[Pitch #2] Build-Time Constant Values

[wowbagger (冀卓疌)]

@taylorswift

@Jon_Shier

I do rather object to @const , as it's inelegant holdover from C++ (AFAICT). Given how rarely this will be used, can't a slightly longer, more clear name be used like @buildTime ?

const is to constant what func is to function. i think it will become quite commonly used…

Borrowing from some of my words from the last pitch:

@wowbagger

I believe what many of us are saying isn't that we want longer keywords, but keywords that disambiguate from existing usage. The difference between the pitched feature and let is not the constant-ness, but the compile-time known-ness of the constant-ness. This is why keywords like compileTime and predefined are suggested as alternatives. If they are too long, then they can be trimmed shorter, but whether they're in long or short forms, they're more clear than const .

And here is a counter-example: def is to define as const is to constant . Although def is shorter than function (and func ), just as const is shorter than compileTime , it shouldn't be a more pragmatic choice than function is, because it doesn't disambiguate from other declaration keywords.