Would it be difficult to implement the following, or something
with similar capabilities, as a patch to dmd?
Create a compiler that lets one use actual code as templates.
e.g., a text block of a function can be referenced by in the code
using a "dom" to modify that code similar to how we can modify
html.
int foo(x)
if x > 1
return 3;
return 4;
int :foo(x) bar(x)
[
_dom[return][0] = 8; /* _dom is a keyword representing the code
block, in a dom format, of the function foo. The rh expression is
checked for validity just as if it were used in the function.
Here we set the first return to the express 8. This gives the
same function but returns 8 instead of 3 at this point.
!_dom[return][1]; /* The bang kills the 2nd return statement
removing it from the body as if it were never typed, at this
point, bar would be invalid
]
{
static if _dom.Lines == 3 && _dom.#x <= 6
return 1;
/* We have added back a valid return statement, Now bar returns
1 when x <=1 else 3. Not a very useful function, but it
demonstrates how a dom like typesafe syntax might be used
}
The main problem such a model is consistency as changing foo
would generally break any dependencies quite easily. An IDE can
remedy this quite well by simply checking if any of the
corresponding _dom based functions of a function that has been
modified are still consistent. Unfortunately there is no real way
to keep consistency in behavior in general is this is even a
problem with function overloading.
