 -0800 (PST)

> Currently, concensus on arguments is that "a" "b" => "ab".  But for a
> command like
> 	fubar "a" "b";

> where fubar is a command that takes two string arguments, this is
> ambiguous; this is either the same as

> 	fubar ("a") ("b");

> which is a "legal" construct, and

> 	fubar "ab";

> which would be an error.

> We need to resolve this, either by making all strings enclosed in
> string-lists, or by making strings not (automatically) concatenate.

> Opinions?

I would suggest that instead of overloading () in this way that we instead
consider the use of commas. Comma separated parameter lists aren't exactly
unheard of...

				Ned

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From: Tim Showalter <[email-masked]>
Date: 1 Feb 1998 17:49:07 -0500

> Date: Sun, 01 Feb 1998 14:05:29 -0800 (PST)
> From: Ned Freed <[email-masked]>
> 

Hm, that's probably the right thing to do.

I'd also be in favor of changing stringlists to use some other set of
brackets; I'm pretty sure Rob mentioned this, but I can't remember to whom.

-- 
                                          Tim Showalter [email-masked]

---

From: Ned Freed <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 01 Feb 1998 17:04:30 -0800 (PST)

> brackets; I'm pretty sure Rob mentioned this, but I can't remember to whom.

You've already committed {} and (), that leaves [] and <>. I dislike <> since
it may interfere with future expression syntax; I'd therefore recommend [],
which I think is what Rob wanted as well. Rob?

				Ned

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From: Rob Earhart <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 13:53:20 -0500 (EST)

> which I think is what Rob wanted as well. Rob?

  Yup; I dislike using <> for the same reason, and there's a
reasonable amount of precendent for using [] for lists (SML, Perl, and
Prolog come to mind; I'm sure there're many more).

  Comma seperated parameter lists "look" right when used with
languages with parenthesized function calls; I'm not sure they'd look
quite as nice in Sieve.  I think I'd prefer disallowing string
concatenation; I don't have any strong feelings about it, though.

  )Rob