VB - trivial improvements

[=?Utf-8?B?Z3V5?=]

Just a though but three trivial changes which I would like to see in VB:-
1- Make Null a synonym for Nothing, progressively phasing Nothing out, you
have to know null anyway so why not use it in VB?
2- Use Dec or Declare to declare non array variables where currently we
would use Dim. Dim is a fudge, as we are not 'dimensioning' anything.
3- Allow the '++' / '--' style syntax for incrementing / decrementing a
number. It is a simple concise shorthand.

any thoughts?

Guy

[Cor Ligthert [MVP]]

Guy,

Do you know what Null means, it is an very ancient use for not the basic
instancing of bytes in memory with all zero bits. Not all, on others is used
all "F" bytes.

This legancy is used in C type languages to tell that there is Nothing
referenced, for me it is the same as calling fuel for an engine still coals.

This the same for the incrementer, the simple form of VB were you can say

For i = 0 to X

seems to me more easy then

for(int i = 0;i < X;i++);
However if you want to replace the Dim (what I don't want, I want it
optional), why than not use the "var" as it is recentely introduced in C# to
have the (not complete) same behaviour as the Dim in C#.

If you want to use legancy behaviour from C type languages, then use those.

Just my opinion.

Cor

"guy" <gu*@discussions.microsoft.comschreef in bericht
news:EB**********************************@microsof t.com...

Just a though but three trivial changes which I would like to see in VB:-
1- Make Null a synonym for Nothing, progressively phasing Nothing out,
you
have to know null anyway so why not use it in VB?
2- Use Dec or Declare to declare non array variables where currently we
would use Dim. Dim is a fudge, as we are not 'dimensioning' anything.
3- Allow the '++' / '--' style syntax for incrementing / decrementing a
number. It is a simple concise shorthand.

any thoughts?

Guy

[=?Utf-8?B?Z3V5?=]

"Cor Ligthert [MVP]" wrote:

Guy,

Do you know what Null means,

yes I do
..

>
This the same for the incrementer, the simple form of VB were you can say

For i = 0 to X

seems to me more easy then

for(int i = 0;i < X;i++);

totally agree

>
However if you want to replace the Dim (what I don't want, I want it
optional), why than not use the "var" as it is recentely introduced in C# to
have the (not complete) same behaviour as the Dim in C#.

yes Var would be fine

If you want to use legancy behaviour from C type languages, then use those.

Just my opinion.

Cor

Snip

Guy

[Herfried K. Wagner [MVP]]

"guy" <gu*@discussions.microsoft.comschrieb:

Just a though but three trivial changes which I would like to see in VB:-
1- Make Null a synonym for Nothing, progressively phasing Nothing out,
you
have to know null anyway so why not use it in VB?

Which problem would be solved by this change?

2- Use Dec or Declare to declare non array variables where currently we
would use Dim. Dim is a fudge, as we are not 'dimensioning' anything.

Which problem would be solved by this change?

3- Allow the '++' / '--' style syntax for incrementing / decrementing a
number. It is a simple concise shorthand.

Read:

Why not ++ and --?
<URL:http://www.panopticoncentral.net/archive/2003/12/02/251.aspx>

--
M S Herfried K. Wagner
M V P <URL:http://dotnet.mvps.org/>
V B <URL:http://dotnet.mvps.org/dotnet/faqs/>

[=?Utf-8?B?RmFtaWx5IFRyZWUgTWlrZQ==?=]

"guy" wrote:

Just a though but three trivial changes which I would like to see in VB:-
1- Make Null a synonym for Nothing, progressively phasing Nothing out, you
have to know null anyway so why not use it in VB?
2- Use Dec or Declare to declare non array variables where currently we
would use Dim. Dim is a fudge, as we are not 'dimensioning' anything.
3- Allow the '++' / '--' style syntax for incrementing / decrementing a
number. It is a simple concise shorthand.

any thoughts?

Guy

I don't see how this benefits someone learning VB. It may help someone
coming from C# but picking up these going C# -VB.Net is not difficult by
any means. I think giving choices hurts those migrating VB6 -VB.Net, which
seems to be the more common migration path.

[Andrew Morton]

guy wrote:

Just a though but three trivial changes which I would like to see in
VB:- 1- Make Null a synonym for Nothing, progressively phasing
Nothing out, you have to know null anyway so why not use it in VB?

How about Void? A void is a nothingness...

2- Use Dec or Declare to declare non array variables where currently
we would use Dim. Dim is a fudge, as we are not 'dimensioning'

Or Var... seeing as that's what ECMAScript uses. Or just drop it and program
the compiler to use whatever comes before As as a New variable name.

anything. 3- Allow the '++' / '--' style syntax for incrementing /
decrementing a number. It is a simple concise shorthand.

Well, as has been pointed out, due to the multiplicity of the symbols, it
might appear that you want to increment/decrement by two rather than one.
Also, it might confuse people who are used to seeing ** mean ^. How about
just a single + or -?

>:-)

Andrew

[=?Utf-8?B?QU1lcmNlcg==?=]

Just a though but three trivial changes which I would like to see in VB:-

The thing I miss the most in VB is macros (#define) including the
stringizing operator (#) and the token pasting operator (##). Macros are
easily abused and overused, but I like them.

[Spam Catcher]

"Herfried K. Wagner [MVP]" <hi***************@gmx.atwrote in
news:OA**************@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl:

"guy" <gu*@discussions.microsoft.comschrieb:

>Just a though but three trivial changes which I would like to see in
VB:- 1- Make Null a synonym for Nothing, progressively phasing
Nothing out, you
have to know null anyway so why not use it in VB?

Which problem would be solved by this change?

It brings it inline with other .NET languages.

I would prefer Null over Nothing as well.

--
sp**********@rogers.com (Do not e-mail)

[Tom Shelton]

On 2008-02-21, Cor Ligthert [MVP] <no************@planet.nlwrote:

<snip>

However if you want to replace the Dim (what I don't want, I want it
optional), why than not use the "var" as it is recentely introduced in C# to
have the (not complete) same behaviour as the Dim in C#.

What do you mean by this comment? var was introduced to preserve the C#
style of declaration and support anonymous types. var is more of a type
place holder, like T in a generic declaration than a synonym to the dim
keyword.

--
Tom Shelton

[Patrice]

I would rather favor adding new keywords to support new features rather than
changing existing keywords IMO doing more arm than anything else...

"guy" <gu*@discussions.microsoft.coma écrit dans le message de news:
EB**********************************@microsoft.com...

Just a though but three trivial changes which I would like to see in VB:-
1- Make Null a synonym for Nothing, progressively phasing Nothing out,
you
have to know null anyway so why not use it in VB?
2- Use Dec or Declare to declare non array variables where currently we
would use Dim. Dim is a fudge, as we are not 'dimensioning' anything.
3- Allow the '++' / '--' style syntax for incrementing / decrementing a
number. It is a simple concise shorthand.

any thoughts?

Guy

[Mark Lincoln]

No, let's not drop it. I like something at the beginning of the line
that immediately tells me there's a variable being declared instead of
my having to interpret it--as if I don't have enough trouble
interpreting my own code. I could live with Var (eventually) were it
to come to that, but there should be some clear indication of variable
declaration.

And no, let's not use "Dec" to declare variables. "Dec" is too easily
interpreted as meaning "Decrement."

Mark Lincoln

On Feb 21, 10:15*am, "Andrew Morton" <[e-mail]>
wrote:

guy wrote:

2- Use Dec or Declare to declare non array variables where currently
we would use Dim. Dim is a fudge, as we are not 'dimensioning'

Or Var... seeing as that's what ECMAScript uses. Or just drop it and program
the compiler to use whatever comes before As as a New variable name.
-snip-
Andrew

[Cor Ligthert[MVP]]

>

Christmas promotions already - and it's only February!!!!!!!!!!!

You see kids thinks forever that Santa Claus has to do with Chritsmas gifts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas

By the way, did you know that Dutch kids use Santa Claus in the Dutch
tradition and in the USA tradition.

(And get twice gifts, maybe something for you)

Cor