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Re: proposal : keyword default

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On Saturday, 12 October 2013 19:40:01 UTC+3, Edward Diener  wrote:
> On 10/12/2013 5:47 AM, Helmut Zeisel wrote:
> > Maybe Francis Glassborow refers to 6.5 "Examples of Proposed
> > Extensions", 6.5.1 "Keyword Arguments".
> > The last paragraph is
> >
> > "My main worry about keyword arguments was actually that keyword
> > arguments might slow the gradual transition from traditional
> > programming techniques to data abstraction and object-oriented
> > programming in C++. In code that I find best written and easiest to
> > obtain, long argument lists are very rare".
> >
> > IMHO the same can be said about the proposed keyword default and the
> > same alternatives as in Chapter 6.5.1.1 can be used.
>
> What does using default arguments in functions and templates have to do
> with long argument lists ?

Something they have to have to do because you did bring the "Windows
API headers" up as pro argument. Good design avoids squeezing several
different responsibilities into single 6+ parameter function (like
'CreateFile' of Windows API) in interfaces. Having proposed change may
make calls of such monsters shorter.

> What do default arguments have to do with keyword arguments in other
> languages ?

Keyword arguments are feature that is meant to achieve very same goal.
Programmer cherry-picks certain parameters and leaves others as
defaults.

It feels pointless to be heated up about it. C++ is already king of
complexity if to consider its argument passing. Being hesitant about
making it even more complex is rational.

Try and write code editor that does show tool-tips what parameter
it is meant by "default" there. It has to do all the overload resolution
and argument dependent lookup in the million lines of included files for
to guess it with passable correctness. Without such editor however we
are lost in such long argument lists.


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Re: proposal : keyword default alexander.stoyan@googlemail.com - 2013-10-03 13:25 -0600
  Re: proposal : keyword default Daniel Krügler <daniel.kruegler@googlemail.com> - 2013-10-04 11:19 -0700
  Re: proposal : keyword default "Paul D. DeRocco" <pderocco@ix.netcom.com> - 2013-10-04 11:58 -0700
    Re: proposal : keyword default Bo Persson <bop@gmb.dk> - 2013-10-05 19:19 -0700
      Re: proposal : keyword default Edward Diener <eldiener@tropicsoft.invalid> - 2013-10-07 01:50 -0600
    Re: proposal : keyword default Edward Diener <eldiener@tropicsoft.invalid> - 2013-10-05 19:19 -0700
      Re: proposal : keyword default Francis Glassborow <francis.glassborow@btinternet.com> - 2013-10-07 01:50 -0600
        Re: proposal : keyword default Edward Diener <eldiener@tropicsoft.invalid> - 2013-10-07 15:05 -0600
          Re: proposal : keyword default James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2013-10-08 12:36 -0700
          Re: proposal : keyword default Helmut Zeisel <zei2011@liwest.at> - 2013-10-12 03:47 -0600
            Re: proposal : keyword default Edward Diener <eldiener@tropicsoft.invalid> - 2013-10-12 11:36 -0600
              Re: proposal : keyword default ootiib@hot.ee - 2013-10-12 23:10 -0600
              Re: proposal : keyword default John Harris <niam@jghnorth.org.uk.invalid> - 2013-10-13 11:33 -0600
                Re: proposal : keyword default Edward Diener <eldiener@tropicsoft.invalid> - 2013-10-16 10:34 -0600
              Re: proposal : keyword default Helmut Zeisel <zei2011@liwest.at> - 2013-10-14 20:37 -0700
  Re: proposal : keyword default Alexander Terekhov <terekhov@web.de> - 2013-10-18 01:20 -0600

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