[mercury-users] Lisp-like syntax for Mercury (Mercury & macros)

[Richard A. O'Keefe]

Milan Zamazal <pdm at zamazal.org> wrote:
	- Good editor support (as a former participant of an attempt to create a
	  modern Prolog mode for Emacs, I know how painful Prolog's syntax is
	  from the point of view of editor support).
	
That's odd.  My tiny Emacs-ish editor (thief/top) has what I consider to
be good support for Prolog (like it can detect syntax errors and singleton
errors, knows the beginning of a predicate when it sees one, and can step
over Prolog goals &c) and it was *EASY*.  Mind you, I didn't have to fight
Emacs lisp to do it...

	(defmodule sort
	  (:export main))
	
What happened to the arity?

	(define main (* *)
	  (:types (io:state io:state)
	   :modes ((di uo :det)))

This strikes me as rather un-lispy.  Why not

	(define (main (W0 io:state) (W io:state))

	  "Some documentation."
	  [io:command-line-arguments Args]

Here I part company with you.  The use of square brackets is common
in some Scheme dialects, and was known in Interlisp (where brackets
were "stronger" than parentheses, so [(((x] was legal).  But it is
not part of normal (Common) Lisp practice, nor blessed by any version
of the Scheme report.

	  (or [= Args '()]
	      [handle-args [no] [no] * *]
	      [sort * *]
	      /

I haven't the faintest idea what / might be.  In Marseilles Prolog
it was the cut.  OHHHHH, I see.
    (or g11 ... / g21 ... / g31 ...)
really means
    (or (and g11 ...)
        (and g21 ...)
        (and g31 ...))
I can't help thinking that using 'and' would be lispier than using /.

	      [= Args '(Input)]
	      [handle-args [yes Input] [no] * *]
	      [sort * *]
	      /
	      [= Args '(Input Output)]
	      [handle-args [yes Input] [yes Output] * *]
	      [sort * *]
	      /
	      [= Args '(_ _ _ . _)]
	      [io:write-string "Usage: sort [Input [Output]]~%" * *]))
	
I really have trouble understanding what the stars mean.
(Some Prolog dialects have used "*" the way Edinburgh Prolog uses "_".
That threw me.)  If a quaint abbreviation is to be used, wouldn't
":io" be clearer than "* *"?

Here it is in a lispier style.

	(define (main (W0 io:state) (W io:state)
	              :modes ((di uo :det)))
	  "Some documentation."
	  (io:command-line-arguments Args)
	  (case Args
	    (()
	      (handle-args (no) (no) W0 W1)
	      (sort W1 W))
	    ((Input)
	      (handle-args (yes Input) (no) W0 W1)
	      (sort W1 W))
	    ((Input Output)
	      (handle-args (yes Input) (yes Output) W0 W1)
	      (sort W1 W))
            ((_ _ _ . _)
	      (io:write-string "Usage: sort [Input [Output]]~%" W0 W))))
	
If something is going to use a lispy syntax, then since 'case' is part
of Lisp syntax, 'case' might as well be used.

On the other hand, distinguishing between W and w isn't really very lispy.
This isn't going to be pretty, but it's arguably lispier:

	(define (main (,W0 io:state) (,W io:state)
	              :modes ((di uo :det)))
	  "Some documentation."
	  (io:command-line-arguments ,Args)
	  (case ,Args
	    (()
	      (handle-args (no) (no) ,W0 ,W1)
	      (sort ,W1 ,W))
	    ((,Input)
	      (handle-args (yes ,Input) (no) ,W0 ,W1)
	      (sort ,W1 ,W))
	    ((,Input ,Output)
	      (handle-args (yes ,Input) (yes ,Output) ,W0 ,W1)
	      (sort ,W1 ,W))
            ((_ _ _ . _)
	      (io:write-string "Usage: sort [Input [Output]]~%" ,W0 ,W))))
	
Hmm.
#main(io:state,io:state)-det(di,uo).
+main(W0,W)-io:command_line_arguments(A)-main_body(A,W0,W).

#main_body(list(string),io:state,io:state)-det(in,di,uo).
+main_body(nil,W0,W)    -handle_args(no,no,W0,W1)        -sort(W1,W).
+main_body(I.nil,W0,W)  -handle_args(yes(I),no,W0,W1)    -sort(W1,W).
+main_body(I.O.nil,W0,W)-handle_args(yes(I),yes(O),W0,W1)-sort(W1,W).
+main_body(_._._._,W0,W)-io:write_string("Usage: sort [In [Out]]\n",W0,W).

Maybe we abandoned Marseilles Prolog syntax too soon?  (:-)
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