> SUMMARY > C<$var ?= $x : $y> as a shortcut for C<$var = $var ? $x : $y>. > > > DETAILS > We have ||=, +=, -=, etc. These shortcuts (I'm sure there's some fancy > linguistic term for them) save us a few keystrokes and clean up the code. > > So, concerning C<? :>, I find myself doing this type of thing a lot: > $var = $var ? 1 : 0; > How 'bout a shortcut for that, something like this: > $var ?= 1 : 0;
[Modulo already-pointed-out Perl6 operator spelling changes.] I agree that it would seem right to have a ??= assignment operator, since a bunch of other operators have it too. If there's no added complexity to the Perl parser in introducing this operator, there's probably no argument against it. But . . . (metaphysical waffle begins) What argument is there *for* including a ??= operator? The whole point in the assignment operators +=, ||=, //=, etc. is that they modify the *existing value* of the variable. That is, the final result of the variable usually reflects in some way the original value. The example above: $var ??= 1 :: 0; would end up with either 1 or 0 in $var, pretty much irrespective of the value that was in $var. At least these: $var ||= 1; $var &&= 0; leave the possibility that the original value of $var is retained. A ??= operator wouldn't be in the spirit of the other assignment operators. (Well, yes, there's: $var ??= $var :: $foo; and the like, but those can equally be expressed in terms of operators we already have, for instance: $var ||= $foo; ) I guess what I'm saying is that someone needs to provide a real-world, non-contrived, example showing ??= in use. This example would need to demonstrate that using ||= or &&= or its relatives would be less comprehensible. (metaphysical waffle ends) I can't imagine ever needing such an operator. Perhaps that's hubris (in which case, prove me wrong with an example), or perhaps it's because there *is* no need for such an operator (in which case all it'll be is another footnote in the Camel nth edition). Which is it? -- Debbie Pickett http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~debbiep [EMAIL PROTECTED] "You gotta bat your eyes - like this." - _The Little Mermaid_
