[swift-evolution] [Proposal] Invert the order of pattern match operator

[David Rodrigues]

> On 07 Apr 2016, at 19:16, Dave Abrahams via swift-evolution <swift-evolution at swift.org> wrote:
> 
>> It would be nice to know the rationale behind the choice of the current syntax.
>> I agree that these seem more natural:
>> 
>>    @warn_unused_result
>>    public func ~=<I : ForwardIndexType where I : Comparable>(value: I, pattern:
>>    Range<I>) -> Bool
>> 
>>    @warn_unused_result
>>    public func ~=<I : IntervalType>(value: I.Bound, pattern: I) -> Bool
> 
> +1

This operator was firstly introduced in Swift in the form =~ but then it was reversed to the current form (~3y ago). There’s a little context about this change on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dmcrodrigues/status/717063623957471232 <https://twitter.com/dmcrodrigues/status/717063623957471232>.

>> I would not change from `~=` to `=~` though.
> 
> One downside with `~=` is that it reads like `+=`, which mutates the
> LHS.  Of course, `=~` has its own issues, e.g. `x=~y` might read as `x =
> ~y`.

I agree but this operator already exists in other languages like Ruby and Perl, so align the syntax may be a good option.

> On 07 Apr 2016, at 18:56, Erica Sadun <erica at ericasadun.com> wrote:
> 
> I'd prefer to offer both ~= and =~, allowing the consumer to choose which side the pattern sits on.

On the other hand, I like in particular the option of having both `~=` and `=~` to provide more flexibility like Erica has suggested. The main question is if that’s ok introduce another operator in the language.

— 
David
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