Consider Ternary operator

[AuthorOfTheSurf]

In the interest of C-family congruence.

[ebramanti]

Decided not to add ternary operator to KobraScript.

[AuthorOfTheSurf]

Re-opening. KS will have a ternary expression soon. Take the below code for example:

fn BinarySearchTree():
  $ root

  fn size():
    return 0 if (!root) .. else root.size()
  end

  fn height():
    return 0 if (!root) .. else root.height()
  end

  fn insert(data):
    if (!root):
      root = node(data)
    .. else:
      root.insert(data)
    end
  end
end

fn node(data):
  $ data = data
  $ lesser
  $ greater

  fn size():
    $ sizeLeft = lesser.size() if (lesser) .. else 0
    $ sizeRight = greater.size() if (greater) .. else 0
    return 1 + sizeLeft + sizeRight
  end

  fn height():
    $ heightLeft = lesser.height() if (lesser) .. else 0
    $ heightRight = greater.height() if (greater) .. else 0
    return 1 + heightLeft if (heightLeft > heightRight) .. else 0
  end

  fn insert(d):
    if (d < data):
      lesser.insert(d) if (lesser) .. else lesser = node(d)
    .. else:
      greater.insert(d) if (greater) .. else greater = node(d)
    end
  end
end

[AuthorOfTheSurf]

Re-assuming my position on ternary operators: statements should be evaluated one way or be evaluated functionally.

If there exists conditionality, that should be a statement. KobraScript does a good job with expressing short conditionals succinctly. Only-if statements, and Single-statement blocks help here.

[rtoal]

So are you going to add a conditional expression or not? Going to take Go's lead and keep it out?

[AuthorOfTheSurf]

Going to keep it out. If it's important enough to be based on some boolean variable that is just floating in scope, that ought to be a statement as it is a clear fork in the flow of the program. KS is a bit nicer than go because simple conditionals can be expressed in fewer lines.

if (data.length > 0)
  -> return parseDataArray(data)
else
  -> return parseDataObject(data)

I am open to better solutions for strings (over basic + concatenation.) Maybe python's %?

[ebramanti]

String interpolation would be fire in KobraScript. Really is preferable in a lot of ways.

Edit: How Ruby does string interpolation -> #{expression}

[rtoal]

Why do you say your conditionals can be expressed in fewer lines?

Do you have both

if exp
    block
else
    block
end

and

if (exp) -> statement else -> statement

with the second form not having a block? The mixture of statements, blocks, and expressions confuses me.

One language that doesn't have a conditional expression is Lua. They just ask you to write things like

x and y or z

so if x is true you evaluate y otherwise where x is false there's no neeed to evaluate y because the conjuction of x and y is false, so you have to go evaluate z. This is the same as "if x then y else z" except when y is false, which is rare in practice.

If KS can do statements as expressions you can adopt that as your style. Or really, why not just do conditionals? So many ways to write them:

return data > 0 ? parseDataArray() : parseDataObject()
return parseDataObject() if data > 0 else parseDataArray()
return data > 0 -> parseDataArray() | parseDataObject()
return if (data > 0) parseDataArray() | parseDataObject()

or even the multiline

return
    data > 0 -> parseDataArray
    true -> parseDataObject

I don't understand your current version without the end keyword which is used everywhere else.