On Wed, Jan 26, 2022 at 4:40 AM Sven Van Caekenberghe <s...@stfx.eu> wrote:
> Hi Kaspar, > > I found the initial example actually reasonable readable. > > However, I would simplify it as follows: > > (json at: #tree) > select: [ :each | > ((each at: #type) = #blob) > and: [ #(md mic) includes: (Path from: (each at: #path)) extension ] > ]. > > I would personally not try to extend the Smalltalk syntax. The cost is not > worth the gain. > > Tools could be written to help in dealing with deeply nested structures > (JSON/XML), they could form their own DSL at a higher level. > > For a limited example, NeoJSONObject uses the DNU trick to support unary > accessors: > > json at: #tree > > can be written as > > json tree > > and has a path accessor: > > json atPath: #(tree field name) > > it also behaves like JavaScript objects in that missing keys are nil. It > is not that all this is good or better, it is just handy in some cases. > Your code would then be even simpler (less parenthesis): > > json tree select: [ :each | > (each type = #blob) > and: [ #(md mic) includes: (Path from: each path) extension ] ]. > That is the kind of expressiveness I was looking for! > Sven > > > On 26 Jan 2022, at 10:19, Kasper Osterbye <kasper.oster...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > > > Cheers all > > > > I have noticed that I often ends up with quite a number of nested > expressions, for example: > > > > (((json at: 'tree') > > select: [ :e | (e at: 'type') = ‘blob' ]) > > collect: [:e | Path from: (e at: 'path')]) > > select: [ :p | p segments last > > in: [ :name | (name endsWith: '.md') | > (name endsWith: '.mic') ] ] > > > > What kind of proposals (if any) have been for a different syntax which > could give a more streamlined syntax? > > > > My own thinking has been around an alternative to the cascade semicolon. > What symbol to use does not matter for me, but something like > > json at: ‘tree' º > > select: [ :e | ((e at: 'type') = 'blob’)]º > > collect: [:e | Path from: (e at: 'path’)]º > > select: [ :p | p segments last > > in: [ :name | (name endsWith: '.md') | (name endsWith: > '.mic') ] ] > > > > Basically, a send the right hand expression to the result of the left > hand expression. > > > > Has anyone ever tried this, or is it just one of the many small > annoyances best left alone? > > > > Best, > > > > Kasper >
