From: beatmadsen@... Date: 2019-03-27T09:18:04+00:00 Subject: [ruby-core:92006] [Ruby trunk Misc#15723] Reconsider numbered parameters Issue #15723 has been updated by ahvetm (Erik Madsen). I signed up just to comment on this thread, because I also feel that this change is rather weird, and I would like to propose an alternative, that I don't think has been discussed. I understand the need for the feature, and it's a welcome addition, but the syntax feels iffy to me. Two concrete issues: * The argument numbering dilutes the convention of counting from 0, e.g. when referencing an element in an array. * The '@n' syntax complicates the idea of what '@' identifies in Ruby, making the language potentially harder to learn. A better way in my mind would be to provide access to an array representation of the arguments (borrowing an example from above) like so: ``` ruby numbers.zip(other_numbers).map { them[0] * them[1] } ``` I chose 'them' here as a reference to 'it', but that's just to illustrate the concept, I haven't thought about good names for the array. ---------------------------------------- Misc #15723: Reconsider numbered parameters https://bugs.ruby-lang.org/issues/15723#change-77335 * Author: sos4nt (Stefan Sch����ler) * Status: Feedback * Priority: Normal * Assignee: ---------------------------------------- I just learned that *numbered parameters* have been merged into Ruby 2.7.0dev. For readers not familiar with this feature: it allows you to reference block arguments solely by their *index*, e.g. ```ruby [1, 2, 3].each { |i| puts i } # can become [1, 2, 3].each { puts @1 } ``` I have an issue with this new feature: I think **it encourages sloppy programming** and results in **hard to read code**. --- The [original proposal](https://bugs.ruby-lang.org/issues/4475) was to include a special variable (or keyword) with a **readable name**, something like: ```ruby [1, 2, 3].each { puts it } # or [1, 2, 3].each { puts this } ``` Granted, that looks quite lovely and it actually speaks to me ��� I can *understand* the code. And it fits Ruby: (quoting the website) > [Ruby] has an elegant syntax that is natural to read and easy to write. But the proposed `it` / `this` has limited application. It's only useful when dealing with a single argument. You can't have multiple `it`-s or `this`-es. That's why `@1`, `@2`, `@3` etc. were chosen instead. However, limiting the usefulness to a single argument isn't bad at at. In fact, a single argument seem to be the limit of what makes sense: ``` h = Hash.new { |hash, key| hash[key] = "Go Fish: #{key}" } # vs h = Hash.new { @1[@2] = "Go Fish: #{@2}" } ``` Who wants to read the latter? That looks like an archaic bash program (no offense). We already discourage Perl style `$`-references: (from [The Ruby Style Guide](https://github.com/rubocop-hq/ruby-style-guide#no-perl-regexp-last-matchers)) > Don't use the cryptic Perl-legacy variables denoting last regexp group matches (`$1`, `$2`, etc). Use `Regexp.last_match(n)` instead. I don't see how our code can benefit from adding `@1` and `@2`. Naming a parameter isn't useless ��� it gives context. With more than one parameter, naming is crucial. And yes, naming is hard. But avoiding proper naming by using indices is the wrong way. So please reconsider numbered parameters. Use a readable named variable (or keyword) to refer to the first argument or ditch the feature entirely. -- https://bugs.ruby-lang.org/ Unsubscribe: