Syntax refers to the set of rules that define how to write a correctly structured program in a language. It explicitly does not deal with the program's meaning or interpretation.
1
vote
1answer
44 views
Helper Methods Placement
Here's a question that's always bugged me. I'm going to use java as an example because I've almost never run into a problem in java where I didn't need to use helper methods in its class structure.
...
43
votes
7answers
2k views
Why are semicolons and commas interchanged in for loops?
In many languages (a wide list, from C to JavaScript):
commas , separate arguments (e.g. func(a, b, c)), while
semicolons ; separate sequential instructions (e.g. instruction1; instruction2; ...
29
votes
2answers
954 views
Why do bitwise operators have lower priority than comparisons?
Could someone explain the rationale, why in a bunch of most popular languages (see note below) comparison operators (==, !=, <, >, <=, >=) have higher priority than bitwise operators (&, |, ...
26
votes
9answers
1k views
What is the difference between “Syntax” and “Syntactic Sugar”
Background
The Wikipedia page on Syntactic Sugar states:
In computer science, syntactic sugar is syntax within a programming language that is designed to make things easier to read or to express. ...
2
votes
2answers
120 views
When to (enforce) linting in a software project
I'm heading a new team of developers working on a software project that makes use of continuous integration (circleci) w/ a pretty fleshed out suite of busterjs unit/integration/acceptance tests. Our ...
42
votes
4answers
15k views
Why do programming languages, especially C, use curly braces and not square ones? [closed]
The definition of "C-Style language" can practically be simplified down to "uses curly braces ({})." Why do we use that particular character (and why not something more reasonable, like [], which ...
2
votes
3answers
464 views
Checking “instanceof” rather than value using a switch statement
Is there some syntax (other than a series of if statements) that allows for the use of a switch statement in Java to check if an object is an instanceof a class? I.e., something like this:
switch ...
2
votes
1answer
165 views
Are there studies about foo/bar/baz and how they inhibit or facilitate comprehension?
Preface
foo,bar,baz are instantly recognizable signifiers of example or pseudo code. Their popularity seems to be a strong indication that the programming community accepts them as a good way to ...
11
votes
4answers
549 views
Why store a function inside a python dictionary?
I'm a python beginner, and I just learned a technique involving dictionaries and functions. The syntax is easy and it seems like a trivial thing, but my python senses are tingling. Something tells me ...
2
votes
1answer
143 views
How are “Json.org”-like specs graphs called and how can I generate them?
In http://www.json.org Douglas Crockford shows the specs of the JSON format in two interesting ways:
In the right side column he lists a text spec that looks like a YACC or LEX listing.
In the main ...
7
votes
3answers
418 views
Why can't we write nested shorthand functions in Clojure?
I tried to evaluate a Clojure expression with nested shorthand functions today, and it wouldn't let me.
The expression was:
(#(+ % (#(+ % (* % %)) %)) 5) ; sorry for the eye bleed
The output was:
...
2
votes
2answers
104 views
How to programmatically construct textual query
Here is a query language, more specifically, it's JQL, you can use it in Jira, to search for issues, it's something like SQL, but quite simpler.
My case is that, I need to construct such queries ...
2
votes
5answers
357 views
Why do node packages put a comma on a newline?
I'm learning node.js and am trying out Express. My first app had this code:
var express = require('express')
, routes = require('./routes')
, user = require('./routes/user')
, http = ...
1
vote
3answers
193 views
Syntax Memorization [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Programmers forgetting syntax
Do programmers need a good memory?
I'm a new web developer. I began learning HTML/CSS around June of this year. I picked them up ...
2
votes
2answers
244 views
Why do different languages have different syntaxes? [closed]
It seems like if every language had the same core syntax but different semantics and features, new programmers or those learning a new language could focus on the theory and more abstract concepts of ...
9
votes
8answers
1k views
Why isn't functional language syntax more close to human language?
I'm interested in functional programming and decided to get head to head with Haskell. My head hurts... but I'll eventually get it...
I have one curiosity though, why is the syntax so cryptic (in lack ...
1
vote
3answers
208 views
How can you learn names of methods or classes of a framework or an API?
I've been programming C++ for a year now. I've gone through the language features and I've written good programs with it, so I decided to move on to OpenGL. At first it seemed confusing. As I kept ...
8
votes
8answers
707 views
How important is it to learn makefiles? [closed]
I work in c++ mostly as a hobby (I'm still in school and therefor don't have a real job). The IDEs generate the makefile for me and so I'm wondering if it's worth learning how to make them myself. By ...
4
votes
3answers
320 views
Omit terminating semicolon in a tag - a good idea?
It's possible to omit the terminating semicolon in a tag.
Example:
<table>
<th><td>Name</td><td>Email</td>
<? foreach ($receivers as $receiver): ?>
...
13
votes
9answers
1k views
Teaching kids to program - how to teach syntax?
I've been spending this week teaching kids (11-18) to program. Teaching them the core concepts and the logic has been going fine, but I've noticed one snagging point for them all: syntax.
I feel like ...
3
votes
5answers
311 views
Confusion regarding def function within Python
I've been learning Python for about 2 months now (Started with Learn Python The Hard Way, now reading Dive Into Python), and within both books, I still seem to be confused over this one bit of code.
...
5
votes
2answers
164 views
Can the Clojure set and maps syntax be added to other Lisp dialects?
In addition to create list using parentheses, Clojure allows to create vectors using [ ], maps using { } and sets using #{ }.
Lisp is always said to be a very extensible language in which you can ...
2
votes
2answers
183 views
What defines a language as a scripting language? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What is the main difference between Scripting Languages and Programming Languages?
I'd like to know what defines a language as a scripting language compared against ...
3
votes
2answers
192 views
Are “backwards” terminators for if and case unique to shell scripting?
In bash at least, if and case blocks are closed like this:
if some-expr
then
echo "hello world"
fi
case $some-var in
[1-5])
do-a-thing
;;
*)
do-another-thing
esac
as opposed to the ...
1
vote
2answers
310 views
What are complete programming languages with a minimal syntax and how is that important? [closed]
With minimal syntax I mean a language that could be entirely described with the least words possible, but complete enough to make any kind of program.
5
votes
1answer
139 views
Pythonesque global variable assignment
I'm designing a language with Pythonesque syntax, including casual creation of variables by assignment. I'm wondering at the moment exactly how to deal with assignment to global variables (and ...
3
votes
3answers
205 views
Eliminating tab characters in a new language
I'm working on a new programming language, which determines structure with indentation instead of braces in the manner of Python and CoffeeScript. Obviously placing lines indented with spaces next to ...
0
votes
2answers
88 views
Reinforcing Syntax Elements
I am currently learning Javascript, and there is one element of the syntax that I can just not seem to nail down. That element is adding semicolons at the end of each line. I have learned Python and ...
4
votes
6answers
1k views
Is there a language that transcompiles to C with a better syntax? [closed]
CoffeeScript is a language with a very clean Ruby-like syntax that transcompiles to JavaScript. Does the same thing exists with C? Then writing more readable and as fast as original C programs would ...
4
votes
5answers
286 views
How to remember the details (Core APIs) of one computer language?
I found my self often paused to check a certain usage of one core API when writing either javascript or Ruby. I am wondering how the other guys doing? Is it necessary to remember every Core API ...
0
votes
1answer
139 views
Syntax logic suggestions
This syntax will be used inside HTML attributes. Here are a few examples of what I have so far:
<input name="a" conditions="!b, c" />
<input name="b" />
<input name="c" />
This ...
97
votes
12answers
8k views
Why are statements in many programming languages terminated by semicolons?
Is there a reason that a semi-colon was chosen as a line terminator instead of a different symbol?
I want to know the history behind this decision, and hope the answers will lead to insights that may ...
0
votes
6answers
378 views
Syntax for goto labels
In C, C++ and some dialects of BASIC, goto labels are declared with the syntax label:. I'm working on a language that uses name: type as the syntax for variable declarations, so I'd prefer if possible ...
20
votes
4answers
2k views
What's the difference between implementing an Interface explicitly or implicitly?
In Visual Studio I can right-click on an interface and choose to Implement Interface, or Implement Interface Explicitly.
public class Test : ITest
{
public string Id // Generated by Implement ...
6
votes
4answers
387 views
Backquoted symbols, good or bad?
I'm designing a programming language which has three kinds of quoted entities: strings and characters as in C, and symbols (interned strings intended for use as lookup keys and such) which I consider ...
4
votes
3answers
188 views
Syntactic sugar regarding function parameters
Are there any modern programming languages where you don't have to specify types for each parameter in a function's definition?
Ex:
procedure P(a, b, c, d: integer)
vs
void P(int a, int b, int ...
23
votes
10answers
2k views
Is there any reason why most programming languages don't have '!>' (not greater than) and '!<' (not less than) operators?
I wonder if there is any reason - or if it is just an accident of history - that there are no !> and !< operators in most programming languages?
a >= b (a greater OR equals b) could be ...
10
votes
11answers
601 views
Is there a personalizable programming language you can use to convert to others?
Is there a programming language in which you can set your own syntax configurations and it would convert the code to a language you choose?
For instance, you would choose specific configurations like ...
49
votes
6answers
2k views
Why the Select is before the From in a SQL Query? [closed]
This is something that bothered me a lot at school.
5 years ago, when I learned SQL, I always wondered why we specify first the fields we want and then where we want them from.
According to my idea, ...
6
votes
3answers
424 views
Is there a reason to prefer lambda syntax even if there is only one parameter?
List.ForEach(Console.WriteLine);
List.ForEach(s => Console.WriteLine(s));
To me, the difference is purely cosmetic, but are there any subtle reasons why one might be preferred over the other?
0
votes
2answers
175 views
Does syntax matters for a (Lispy) Domain Specific Language (MELT, inside GCC)?
I am the main author and designer of MELT, a domain specific language to extend GCC (the Gnu Compiler Collection). The implementation is available free software (GPLv3 licensed). If you want a ...
12
votes
5answers
501 views
Does the syntax of programming languages depend upon their implementation?
Although, my question may be entirely irrelevant, but I have sensed a pattern between most programming languages and their official implementations.
Interpreted (byte-interpreted?) languages like ...
4
votes
2answers
1k views
Why do PHP variables need to be preceded with a dollar sign?
I understand that all PHP variables need to be preceded by a dollar sign (e.g. $someValue = 1), but why is this the case? Why was this design choice made?
The reason I ask is my girlfriend asked why ...
12
votes
5answers
2k views
Why pointer symbol and multiplication sign are same in C/C++?
I am writing a limited C/C++ code parser. Now, multiplication and pointer signs give me really a tough time, as both are same. For example,
int main ()
{
int foo(X * p); // forward declaration
...
0
votes
2answers
178 views
Naming Rules: Standards, Reserved, and what do they depend on? [closed]
I want to know the rules of naming (AlwaysCapitalize, _underscore, firstSmallLetter, etc...) for each of Namespaces, Classes, Interfaces, Exceptions, Data Members, Methods, Variables, etc....
also I ...
11
votes
5answers
910 views
What's the idiomatic name for a throwaway variable? [closed]
Velocity Template Language's set directive requires a variable on the left hand side. This doesn't work.
#set ( $entries.add("d") )
Even though I have no use for the return value of add("d"), I ...
3
votes
1answer
413 views
What's the point of initializing a variable with the same value twice? [closed]
I was reading Ben Cherry's "JavaScript Module Pattern: In-Depth", and he had some example code that I didn't quite understand. Under the Cross-File Private State heading, there is some example code ...
3
votes
6answers
426 views
Is there a language that allows this syntax: add(elements)at(index); [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is there a language out there in which parameters are placed inside method name?
Does a language exist with such a syntax? If not, what are some of the ...
1
vote
1answer
60 views
Is depending on references a common process or should I be memorizing syntax? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is it important for a programmer to memorize the syntax of the language?
For example I could not write a SQL connection string from scratch if I tried. I always either ...
4
votes
5answers
1k views
Why was the C syntax for arrays, pointers, and functions designed this way?
After having seen (and asked!) so many questions similar to
What does int (*f)(int (*a)[5]) mean in C?
and even seeing that they'd made a program to help people understand the C syntax, I ...
