dollar sign again

[Travis Low <tr...@dawnstar.org>]

I suggested making dollar signs optional in certain contexts because I
feel that they constitute "visual noise".  At the time, I was not
aware that double quotes were sometimes optional.  (My only exposure
to WM is from my developers, and they always use the quotes.)  With
that new information, I amend my suggestion as follows:

"Everywhere that double quotes are optional, make them mandatory and
instead make the dollar signs optional."

I think that the templates would be easier on the eyes that way. 
Dollar signs are rare in printed English, but double quotes occur all
the time.  Anything that makes the templating language closer to
natural language increases its usability.

You don't have to agree, of course, but I'd rather make the suggestion
and be shot down than not make the suggestion at all.  Velocity is
abandoning WM-compatibility, right?

-- Travis Low  
   <ma...@dawnstar.org>
   <http://dawnstar.org/travis>

Re: dollar sign again

[Travis Low <tr...@dawnstar.org>]

Rafal Krzewski wrote:
> 
> Your observation is valid, but I'm -1 on optional constructs in general.
>
> > "Everywhere that double quotes are optional, make them mandatory and
> > instead make the dollar signs optional."
> 
> +1. Having strict rules helps avoid bugs. That's why java (or any
> other lanugage for that matter) is better than perl.

I think you missed the "instead" part.  I take it that you are +1 on
making quotes mandatory, and -1 on making dollar signs optional.

-- Travis Low  
   <ma...@dawnstar.org>
   <http://dawnstar.org/travis>

Re: dollar sign again

[Rafal Krzewski <Ra...@e-point.pl>]

Travis Low wrote:
 
> I suggested making dollar signs optional in certain contexts because I
> feel that they constitute "visual noise".  At the time, I was not
> aware that double quotes were sometimes optional.  (My only exposure
> to WM is from my developers, and they always use the quotes.)  With
> that new information, I amend my suggestion as follows:
 
> "Everywhere that double quotes are optional, make them mandatory and
> instead make the dollar signs optional."

+1. Having strict rules helps avoid bugs. That's why java (or any
other lanugage for that matter) is better than perl.
 
> I think that the templates would be easier on the eyes that way.
> Dollar signs are rare in printed English, but double quotes occur all
> the time.  Anything that makes the templating language closer to
> natural language increases its usability.

Your observation is valid, but I'm -1 on optional constructs in general.

> You don't have to agree, of course, but I'd rather make the suggestion
> and be shot down than not make the suggestion at all.  Velocity is
> abandoning WM-compatibility, right?

Velocity is going to define a "2.0" syntax, but it's motivated by improving
things, not by being incompatible with WM for incompatibility itself :).

Rafal