[swift-evolution] Proposal: Make braces optional much like semicolons.

[Amir Michail]

> On Dec 20, 2015, at 12:55 PM, Patrick Gili <gili.patrick.r at gili-labs.com> wrote:
> 
> I would not like to see braces made optional. First, I think this reduces the readability of the code. While readability might be somewhat subjective, compare these two blocks of code:
> 
> // With braces             // Without braces
> for i in 0..<10 {          for i in 0..<10
>     for j in 0..<5 {           for j in 0..<5
>         if i %2 == 0 {             if i %2 == 0
>             print(i+j)                  print(i+j)
>         }                          print(i*j)
>         print(i*j)
>     }
> }
> 
> IMHO, it is easier to see that "print(i*j) is part of the block belonging to the inner for loop, rather than the if statement, when braces are present.
> 
> Second, this is Python's style, which comes at a cost: the grammar is not context free. While this type of grammar is safer, especially for programmers with little to no experience, the imposition on veteran programmers is constraining.
> 
> I realize that you're proposing that this be optional. However, this would introduce a new problem. Now you have two distinctly different styles of code out there. IMHO, this further increases the readability issue.

Swift already supports different programming paradigms (e.g., functional, OOP, etc.) which is a much bigger deal than the optional brace issue.

> 
> Cheers,
> -Patrick
> 
>> On Dec 20, 2015, at 10:17 AM, Amir Michail via swift-evolution <swift-evolution at swift.org <mailto:swift-evolution at swift.org>> wrote:
>> 
>> // braces are optional here but you could still put them in if you want to
>> for i in 0..<10
>>    for j in 0..<5
>>        if i % 2 == 0
>>            print(i+j)
>>        print(i*j)
>> 
>> // braces are necessary because “print" is on the same line as ”if"
>> for i in 0..<10
>>    for j in 0..<5
>>        if i % 2 == 0 { print(i+j) }
>>        print(i*j)
>> 
>> // braces are necessary with incorrect/unconventional indentation
>>    for i in 0..<10 {
>> for j in 0..<5 {
>> if i % 2 == 0 {
>> print(i+j)
>> }
>> print(i*j)
>> }
>> }
>> 
>> As for the space vs tab issue, my preference would be to allow only spaces to make braces optional. An alternative would be to use the python 3 indentation rules with respect to spaces and tabs.
>> _______________________________________________
>> swift-evolution mailing list
>> swift-evolution at swift.org <mailto:swift-evolution at swift.org>
>> https://lists.swift.org/mailman/listinfo/swift-evolution
> 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.swift.org/pipermail/swift-evolution/attachments/20151220/ee7f6a3c/attachment.html>