hylo-lang / hylo-lang/specification

function-entity-identifier argument syntax is confusing

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Dominant language
TeX
Stars
23
Forks
8
PR merge metrics
No merged PRs in 30d

Description

I was reading the Closure section and was confused about what round(_:digits:) means. The format of myfunc(arg1:arg2:arg3:) is difficult to parse. It seems like there should be an additional separator between the arguments and at first glance, it looks like : is acting as the separator.

I suggest using a comma: myfunc(arg1:, arg2:, arg3:) This makes it consistent with the syntax for calling a function.

Even better would be to require _ for each argument: myfunc(_, arg1:_, arg2:_) This makes it completely clear that this is a closure and not a function call or some unique syntax.

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Research direction

Start with the linked Language Tour’s Closures section and the specification text defining function-entity identifiers. Compare the proposed comma and underscore forms, then update the specification only after the project’s preferred syntax is decided; done means the notation is unambiguous and consistent with function-call syntax.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
tex
Domain
compilers
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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