[swift-evolution] Renaming "Build Configuration"

[Ben Langmuir]

> On Jan 27, 2016, at 5:18 PM, Jordan Rose via swift-evolution <swift-evolution at swift.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi, everyone. This isn't exactly a language feature, but it's something that would benefit from the idea pool and bikeshedding that happens on the list. Simply put, what's the name of this feature?
> 
> #if os(OSX)
> #if swift(>=3.0)
> #if DEBUG
> 
> And what's this command-line option? (not that most people are invoking Swift on the command line)
> 
> swift -DDEBUG main.swift
> 
> ---
> 
> The Swift Programming Language book <https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/Swift/Conceptual/Swift_Programming_Language/Statements.html#//apple_ref/swift/grammar/compiler-control-statement> and the compiler diagnostics aren't quite consistent here:
> 
> #if: "configuration block" (compiler), "build configuration statement" (book)
> (the condition): "build configuration expression" (compiler), "build configuration" (book)
> os(…) and arch(…): "target configuration expression" (compiler), "platform testing function" (book)
> swift(>=…): "version requirement" (compiler), (not yet in book)
> 
> -D flag: "specifies one or more build configuration options"
> 
> On top of this, there's another problem: the term "build configuration" has long been used by Xcode to refer to "Debug", "Release", etc—a different mode of compilation that manifests itself as different build settings. Having two different concepts with the same name is never a great idea, and Xcode's feature definitely has seniority here.
> 
> ---
> 
> Some things to keep in mind for this feature:
> 
> - All conditions are (currently) compile-time conditions.
> - Code in the non-compiled block still has to parse…except if the predicate is "swift(>=…)", for obvious reasons.
> - All conditions are boolean-valued predicates; the ones set on the command line are options (present or absent), not macros.
> 
> Here's my proposed names to get the discussion started:
> 
> - "Conditional Compilation Block" for the whole construct (from the #if to the #endif and everything in between).
> - "Conditional Compilation Directive" for the #if line (and #elseif line). Not sure if the #endif line applies.
> - "Conditional Compilation Expression" for the condition of a #if.
> - "Platform Compilation Features" for all the function-like predicates (including "swift(>=…)", even though that's special.

I don’t love the name “Features” , but I don’t have an obviously better suggestion off hand.

Why do you want to combine the version requirement with the other predicates?  I would think the special behaviour was worth calling out.

> - "Custom Compilation Features" for all the user-defined options.
> - "marks a custom compilation feature as present" as the --help text for -D.
> 
> …but I'd be happy if someone comes up with something better. (And I'd like feedback on if any of these names are problematic in some other way.)

+1 overall, this seems like a nice cleanup.

> 
> Thanks, all,
> Jordan
> 
> P.S. Since this is only changing diagnostics and the book, I don't think it needs to go through the full evolution process, but someone else from the core team can correct me.
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