799
views2
comments

These two declarations mean the same thing, but which style is better?

I think it's more natural to write:

let decodeRecords (recordInfos : RecordInfo list, bytes : byte[]) = ...

...but maybe this declaration makes it look less like two parameters and more like a tuple:

1
2
3

let decodeRecords ((recordInfos, bytes) : RecordInfo list * byte[]) = ...

Is one style better than the other, or am I just nitpicking?

In general (with F#) the fewer characters the better*. Terseness is

valued more in functional programming than in other languages, because

it tends to make programs more readable.

So, the first declaration is better. It takes a little while in F# to

get used to (a,b) is a tuple, rather an a C style list of function

arguments, but not long.

Apart from applying the "few characters" rule, I personally find the first declaration much more readable.

*note: the fewer characters rule does not apply to identifiers. In F# you should use .Net style identifiers, eg.

let BuildMessages (applicants : Applicant list) : MessagePack =

----------------
and that's post #100 for me :)

By Javaman59 on 2/11/2010 3:16 PM (permalink)

I was sort of hoping for that answer :). Thanks!

By batibix on 2/12/2010 6:14 AM (permalink)

Topic tags

Built with WebSharper