[swift-evolution] Proposal: Make it easier to use unicode identifiers in Swift.

[Amir Michail]

> On Jan 15, 2016, at 6:50 PM, Jordan Rose <jordan_rose at apple.com> wrote:
> 
>> 
>> On Jan 15, 2016, at 15:39, Amir Michail <a.michail at me.com <mailto:a.michail at me.com>> wrote:
>> 
>> 
>>> On Jan 15, 2016, at 6:37 PM, Jordan Rose <jordan_rose at apple.com <mailto:jordan_rose at apple.com>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi, Amir. What benefit does this feature have for a Swift programmer? In my mind, it makes it harder to reason about what something does, because there may now be multiple names for the same variable.
>>> 
>>> Jordan
>> 
>> What’s the point of supporting unicode characters in identifiers if almost all of them are too hard to type?
>> 
>> With this approach, you can use standard text to type them and have them converted to unicode every once in a while (e.g., on a commit).
> 
> I think the primary reason to support Unicode in identifiers is because some programmers use non-English names. Using them for e.g. math terminology is a bonus, but I don't think that's a reason to have special support in the core language.
> 
> Now, I could be convinced otherwise (cf. C++'s digraphs <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digraphs_and_trigraphs>), but I don't see why you wouldn't just name the APIs something convenient to begin with, or define a shortcut in your editor rather than in the language.
> 

Consider a linear algebra library that makes use of unicode throughout its API. Having to define the shortcuts yourself is less convenient than having them come with the library.

Moreover, the IDE could even help you by showing you what you can type using standard characters to generate a particular unicode identifier as can be automatically determined via unicodealiases in the library source.

> Best,
> Jordan
> 
> P.S. As a general note, please include in the first message for a feature why you think a particular feature is a good idea for Swift. That saves a bit of time for those of us who may not immediately see the benefit.

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