Eric Blake <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
> Because I was hoping that M4 2.0 could borrow a leaf from shell parsing,
> and ALSO implement things like ${1-default} that is more compact than the
> current ifelse(`$1',,`default',`$1') in M4 parlance.
Sure, but doesn't that just delay the conversion problem? The price
will eventually have to be paid for having a syntax that is so close
to the shell's.
How about if M4 uses a slightly-different syntax, so that the two uses
are never confused? That way, the conversion problem won't ever have
to be addressed, and Autoconf won't have to disable the extension
during a transition period.
So, for example, suppose M4 uses the syntax ${{11}} to refer to
argument 11? Or (if you prefer something shorter) ${+11}? An
advantage to this sort of approach is that it gives you more leeway
for future extensions.
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