syntax across languages

[Pixel]

"C.Reinke" <C.Reinke@ukc.ac.uk> writes:

> > >   encryptionTooSimple d =  
> > >     "This encryption key is too simple (must be at least "
> > >     ++(show (d::Integer))++ characters long)"
> > 
> > - i don't like separating the string from the code for simple strings
> 
> if you don't extract the string, how can it be a parameter
> of/variable in your application?

(GNU) C uses xgettext which extracts the tagged strings.

All you have to do to i18n is to replace:

printf("This encryption key ... at least %d ...", ...)
with
printf(_("This encryption key ... at least %d ..."), ...)


[...]

> <GRIPE>
> one thing I really don't like about Haskell is it's lacking
> support for HERE documents, as you'll find them in shells or
> in Perl. Am I the only one who's constantly bitten by this?
> </GRIPE>
> 
> <ROUGH SUGGESTION>
> 
> Something like:
> 
>   encryptionTooSimple :: Integer -> String
>   encryptionTooSimple d = <<HERE;
>     This encryption key is too simple (must be at least $d characters long)
>     HERE

you have 2 propositions in one: multi-line strings and interpolated strings.

* multi-line strings:
  - either HERE-documents (perl, sh...)
  - more complicated delimiter alike """ ... """ in python
  - nestable delimiter alike qq( ... (...) ...) in perl
* interpolated strings
  - dollar marked variable expanded in strings (perl, sh...)
  - expression in the string alike "1+1 = #{1+1}" in Ruby

  - not really string interpolation, but there is also the Python way based on
    highly sugared sprintf

Of course, all this can be found at
http://merd.net/pixel/language-study/syntax-across-languages.html#Strings
:)

I think it would be a very nice addition in haskell's syntax