Kevin Bealer wrote:

> 
> I'm thinking more along the lines of compile time.  For compile time, the "big"
> feature that all this points to, is code generation that is part of the
> language.
> 
> In other words, routines that run at compile time, and build boilerplate code in
> some reasonable way.
> 
> C++ programmers are trying to do this with the "pseudo functional language" of
> template metaprogramming, and it is a horrible mess, readability, portability
> and stability wise.  And of course there are programs that write code based on
> IDLs and so on.  Also, the C preprocessor is used this way:  consider macros
> named DO_10_TIMES and DO_100_TIMES as a way of doing stone-age loops.
> 
> It would be useful to have a good way to do this, in the language, to replace
> all the bad ways that people are doing it, NEAR the language.  The fact that
> people are doing it in a kludgey way, tell me that the time has come for it.

I agree wholeheartedly.  The C++ template language may be semantically complete but it's a bear to use for code generation, which has become quite popular in the past few years.  While templated typedefs will probably help quite a bit, some attention really needs to be paid to fleshing out the template language specifically for code generation. I'd love to see the same thing happen with D.

Sean

"Walter" <newshound@digitalmars.com> wrote in message news:c7gu2p$1jna$1@digitaldaemon.com...
>
> "Walter" <newshound@digitalmars.com> wrote in message news:c7grbl$1fho$2@digitaldaemon.com...
> > I've been exchanging email with some C++
> > template exports who feel the same way you do.
>
> That should be "experts". Talk about a freudian slip! LOL
>

Well there are a few of both here arent there lol.

C++ experts and C++ exports!

Phill.

>

J Anderson wrote:

> Walter wrote:
> 
>>> I agree.  I discussed something along compile-time-functions, ages ago
>>> but got little response.
>>>   
>>
>>
>> Can you point me towards your postings on this?
>>  
>>
> Humm.  It's in the old d newsgroup and I couldn't search by google.  I can give you the subject title and date, if your using a newsreader:
> 
> Title: Idea - Compile Time functions
> Date: 9/23/2003 1:21 AM

Sounds like:
http://www.digitalmars.com/drn-bin/wwwnews?D/17623

> 
> The idea changes a bit at the end of the thread.



-- 
Justin (a/k/a jcc7)
http://jcc_7.tripod.com/d/