[swift-evolution] [Review] Naming Functions with Argument Labels

[Jérôme Duquennoy]

> 	* What is your evaluation of the proposal?

This proposal does solve a real problem.
I have one concern about that proposal though: this is solving a compiler ambiguity, but I think it would introduce a "visual" ambiguity :
	let variable = function(arg1, argName: arg2) // function call
	let variable = function (_:, argName:) // assign function to a variable
Those who lines, despite being pretty close visually, are very different.
I have the feeling that it might make non-obvious pieces a bit harder to read. That could reduce swift readability.

Todays method (using a closure) is more verbose, but it is less ambiguous visually I think.
I would be happy to have this possibility, but not at the cost of code readability.

> * Is the problem being addressed significant enough to warrant a change to Swift?

As a developper, I didn't encounter that situation a lot : I assign closures to variables much more than functions.
Nevertheless, the current situation sounds a bit like an incoherency between the way swift identifies methods internally and the way the developper can refer to methods. I am absolutely no expert in compilers, but can that be a flaw that would become problematic later on ? Sorry, I cannot say :-). But if it is, then the problem surely is significant enough to be addressed.

> * Does this proposal fit well with the feel and direction of Swift?

As explained before, I feel the syntax proposed in that evolution has a cost on readability, as it makes two very different things very similar visually.

> * How much effort did you put into your review? A glance, a quick reading, or an in-depth study?

I’ve read the discussion on swift-evolution and the final proposal on GitHub.
I have to say that I didn't even found a syntax that I could propose to avoid the visual ambiguity.

Jerome

> Le 13 janv. 2016 à 18:16, Joe Groff via swift-evolution <swift-evolution at swift.org> a écrit :
> 
> Hello Swift community,
> 
> The review of "Naming Functions with Argument Labels" begins now and runs through January 10th. The proposal is available here:
> 
> 	https://github.com/apple/swift-evolution/blob/master/proposals/0021-generalized-naming.md <https://github.com/apple/swift-evolution/blob/master/proposals/0018-flexible-memberwise-initialization.md>
> 
> Reviews are an important part of the Swift evolution process. All reviews should be sent to the swift-evolution mailing list at
> 
> 	https://lists.swift.org/mailman/listinfo/swift-evolution <https://lists.swift.org/mailman/listinfo/swift-evolution>
> 
> or, if you would like to keep your feedback private, directly to the review manager.
> 
> What goes into a review?
> 
> The goal of the review process is to improve the proposal under review through constructive criticism and, eventually, determine the direction of Swift. When writing your review, here are some questions you might want to answer in your review:
> 
> 	* What is your evaluation of the proposal?
> 	* Is the problem being addressed significant enough to warrant a change to Swift?
> 	* Does this proposal fit well with the feel and direction of Swift?
> 	* If you have you used other languages or libraries with a similar feature, how do you feel that this proposal compares to those?
> 	* How much effort did you put into your review? A glance, a quick reading, or an in-depth study?
> 
> More information about the Swift evolution process is available at
> 
> 	https://github.com/apple/swift-evolution/blob/master/process.md <https://github.com/apple/swift-evolution/blob/master/process.md>
> 
> Thank you,
> 
> -Joe
> Review Manager
> 
> _______________________________________________
> swift-evolution mailing list
> swift-evolution at swift.org
> https://lists.swift.org/mailman/listinfo/swift-evolution

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